Ted Bundy Research Paper Essay Example

“Ask a psychopath what love is and he’ll go on and on, but he has never felt it himself…If you catch him lying, he’ll just shift gears and go on as though nothing had happened” (Goleman). Ted Bundy was one of the most famous psychopaths in the history of the country (Nordheimer). People say he was the perfect killer- handsome, intelligent, witty, and charming (Boynton 25). Bundy was the complete opposite of what people thought a serial killer looked like, so his victims did not fear him (“Ted Bundy”). Robert Keppel, an expert on serial killers, stated, “He taught us that a serial killer can appear to be absolutely normal, the guy next door (“Serial Killers and Mass Murderers”). At one point he was working for a suicide hotline; a friend once said, “Ted Bundy took lives, he also saved lives” (Thompson). Bundy not only thrived on the attention he received from the police and the media (Editors), but loved the thrill of stalking his victims (U*X*L). Not one person Ted Bundy knew would have guessed he was able to do such horrid things. Theodore Robert Cowell was born in the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Burlington, Vermont on November 24, 1946. His mother, Louise Cowell, was pregnant with Theodore when she was only twenty-one years old. Louise grew up in a very strict Methodist backround. Because she was not married, having Theodore was an embarrassment to her parents, Sam and Eleanor Cowell. Sam Cowell was known for being ill-tempered and racist. He verbally and physically abused his wife. Because of this, Eleanor suffered from frequent bouts of depression and was always living in fear. Louise had greatly struggled to even tell her parents about her pregnancy on account of what they might do. After birth, Louise traveled back home to Philadelphia so her parents could decide whether they wanted to keep Theodore or put him up for adoption. When the Cowell family was debating, they left Theodore with strangers in Vermont. Two months later, Louise returned to