A Shocking Serial Killer: Ted Bundy

In the 1970s, a shocking serial killer came to the public's attention. Ted Bundy seemed like a normal man; however, his true nature soon came to light. He became obsessed with young women and he was fixated to the point of murder. This seemingly charming man was ultimately revealed as the epitome of evil - a psychopathic killer. Bundy was connected to numerous rapes and murders; it is possible he killed over forty women, perhaps even hundreds. He eventually confessed to keeping victims' heads as trophies, a chilling revelation. As more girls disappeared, the police began to connect the cases together. They realized they were dealing with an unfathomable monster, one who would not stop until he was behind bars or dead. While driving through …show more content…
Soon, they unraveled Ted Bundy's dark secret; he was a killer without a conscience - a nightmare come true. Ted Bundy became the world's primary vision of a psychopath (Bell). Psychologist Robert Hale, the foremost expert of psychopathy, has estimated that one percent of the general population are psychopaths. Generally, psychopaths are known to be heartless killers and, therefore, a subject of great fascination because they go against numerous social norms (Cohen). Many known psychopaths have been incarcerated, convicted of heinous crimes, but some may be just another face at the office. Psychopaths have not only been found in the ordinary work place, but they have often thrived in their professions. This success comes from a psychopaths’ ability to feign normal emotions; therefore, psychopaths are difficult to detect. Psychopaths, as they are portrayed in modern movies, books and television, are a pop culture icon frequently thought of as brutal killers, but a look at the psychological definition reveals that not all psychopaths are killers and not all killers are …show more content…
Hannibal Lecter is possibly the most notorious fictional psychopath. The Silence of the Lambs movie (and the book by Thomas Harris before that) made Hannibal a household name. The 1991 Oscar winning film showed psychopaths in the worst possible light (Schehter 189). Not only was he a killer, but he was also a cannibal (190). Yes, Hannibal was the height of creepy. Hannibal was smart and manipulative and to top it all off he himself was a psychologist who could breakdown other people's minds. The audience, however, struggled to breakdown what made Hannibal tick. Unfortunately, an erroneous message was received by the public: psychopath equals killer