What did Ted Kaczynski do?
Ted Kaczynski was a domestic terrorist who was known as the Unabomber, as he killed 3 people and injured 23 others in a mail bombing campaign between 1978 and 1995. He committed these atrocities against people he believed to be advancing modern technology and killing off the natural environment. In 1971, Kaczynski moved to a remote cabin in the woods near Lincoln, Montana.
What happened during the investigation?
The case of the Unabomber became the longest and most expensive investigation in the history of the FBI. They used the case identifier UNABOM which stood for University and Airline Bomber before his identity had been revealed, which the media ran with and this is why they referred to him as the “Unabomber.”
In 1995, Kaczynski sent a letter to The New York Times promising to “desist from terrorism” if the Times published his manifesto. He argued his reign of terror was extreme but necessary. The FBI pushed for the publication of the essay to avoid further fatalities and it was published. Kaczynski’s brother, David read the manifesto, recognised Ted’s style and reported him to the FBI.
This led to Ted Kaczynski’s arrest in 1996. After his arrest, he maintained he was sane but his lawyers wanted him to plead insanity to avoid the death penalty. He pleaded guilty to all the charges in 1998 and was sentenced to 8 consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.
Where is Ted Kaczynski now?
Kaczynski began serving his life sentences at the ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. In December 2021, Kaczynski was transferred to the Federal Medical Center, Butner, North Carolina as he was in the latter stages of cancer. In June 2023, Kaczynski committed suicide in prison. He was 81 years old.
Unabomber: In His Own Words was a 3-part documentary series on Netflix released in 2018 that featured rare interviews with the killer.
Manhunt: Unabomber was a drama series about the case which also appeared on Netflix in 2017. It starred Sam Worthington and Paul Bettany and featured 8 gripping episodes.
Read more: Manhunt: Unabomber Season 1 Review
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