This article covers sensitive topics that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
The “Unabomber,” or Ted Kaczynski, is described as a “schizophrenic hermit filled with rage against technological society” in an article posted on Jan. 23, 1998, the day he pleaded guilty.
Kaczynski was a man who, over two decades, handmade and mailed bombs to various people, reportedly randomly chosen from library research. He planted 16 bombs, killing three people and injuring 24.
The case was nicknamed “UNABOM” for the university and airline bombing targets involved; therefore, Kaczynski is the “Unabomber.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation overall had no leads over the 20 years, as almost all forensic evidence was destroyed when the bombs went off until Feb. 20, 1987, nine years before his capture.
On Feb. 20, 1987, a man was seen dropping a suspicious package off in the middle of the parking lot of a Salt Lake City computer store, severely injuring the store owner’s son.
From that witness, the FBI was able to create a drawing of the suspect. Unfortunately, the drawing wouldn’t end up assisting in the finding of Kaczynski.
The big break in the case came in 1995, when a handwritten, 35,000-word essay was sent to the FBI from the Unabomber. Now called the “Unabomber Manifesto,” Industrial Society and its Future explained the Unabomber’s motives and his views on what was wrong with modern society.
The manifesto was eventually published in The Washington Post in the hopes that someone would recognize the handwriting.
After the manifesto was posted, thousands of suspects were named, but only one stood out. David Kaczynski described his disturbed brother.
David explained that Ted had “grown up in Chicago, taught at the University of California at Berkeley (where two of the bombs had been placed), then lived for a time in Salt Lake City before settling permanently into the primitive 10’ x 14’ cabin that the brothers had constructed near Lincoln, Montana.”
David provided multiple documents and letters written by Ted to the FBI, and their linguistic analysis team was able to identify, without doubt, that they had the same handwriting. This, combined with facts from the bombings and Ted’s life, ultimately led to a search warrant.
On April 3, 1996, the FBI arrested Ted and thoroughly searched his tiny cabin. Inside, they found multiple bomb components and random scraps; 40,000 handwritten journal entries that included things like bomb-making recipes and experiments, as well as descriptions of crimes; and a single live bomb that was ready for mailing.
After Ted pleaded guilty to charges including transportation of an explosive with intent to kill or injure, mailing an explosive device with the intent to kill or injure, and use of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence, he was given four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole and was put in an isolated cell in a maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado.
Theodore Kaczynski recently died in his cell, seemingly by suicide, on June 10, 2023.
