CHARMING KILLERS

CHARMING KILLERS

By Peter Fredson

August 17, 2005

Last week I watched part of a TV documentary on Serial Killers. One which most aroused my curiosity was Ted Bundy. Ted Bundy, (Theodore Robert Cowell, born November 24, 1946,) also called “The Poster Boy of Serial Killers”

He was different from stereotypes of murderous maniacs. He was usually well-dressed and very well mannered. He had a ready smile, was handsome, personable, smart, urbane and charming. As a college student he did charity work, and was hired by the Washington State Republican Party to work on political campaigns. He was accepted into the University of Utah Law School. Everyone thought he had a promising career ahead of him.

No one who looked at his exterior suspected him of being a sociopath. None of his friends or relatives believed he was capable of foul deeds. None of the women he murdered seemed to suspect anything unusual about his behavior or looks.

A break-up with a girl friend may have led to his extreme violence toward women. He killed at least 40 women, with extreme prejudice and cruelty. He often rendered them unconscious by clubbing or strangling them, then would rape and perform unspeakable acts with them.

He would cut off their heads to perform disgusting rituals, but even more revolting acts came when he revisited their grave sites and indulged in shocking necrophilia.
A psychiatrist described his motivation as having total control over and possession of his victims. He once said that in his first attempts at murder he would “go up behind someone and hit them on the head with a two by four just to see what it felt like.”

On 16 August 1975 Bundy was stopped while driving without lights in Salt Lake City. Bundy’s evasive answers aroused suspicions of a Patrolman, who discovered a balaclava, a stocking mask, an iron bar and handcuffs on the car floor. Ted Bundy stayed cool, denied any wrong doing, exhibiting self-confidence and a harmless stance. But a witness picked Bundy out of an identify parade. Bundy went on trial and was sent to prison, where he escaped.

Later he broke into a sorority house in Tallahassee, Florida. He strangled 21-year-old student Margaret Brown and beat to death Lisa Levy, 20. Two other girls in the house were also beaten with a wooden club but survived.

In June 1979 he went to trial for the sorority murders. Bundy protested his innocence, conducting his own defense. He was cool and confident, always insisting he was innocent. He felt no remorse, no guilt, no need to apologize for anything, and continued to deny any criminal activity.

He spent nearly 10 years on Florida’s Death Row, using legalities to delay his execution and offering confessions to his crimes in exchange for a reprieve. After years of claiming innocence Bundy finally confessed to a total of 40 murders, but kept referring to himself in the third person, claiming that the killings were performed by some "entity" within him.

It is fascinating that even on Death Row, with much fanfare about his horrible crimes; women sent marriage proposals to him.

Looking at the newsreel photos of Bundy I felt that I had seen him someplace before. Personable, charming, easy smile, trace of a smirk, a look of innocence, articulate, deceptive, ready denials with plausible excuses, lack of remorse, shameless, never feeling any need to apologize, never willing to admit having made any mistakes, having some “entity” within him, absolute disregard of people’s feelings, vindictive, always ready to blame anyone else, and vicious without warning.

Where in the world would I have seen such a person?

Then today I saw a photo of George W. Bush at his ranch near Crawford, Texas, explaining why he wouldn’t meet with a grieving mother, and that he needed “to get on with his life.” The resemblance between his photo and that of Ted Bundy was remarkable. Same smile, nonchalance, hint of a smirk, intent stare to show sincerity, lack of remorse, denial of all responsibility for anything, and having some “entity” stimulating them to perform unspeakable actions.

Personable yes, charming yes, indifference to any suffering yes. Utterly shameless, yes, but handsome. And handsome is as handsome does.

Ted Bundy killed at least 40 people, but George Bush, as President, was directly personally responsible for sending a nation to war based on his lies which then resulted in about 2,000 “brave young boys” that will never “get on with their lives.” He, and his neo-con Cabinet and advisors, searching for power, glory, wealth and oil, deny all responsibility for anything, are vindictive beyond belief, absolutely disregard people’s feelings except for photo-ops and sound bites, always blame somebody else (Bill Clinton, Hillary, the Democrats) and strike without warning.

We should mention that from 20 to 50 thousand Iraqis are also dead, murdered by Shock-and-Awe, in their homes and businesses, in the attempt to change the regime of one person. We must mention that murder is going on daily on the Iraqis, whose homes are bulldozed, shelled, and broken into without any warning.

Their deaths are excused as “collaterals” and “insurgents”. No apology, no remorse, nothing.

So when Cindy Sheehan thinks that this person will apologize for anything, that this person feels remorse, feels responsibility for causing death, she will wait a long time, unless national outrage becomes so intense that politicians begin questioning their own survival and may oust, or impeach, the likeable, smiling, Bundy-like personality she wishes to affect.

In fact, their vindictiveness may result in deaths, as witness the charming behavior of Texans in pick-ups destroying crosses, shooting shot-guns, and expressing great outrage at having their peaceful lives upset.

We must mention that all this took place because a charming, personable, smiling person lied to Congress, lied to the Nation, and had his entire Cabinet lie daily, for months, until his fairy tales started the tanks, planes, humvees and troops moving into a foreign country, far distant, to start his own form of terror, which continues because this person cannot stop what seems to be a sociopathic compulsion to kill people and call it “bringing freedom and democracy.”

His “entity” within him, evidently approves of it all, so his supporters refuse to believe he can do anything evil.

Bundy’s mother called him a “sweet boy.”

Case closed.