Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, carried out a series of bombings over a 17 year period between 1978 and 1995. His attacks killed 3 people and injured 23 more. After the longest and most expensive FBI investigation in history at the time, Kaczynski was finally identified and arrested in 1996. He ended up spending the rest of his life in prison until his death in 2022.
Ted Kaczynski’s Bombing Campaign
Kaczynski began his bombing campaign in 1978 when he sent his first homemade bomb to a professor at Northwestern University. This first attack did not result in any injuries. Over the next 17 years, Kaczynski sent increasingly sophisticated bombs through the mail system targeting dozens of individuals involved in modern technology. Some of his targets included airline officials, Yale computer scientists, and genetic engineers.
Kaczynski’s third bomb in 1979 was his first to result in injuries. It injured United Airlines president Percy Wood. In 1982, Kaczynski injured a secretary when he sent a bomb to a Vanderbilt University professor. His first bombing that resulted in a death occurred in 1985 when he mailed a bomb to a computer rental store owner in Sacramento, killing the owner.
In 1993, Kaczynski switched to sending bombs to professors in the field of genetic engineering. He sent bombs to two professors, injuring both of them. In 1994, Kaczynski sent a bomb to a timber industry lobbyist, killing him immediately. In 1995, Kaczynski killed his third and final victim when he sent a bomb to the California Forestry Association, killing the president of the association.
After this last attack, the FBI finally was able to identify similarities between Kaczynski’s bombs and publish the infamous Unabomber Manifesto that Kaczynski had sent newspapers. Kaczynski’s brother recognized his writing style and philosophy, and tipped off the authorities to his identity.
Timeline of Ted Kaczynski’s Crimes and Conviction
Here is a timeline of the key events surrounding Ted Kaczynski’s 17 year bombing campaign and subsequent conviction and imprisonment:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 1978 | Kaczynski’s first bomb targeted a Northwestern University professor. No injuries resulted. |
| May 1979 | Kaczynski targeted United Airlines president Percy Wood with a bomb, injuring him. |
| June 1980 | Kaczynski sent a bomb to the president of United Airlines, but it was returned to sender. |
| October 1981 | A bomb attributed to Kaczynski was sent to a Boeing Aircraft executive, but it did not detonate. |
| May 1982 | A secretary was injured by a bomb Kaczynski sent to a Vanderbilt University professor. |
| July 1982 | A Pan Am airlines cargo executive was injured by a bomb. |
| February 1985 | Kaczynski mailed a bomb to a computer rental store owner in Sacramento, killing him – his first bombing fatality. |
| November 1985 | A bomb attributed to Kaczynski was sent to Michigan professor, injuring him slightly. |
| February 1987 | Kaczynski mailed a bomb to a Yale computer science professor, injuring him. |
| June 1993 | Genetic engineering professor at University of California, San Francisco injured by Kaczynski bomb. |
| December 1994 | Advertising executive killed by a bomb mailed to his home in New Jersey. |
| April 1995 | Kaczynski’s final bomb killed the president of the California Forestry Association. |
| September 1995 | The FBI raided Kaczynski’s cabin and arrested him on evidence found linking him to the bombings. |
| January 1998 | Kaczynski reached a plea deal and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. |
What Prison Was Kaczynski In?
After Kaczynski’s arrest in April 1996, he was initially held in a county jail in Helena, Montana as he awaited trial. In 1997, he attempted suicide in his jail cell by hanging himself with his underwear. He was taken to a hospital and revived.
After reaching a plea deal to avoid the death penalty in 1998, Kaczynski was transferred to ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado. The prison houses the most dangerous criminals such as drug lords, terrorists, and other murderers. Kaczynski would spend the rest of his life in this highly secure prison facility up until his death in 2022 at the age of 79.
ADX Florence is nicknamed the “Alcatraz of the Rockies” due to its remote location and security measures. Inmates are confined to small concrete cells for 23 hours per day. Human contact is minimal and all activities are tightly controlled. The prison was built to ensure dangerous criminals like Kaczynski could not harm others or escape.
How Long Was Kaczynski’s Prison Sentence?
As part of his plea deal, Ted Kaczynski was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1998. This amounted to a prison sentence of 24 years from when he was arrested in 1996 until his death in 2022 at age 79.
Kaczynski’s sentencing went as follows:
- Arrested in April 1996 at age 53
- Sentenced in May 1998 at age 56
- Died in prison in December 2022 at age 79
So in total, Ted Kaczynski spent just over 26 years incarcerated, with 24 of those years handed down as his court ordered life sentence.
Given his age, Kaczynski likely would have spent even more years locked up if he had not died when he did. Barring an escape or successful appeal, Kaczynski was destined to remain imprisoned for the rest of his natural life the moment he agreed to his sentence in his plea bargain.
How Old Was Kaczynski When Arrested and Sentenced?
Some key facts about Ted Kaczynski’s age:
- He was born in 1942 and carried out his first bombing in 1978 at age 36.
- Kaczynski was 53 years old when he was finally identified and arrested in 1996.
- He was 56 years old when he was sentenced to life without parole in 1998.
- Kaczynski died in prison in 2022 at the age of 79.
So in summary, Kaczynski began his bombings in middle age, was arrested just before his mid-50s, sentenced before hitting 60, and died in his late 70s having spent over two decades incarcerated.
Did Kaczynski Get the Death Penalty?
No, Ted Kaczynski avoided the death penalty when he reached a plea deal in 1998. Prosecutors initially stated they would seek the death penalty given the fatal nature of Kaczynski’s bombing campaign.
Kaczynski attempted to defend himself in court and represent himself at trial. Against his attorneys’ advice, he sought to argue to the jury that his bombings were necessary to fight the threats of technology and industrialization to human freedom.
However, when it became clear the trial would likely end in a guilty verdict and death sentence, Kaczynski agreed to plead guilty to all charges in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility of parole. By pleading guilty, Kaczynski avoided facing execution but gave up the chance to publicly justify his motives and philosophy.
Kaczynski was assessed by psychologists, who determined he was competent to stand trial and participate in his own defense. This cleared the way for prosecutors to bargain with Kaczynski over a guilty plea that took the death penalty off the table.
Kaczynski is still serving his life sentence at ADX Florence federal prison until his death.
Did He Show Remorse?
For most of his trial and imprisonment, Ted Kaczynski remained unrepentant about his bombing campaign. He viewed himself as an ideologue and revolutionary against the threats of technology, not as a murderer.
When he pleaded guilty in 1998, Kaczynski read a statement re-iterating his militant views against modern technology and justifying his acts as attempts to resist industrialization. He said he believed in “revolution against the industrial system” and never directly apologized to his victims. The plea deal allowed him to escape the death penalty but did not require expressing remorse.
However, in March 2021, Kaczynski finally issued a letter of apology to some of his victims and their families. He wrote, “I apologize for any injury I caused” and said he had reflected on his actions after decades in prison. Kaczynski went on to say, “I am sorry for the pain I have caused by my actions and for any emotional trauma I have caused by my extreme tactics.”
Some speculated Kaczynski’s change of heart was motivated by a desire to improve his chances for compassionate release or pardon due to his failing health in old age. Victims and families received the apology skeptically, seeing it as too little and too late after Kaczynski had never before admitted he was wrong.
So while Kaczynski did finally issue an apology later in life, it only came after decades of justifying his violence as necessary to fight for his anti-technology beliefs. His remorse seemed more convenient than sincere for many of those impacted by his attacks.
Conclusion
In summary, Ted Kaczynski was able to carry out his 17-year campaign of bombings before finally being identified and arrested in 1996 at the age of 53. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1998 after accepting a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. Kaczynski spent the remaining 24 years of his life locked up in the maximum security ADX Florence prison until his death at age 79 in 2022.
Kaczynski’s attacks spanning the late 1970s to mid-1990s killed 3 victims and left 23 more injured over nearly two decades. His anti-technology and anti-industrialization views motivated his desire to use violence to spark a revolution. Only in old age did Kaczynski express some remorse to victims, following decades justifying his bombings as acts of resistance instead of terror. His life sentence prevented him from ever walking free again, keeping this unstable criminal permanently separated from the society he sought to attack through his meticulously constructed and delivered bombs.