Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, notorious for his deadly, untraceable bombs, died of suicide in a Colorado prison on June 10th, 2023, at the age of 81.
Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, targeted universities and airports in his methodical killing spree. His first bomb detonated in 1978 and was caught in 1996. His reign of terror spanned eighteen years, injuring twenty-four and killing three. His modus operandi was virtually perfect; the FBI described that he was “being the perfect, anonymous killer—who builds untraceable bombs and delivers them to random targets, who leave false clues to throw off authorities, who lives like a recluse in the mountains of Montana and tells no one of his secret crimes” (Unabomber – FBI).
At first glance, Kaczynski does not seem like a killer. All aspects considered; he was a very promising individual. He went to Harvard University at sixteen to pursue a career in mathematics, which eventually landed him tenure at the University of California Berkley. One of his classmates even described him as a person who could “write poetry while the rest of us were struggling to learn grammar” (Steve Chawkins, NYT). However, after two years, he suddenly quit and moved to Montana. Living secluded in the woods, Kaczynski began building bombs.
No specific moment has been cited for Kaczynski’s change in behavior. But, his brother, David Kaczynski, stated that “Ted has been a disturbed person for a long time, and he’s gotten more disturbed.” A New York Times interview even goes so far as to say that “people who had known Ted as a boy… has drawn a picture of a man whose life seemed destined to be torn apart” (Prisoner of Rage, NYT).
As for his motive, he revealed in 1995 that he detested technology, even writing a manifesto on his thoughts. In a bold move, he sent it to the Washington Post and the New York Times, for he “so terrorized the nation that he forced two of the most respected newspapers in the nation to accede to his demands and publish the 35,000-word ranting manifesto in exchange for a promise to cease his murderous spree” (Kaczynski Pleads Guilty – Washington Post). This would prove to be his downfall, as his brother David, recognized many of the idioms that Kaczynski used and would later turn him in. Cross-examination by linguists further exacerbated David’s claim.
On April 3, 1996, after one of the longest and most extensive searches in FBI history, “investigators arrested Kaczynski [in] his cabin. There, they found a wealth of bomb components… and one live bomb, ready for mailing” (Unabomber – FBI). The Unabomber’s reign of terror had finally ended. Kaczynski was put on trial and would plead guilty to all the charges he was tried for. With this plea, Kaczynski would never be free again.
Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, targeted universities and airports in his methodical killing spree. His first bomb detonated in 1978 and was caught in 1996. His reign of terror spanned eighteen years, injuring twenty-four and killing three. His modus operandi was virtually perfect; the FBI described that he was “being the perfect, anonymous killer—who builds untraceable bombs and delivers them to random targets, who leave false clues to throw off authorities, who lives like a recluse in the mountains of Montana and tells no one of his secret crimes” (Unabomber – FBI).
At first glance, Kaczynski does not seem like a killer. All aspects considered; he was a very promising individual. He went to Harvard University at sixteen to pursue a career in mathematics, which eventually landed him tenure at the University of California Berkley. One of his classmates even described him as a person who could “write poetry while the rest of us were struggling to learn grammar” (Steve Chawkins, NYT). However, after two years, he suddenly quit and moved to Montana. Living secluded in the woods, Kaczynski began building bombs.
No specific moment has been cited for Kaczynski’s change in behavior. But, his brother, David Kaczynski, stated that “Ted has been a disturbed person for a long time, and he’s gotten more disturbed.” A New York Times interview even goes so far as to say that “people who had known Ted as a boy… has drawn a picture of a man whose life seemed destined to be torn apart” (Prisoner of Rage, NYT).
As for his motive, he revealed in 1995 that he detested technology, even writing a manifesto on his thoughts. In a bold move, he sent it to the Washington Post and the New York Times, for he “so terrorized the nation that he forced two of the most respected newspapers in the nation to accede to his demands and publish the 35,000-word ranting manifesto in exchange for a promise to cease his murderous spree” (Kaczynski Pleads Guilty – Washington Post). This would prove to be his downfall, as his brother David, recognized many of the idioms that Kaczynski used and would later turn him in. Cross-examination by linguists further exacerbated David’s claim.
On April 3, 1996, after one of the longest and most extensive searches in FBI history, “investigators arrested Kaczynski [in] his cabin. There, they found a wealth of bomb components… and one live bomb, ready for mailing” (Unabomber – FBI). The Unabomber’s reign of terror had finally ended. Kaczynski was put on trial and would plead guilty to all the charges he was tried for. With this plea, Kaczynski would never be free again.
