"we probably could have learned a lot about the mind of a serial killer by talking to him, studying him, and seeing if he could have been rehabilitated."
People like to say these things but it just isnt true. Ted, like most serial killers, is not nearly as complicated as he might seem and at times it appears that even he didnt "know" why he did what he did.
He looks complex because of his vicious acts, and we see ourselves as being so far removed from someone like that, we tend to view them as aliens, or subhuman.
Some people like to read. Some people like to excercise. Some people just like spending time with their g/f or b/f. Some people have a few drinks and then they like to dance. Or they get up and sing kareoke.
Ted liked to dominate, scare and hurt women in the worst possible way. When he drank, he put on his dark clothes, and went 'trolling' for bodies.
That's it. He was a sociopath who viewed people as objects. They served their purpose for him, and when he was finished, he discarded them. The actual murders were really just the 'final solution' to his raping and domination.
The bottom line is this. We learned all we could about Ted by the time he was executed. Could he have helped us 'prevent' future serial killers? I dont think so. Serial killers dont play along with the rest of society. They live in their own world, and that world manifests itself when they are children.
If you want to prevent serial killings, then be good parents. Dont bring a child into this world unless you are fully prepared to spend the next 18 years being totally devoted, spiritually and financially, to your child.
Pay attention to what they do, say, watch and listen to.
And if your son goes on to become a serial killer, I will volunteer to pull the switch to execute his ass to hell. :-)
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nancyblake
17 years ago
You say there was nothing complex to him but if you read about him and his child hood and the way he grew up (thinking his mother was his sister and his own should have been granfather being his father)you have to give understanding to him. Many people say that being a serial killer is a condition that they physically can't stop there urges and i believe that is true. So its not like reading or whatever reading isnt an impulse that someone has to do, and if you look at many of them they want to be caught (im not saying bundy did because i know he escaped). Also if you look at the interview he did right before he died he does show remorse. I do not believe Bundy deserved to die. We could have learnt alot from him and fortunately we still can thanks to interview he gave. and what would you say if it was YOUR son who became a serial killer?? you'd want us to 'execute his ass to hell' i don't think so.
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disturbedtool68
17 years ago
"what would you say if it was YOUR son who became a serial killer?? you'd want us to 'execute his ass to hell?"
Fair question. One that I have thought long and hard about. The answer is that it wouldnt make any difference. I would not put my personal relationships between what I feel is justice. What I 'want' is not the issue. If my son were a serial killer, I would not change my stance on the death penalty.
As for Ted's last (self-serving) interview, I dont believe that is true remorse. He was still blaming alchohol and porn, and he still refused to talk about some of the girls that he mutilated. I dont believe he has ever been sorry a day in his life.
How can he be? "Gee Kimberly, I know you;re only 12 years old and you are just starting to live your life, and I'm REALLY REALLY sorry, but you have to understand, I have this uncontrollable urge to have to rape you and slice your neck from ear to ear..."
Sorry, but the remorse you are seeing in those interviews is only that he is sorry that he is going to die and there is nothing he can do about it. Remember what he was saying. He couldnt talk about Georgeanne or Kimberly because he needed "time...to put all the thoughts together..."
Bull. He was afraid to die. Nothing more.
The whole bit about his mother/sister - grandfather/father is not set in stone. He told some people one story, and other people another story.
But here is the question: What could we have learned from Ted if he lived? Why he killed? We know why. How he got that way? It wasnt porn or alchohol.
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sixXstring_overdrive
17 years ago
I totally agree man. I dont think any man should be alowed to kill, aside from protection of himself or others. Some would argue that the death penalty is implemented to protect others but this is not true. It is implemented so people have the pleasure of seeing someone die. isnt that one of the reasons he did what he did, or at least one of the reasons serial killers kill? Doesnt that lower us to their level? The only punishment i see fit for this man (or any man or women who thinks he/she can kill for no reason or any reason aside from self defence)is in a dark concrete cell tied to a bed with no mattress so they cant kill themeselves.
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boiled_elephant
17 years ago
Apart from the mortifying inaccuracy and unreliability of the death penalty, my main objection to it is that it places the pressure of taking someone's life on the guards...I know they choose the job, but still, it seems unfair on them. If anything, it should be automated to some extent.
As for Bundy...I agree he was a freakin' madman, but that's kinda why he SHOULDN'T have been killed. He should have been found innocent by reason of insanity.
Be alert. The world needs more lerts.
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disturbedtool68
17 years ago
"Apart from the mortifying inaccuracy and unreliability of the death penalty, my main objection to it is that it places the pressure of taking someone's life on the guards...I know they choose the job, but still, it seems unfair on them. If anything, it should be automated to some extent.
As for Bundy...I agree he was a freakin' madman, but that's kinda why he SHOULDN'T have been killed. He should have been found innocent by reason of insanity.
"
He wasnt insane.
And I would volunteer to hit the switch if I could.
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