VICTIMOLOGY:

Bundy targeted brunette, petite Caucasian women aged 12 to 26 years old. All of the victims
were either in college or had a middle-class background. While looking for his victims, he would
consume large quantities of alcohol. The crimes predominantly occur under the cover of night,
although some instances occur during daylight hours, with the perpetrator strategically selecting
locations conducive to the victims' comfort, such as college and university grounds, crowded
beaches, and ski resorts.

CRIME SCENE CHARACTERISTICS:

Location Type:
Margaret Bowman (21) and Lisa Levy (21) was found dead at their sorority house.
Location of the Scene:
Margaret Bowman (21) and Lisa Levy (21) was found dead on the Chi Omega Sorority
House by strangulation after receiving severe beatings with a length of a tree branch used as a club.
Margaret Bowman's skull was crushed and literally laid open. The attacker also bit Lisa Levy with
sufficient intensity to leave indentations which could clearly be identified as human bite marks.
Victim’s Location:

Margaret Bowman (21) and Lisa Levy (21) location was in Chi Omega Sorority House,
Tallahassee, Florida.
Victim’s Selection:
The majority of Bundy’s victim fit a distinct profile: brunette, petite Caucasian, young
and attractive college women.
Method of Approach:
Ted Bundy enters the Sorority House through the backdoor that had been a broken lock.
Use of Weapons:
Margaret Bowman (21), was beaten with a piece of firewood and strangled with nylon
pantyhose as she slept in her bed. Then, Bundy turned to Lisa Levy (21), during the attack,
Bundy bit her buttocks and her nipple, sexually assaulted and strangled her.
MODUS OPERANDI:
His method of obtaining the victims varied; sometimes he would burglarize their homes and
bludgeon them in their sleep, sometimes he would use an elaborate ruse, and sometimes he
merely relied on his looks alone. The latter method was successful for Bundy because of the fact
that women considered him to be good-looking and charming. In fact, this characteristic even
allowed him to successfully abduct women in broad daylight, even if they were aware that a
serial killer was present in the area. His facial features were also "unremarkable"; that is, though
attractive, not especially memorable. This allowed him to completely change his appearance with
only minor adjustments; a mustache, different hairstyle, a hat, etc. He would even disguise
himself as a police officer or a firefighter to gain his victim's trust. Sometimes, Bundy would use
a fake cast, have his arm in a sling, or use crutches to play on a potential victim's sympathy. He
would ask them for the assistance of some kind, such as helping him put something in his car or
asking for directions. They were then struck in the head with a crowbar, shoved into his car, and
forced to wear handcuffs.

His initial attacks involved him raping them (either with incidental objects found in the victim's
bedroom or ones he brought with him) and then fatally bludgeoning them with a crowbar. Before
raping his victims, he would have them remove their clothing (and later burn it after killing them,
or in the case of Julie Cunningham, deposit it in a Goodwill Industries collection bin) or take off
his own clothing to prevent the authorities from finding any trace evidence. He would later kill
his victims by strangulation and would sometimes decapitate them post-mortem, keeping a few
of their skulls as trophies. In one case, he cremated the severed head of one victim in a fireplace.
When he killed Lynette Culver, he drowned her in a bathtub. When he attacked his victims at the
Chi Omega sorority house, he bludgeoned all of them with a log.

Bundy would often visit his victims, whom he dumped at a site in Taylor Mountain. He admitted
to applying makeup to the corpses, having sex with them, and would lie with them for hours
afterward. He also dressed them in clothes that they never wore and apply nail polish that their
families had never seen them use. Bundy also kept a collection of photos of his victims that he
took with a Polaroid camera as a way of remembering the crimes.
OFFENDERS BEHAVIOR:
A group of 73 psychologists got together with the University of Kentucky to study Ted Bundy's
mental health in 2007. They chalked out a list of disorders, according to DSM-5, that Bundy
might be suffering from. The team believed Bundy was a prototype (a perfect example) of the
disorder, checking off all of its criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
According to the American Psychiatric Association, symptoms of ASPD include:
 Egocentrism
 Acting on personal gratification (as opposed to the law and societal norms)
 Lacking empathy and remorse
 Incapacity to maintain mutually intimate relationships (often using coercion and
intimidation to control others)
 Antagonism (manipulative, deceitful, callous, and hostile)
 "Dis-inhibition" (irresponsible, compulsive, and risk-taking)
2. Psychopathy
Hervey Cleckley, a psychologist who more or less pioneered the concept of a psychopath,
defined one with the "Psychopathy Checklist." That includes:
 superficial charm,
 untruthfulness and insincerity,
 lack of nervousness,
 inadequately motivated antisocial behavior,
 pathological egocentricity,
 lack of remorse and shame,
 an inability to follow a life plan, and more.
3. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Ted Bundy also showed signs of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), which is defined by the
following traits in DSM-5:
 Excessive reference to others for self-esteem regulating and/or goal setting based on
others' approval
 Impaired ability to recognize the needs and emotions of others
 Largely superficial relationships that exist for self-esteem regulation or personal gain
 Feelings of entitlement and superiority
  Excessive attempts to attract attention from others
 Admiration seeking A person must have at least five of the above symptoms.
4. Borderline Personality Disorder
The majority of that same group of experts in the University of Kentucky study said that Bundy
was "above the diagnostic threshold for borderline," a personality disorder that affects anywhere
from 2 to 6 percent of the U.S. population according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI). A person with borderline personality disorder (BPD) typically has the following
symptoms as per NAMI –
 unstable personal relationships (swinging from one extreme to another),
 acts impulsively,
 behaves in self-harming ways,
 goes through periods of intense depression,
 becomes suddenly bored,
 experiences changes in self-image (sometimes positive, sometimes negative)
People with BPD tend to feel emotions intensely—which may be why not all of the
psychologists felt Bundy fell into this category of mental-health illnesses.

THEORIES RELATING TO TED BUNDY’S CASE

Psychosocial Theory
The psychosocial theory explains changes in social relationships, self-understanding, and a
person's relationship with society from childhood to adulthood. Research on psychosocial causes
of serial killing suggests that childhood experiences such as abuse, loneliness, humiliation, early
adoption, and rejection influence individuals to become serial killers (Booth, 2021). Sharma
(2018) argued that the absence of a father or father figure during childhood increases the chances
of violent behavior during adulthood. According to Sharma (2018), most serial killers are born
out of wedlock, which interferes with a child’s upbringing.
Ted Bundy’s traumatic childhood explains why he resorted to being a serial killer. According to
his biography, Bundy was born to a single mother, who posed as his sister due to fear of criticism
and rejection. This lie gave little Bundy the notion of rejection, affecting her emotional and
psychological well-being. Booth (2021) noted that a child that lacks secure and affectionate
relationships with their guardians or caregivers is vulnerable to emotional, behavioral, and social
problems, resulting in antisocial personality disorder, and this was Bundy’s case. In the same
context, Ted Bundy experienced rejection after his fallout with his first girlfriend, Stephanie
Brooks. Perhaps his mother's and ex-girlfriend's disappointments made him hate women. This
explains why Bundy targeted women who resembled his mother and his ex-girlfriend.

Cognitive Behavioral Theory

The cognitive behavioral theory also explains the reasons behind Bundy’s serial killing. This
theory posits that social behavior is learned (Booth, 2021). It explains Bundy’s obsession and
addiction to violent pornography. In interviews, Bundy recalled having antisocial behaviors and
wandering the streets searching for discarded pornography or open windows to spy on women
(crimemuseum.org, n.d.). His fantasies of humiliating women stemmed from many hours of
watching violent porn at a young age (Babu, 2020). This intensified when Bundy became older
since explicit pornography never satisfied him. As a result, he started looking for ways of
satisfying his addiction, and rape was one of them.
His antisocial behaviors, such as violence and aggression, were also influenced by his
grandfather. Growing up, Bundy witnessed his grandfather abuse people and animals with no
remorse, giving him the notion that the behavior was acceptable (Sharma, 2018). This means that
Bundy’s antisocial behaviors originated from the environment he was brought up: - he learned
these behaviors. With time, Bundy became a sadistic sociopath who found pleasure in inflicting
pain on other people (Babu, 2020). The violence he demonstrated in his crimes revolves around
the desire to control his victims, which is significant to Bundy’s needs.

Low Self-control Theory

Low self-control, suggests that people with ineffective childhood parenting develop less self-
control than those who received quality parenting. Studies show that low self-control promotes
criminal and impulsive conduct (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 2017). In this theory, Gottfredson and
Hirschi (2017) claimed that individuals with low self-control possess traits that put them at risk
of crime. These traits include a lack of patience, narcissism and insensitivity, and focusing more
on the present than the future. A lack of patience stimulates individuals to commit crimes as a
quick way of obtaining money and sex (Babu, 2020). Narcissism and insensitivity make them
commit the crime without feeling guilty, and focusing more on the present than the future gives
them immediate satisfaction after committing a crime (Williams, 2020). These traits are evident
in Bundy’s behavior. He raped women for quick sex and showed no guilt for his crimes.
Low Self-control Theory
The third theory, low self-control, suggests that people with ineffective childhood
parenting develop less self-control than those who received quality parenting. Studies show that
low self-control promotes criminal and impulsive conduct (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 2017). In this
theory, Gottfredson and Hirschi (2017) claimed that individuals with low self-control possess
traits that put them at risk of crime. These traits include a lack of patience, narcissism and
insensitivity, and focusing more on the present than the future. A lack of patience stimulates
individuals to commit crimes as a quick way of obtaining money and sex (Babu, 2020).
Narcissism and insensitivity make them commit the crime without feeling guilty, and focusing
more on the present than the future gives them immediate satisfaction after committing a crime
(Williams, 2020). These traits are evident in Bundy’s behavior. He raped women for quick sex
and showed no guilt for his crimes.

Conclusion
Overall, the story of American serial killers remains incomplete without mentioning Ted Bundy,
a renowned criminal who raped and killed many women in various states. His murders usually
followed a gruesome pattern: Raping his victims, beating them to death, and revisiting their
corpses to perform sexual acts until they decompose. A sadistic sociopath, as some would refer
to him, Bundy never sympathized with his victims. Psychologists attributed his serial killing to
traumatic childhood experiences, bad breakups, and violent porn addiction. These factors that
influenced Bundy to turn into a serial killer can be understood through theories such as
psychosocial, cognitive behavioral, and low self-control theories. Bundy's early childhood
experiences and severe trauma, along with his antisocial behaviors, groomed him to become a
serial murderer. Exposure to abuse, humiliation as well as sexual urges, and hate for women
motivated Bundy’s actions. His hate for women caused by his mother’s and ex-girlfriend’s
disappointment could be one of the reasons Bundy targeted women.
Ted Bundy’s childhood was not a happy one, as he claims. The impact of negative experiences,
bullying or not able to express themselves turned out to be fatal, not only for him but for others
as well. The problem was very small, that could have stopped Ted Bundy was becoming a
Necrophile. Encouraging the child to express or talk, is a first step in knowing what is going on
inside the child’s mind. Communication between parent and kids are vital to kid’s growth,
parent’s involvement in their kid’s life gives them space to share their thoughts, ideas and fears.
Accepting is the first step to helping a child. Parents first need to accept their child, with
whatever capabilities or in capabilities that they have. Abusing or unnecessary punishing can
cause the child to believe in punishments more than the concept of justice. Keep your way of
punishing equivalent to the mistake or harm caused by the child. Focusing on their strength can
really help them build a reality around them and be confident. This would help them grow in
what they are good at and not be involved in trying or fantasizing what they can do, or what
others are doing, or what is being appreciated by the society. Comparison is never a good idea.
Awareness about emotions, negative and positive. The difference and importance of these
emotions may help a child understand his feelings better and judge the situation.