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Who knows what evil lurks in men's hearts?
A child's protection begins at home
 | NBC VIDEO |
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Van Zandt on capture Nov. 15: MSNBC analyst and former FBI Profiler Clint Van Zandt talks with anchor Amy Robach about the murders in Pennsylvania and manhunt and capture of 18-year-old David Ludwig and Kara Beth Borden. Today show |
FOR MORE INFORMATION |
Learn how you can protect your children Dr. Clint Van Zandt offers a DVD entitled "Protecting Children from Predators." Click here to learn more |
WARNING SIGNS |
Get help quickly if your child or a friend is exhibiting these warning signs for potential violence: — Threats of violence, either verbal or written — Past violent or aggressive behavior (including uncontrollable angry outbursts) — Access to guns or other weapons — Bringing a weapon to school or carrying a weapon — Past suicide attempts or threats — Family history of violent behavior or suicide attempts — Blaming others or an unwillingness to accept responsibility for his or her own actions — Recent experience of humiliation, shame, loss, or rejection — Bullying or intimidating peers or younger children — Being a victim of abuse or neglect (physical, sexual, or emotional) — Witnessing abuse or violence in the home — Themes of death or depression repeatedly evident in conversation, written expressions, reading selections, music or artwork — Preoccupation with themes and acts of violence in TV shows, movies, music, magazines, comics, books, video games, and Internet sites — Mental illness, such as depression, mania, psychosis, or bipolar disorder use of alcohol or illicit drugs — Disciplinary problems at school or in the community (delinquent behavior) past destruction of property or vandalism — Cruelty to animals — Fire setting behavior — Poor peer relationships or social isolation — Involvement with cults or gangs — Little or no supervision or support from parents or other caring adult a sense of entitlement (believing he or she should get what they want at whatever expense, especially to others) Typically, the greater the number of these warning signs present, the greater the risk. It is important to realize, however, that many children exhibit these warning signs and never resort to violence. Even so, these signs can be a clue that something is wrong, and your child or friend needs help. And finally, no matter what the gun commercials try to tell you about the connection between guns and violence, as a responsible parent or caregiver, make sure that your child does not have direct access to firearms. --Clint Van Zandt |
RELATED INFO |
The Centers for Disease Control tell us that violent behavior can be decreased or even prevented if these risk factors are significantly reduced or eliminated: — Being the victim of physical and/or sexual abuse — Exposure to violence (i.e., home and/or community) — Exposure to violence in media (TV, movies, etc.) — Use of drugs and/or alcohol — Presence of firearms in the home — Combination of stressful family socioeconomic factors (poverty, severe deprivation, marital breakup, single parenting, unemployment, loss of support from extended family) Most importantly, efforts should be directed at dramatically decreasing the exposure of children and adolescents to violence in the home, community, and through the media. As an individual is exposed to more risk factors, the probability that he or she will engage in violent behavior increases. --Clint Van Zandt |
PROFILER'S PERSPECTIVE |
Former FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt shares his case insights, updates |
This appears to have been the case with 18-year old David Ludwig and his 14-year old girlfriend, Kara Beth Borden. Ludwig is now accused of the wanton murder of Kara's parents, 50-year-old Michael and Cathryn Borden, in Lancaster County, Pa. Ludwig had allegedly spent the night, in fact a number of nights, with young Kara Beth. The last straw was when she lied to her parents to cover spending a Saturday night with Ludwig. After dropping her off at home the next morning, Ludwig's initial cell phone text messages to Kara went unanswered, and when she finally replied, she said she was caught and needed him to come to her house.
David grabbed four guns (3 pistols and a rifle) and a knife and headed for the Borden home. During a 45-minute argument with Ludwig, Kara's father drew the line in the sand. Ludwig was to have no further contact with Kara, period. That's when Ludwig pulled out a .40 caliber Glock 27 semi-automatic pistol from his belt, one of almost 60 firearms that were available to him in the home he shared with his parents. Ludwig shot Michael Borden in the back, and then callously shot Kara's mom as she vainly tried to get out of her chair. "It was an intentional murder," admitted Ludwig. "I intended to shoot them, and I did." I did not aim," he went on to say, "but I usually hit what I shoot at."
As if this horror story could get any worse, when Ludwig fled the crime scene, Kara Beth ran after the killer of her parents, not to stop him, not to scream "You monster, how could you do this," but to jump in his car and flee with him, this as her parents lay dying in her home. "I wanted to get as far away as possible," she told investigators. "I wanted to get married (to Ludwig) and start a new life."
When we recently discussed this case on "The Abrams Report," host Dan Abrams asked how this was possible. How could this young girl, one of five children in a deeply religious family, be a part of the murder of her parents? When I first heard (and wrote about) this case almost two weeks ago that was my challenge, too. How could either of these two so-called "average and good" kids have committed or been involved in this crime, one of matricide and patricide for Kara Borden. It just didn't make sense, and the lack of any reported pre-incident indicators on their part was baffling. Some have suggested that Ludwig may have just "snapped." The reality though is people don't just "snap." There are almost always indications that something is wrong, a word, an attitude, a message sent in some fashion prior to the act of violence. We just disregard or overlook these emotional and verbal signposts to disaster. And what about religion? Well, religious faith is not a life insurance policy or a guarantee of any sort. It's simply a standard that you can choose to live by or die by. "Choice" is the key word here.
In the case of David Ludwig, it appears he had mentioned to friends a few days before he killed the Bordens that he could commit a murder and just get away. He obviously planned, or at the very least considered some act of violence due to the amount of firepower he brought with him when he met with Kara's dad. And when he was told "No," as in "No, you cannot see my daughter again," he shot and killed both parents, in his mind perhaps canceling their "no" forever.
Other information concerning the two young lovers, at least one of whom was willing to kill to be with the other, is still coming out. Some reports indicate that Ludwig may have used his religious faith as bait to attract other young girls, that is, he may have talked the talk that they wanted to hear. That behavior wouldn't have made him a double murderer. But what kind of delusional world were these two teens operating in? How could they have expected to flee the scene of a double murder and just fade away, get married, and start a new life together? What were they thinking about? The answer revealed in their many web blog sites and entries is probably each other. Mr. and Mrs. Borden realized, too late, that Kara's relationship with David was getting her in way over her head. She was dealing with emotions, feelings, and responses that her parents believed to be inappropriate for someone her age, and when her parents stepped in, they never thought they'd both die in their daughter's behalf.
I spent last weekend with family members in the Midwest, to include my 14-year old niece. As I looked at her clean-cut youthfulness-she's a high school freshman, cheerleader, etc., I had to consider how she might respond to such a situation. Was she capable of watching her two primary caregivers (my sister and brother-in-law) die in front of her and then simply run off with their murderer? In her case, the answer is no, but apparently in Kara Borden's case, the answer was a spontaneous yes. Yet to be determined is if she had any foreknowledge of Ludwig's plans for her parents that terrible Sunday morning. By this, did Kara know the murder of her parents was something David was capable of doing, something that he may have discussed with her, something he might do that morning?
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