From The app
In Florence, Colorado, in a maximum security prison, there is a genius in an orange jumpsuit. A genius that entered Harvard College at the age of 16 and became a professor at Berkeley by the age of 25. A genius serving eight life sentences without the possibility of parole. Why throw it all away? I’d like to find out.
Ted Kaczynski is a mathematician, domestic terrorist, anarchist and murderer who sustained a nationwide bombing campaign for nearly two decades. He probably isn’t the first pick for many, but I would jump at the chance to meet him. Kaczynski is one of the most fascinating criminals in the world — to me, anyway. In school, he was described as a “walking brain.” He showed compassion for animals and was regarded as a polite, quiet young man.
Then, like the flip of a switch, something changed. He abruptly quit his well-paying job and completely severed ties with civilization, moving to a remote cabin in the middle of nowhere to produce fatal bombs and a 35,000-word manifesto.
Many write him off as another madman, a schizophrenic, a recluse with recycled ideas and far too much time on his hands. And maybe that’s all that he is, but what drives a person of great prominence and potential to commit such merciless acts? When I read about him that was all I could think about. Ultimately, the case of Ted Kaczynski was the first to spark my interest in criminal psychology. After learning about him I went crazy researching infamous convicts and, for the first time, I discovered a line of work that really interested me.
It is doubtful that I will ever meet Ted Kaczynski. If I could, I think that it would make for a fascinating conversation. I would like to find out what drove him to the point of no return. He committed unforgivable acts, but such criminals must be studied and remembered in order to interpret motives and avoid repeating history. Some people may never be fully understood. Ted Kaczynski seems to be one of them.
Devin Roughan
Point Pleasant Beach High School