I chose the Ted Bundy case. Young women expressed empathy in the case because they considered Bundy to have “movie-star good looks.” Women also sent love letters and attended his trial to see him in person, even after learning of the heinous crimes he had committed. I think members of the public, specifically women, were affected by the media regarding the Ted Bundy case. His charisma and his appearance seemed to hypnotize younger women to the point where they disregarded that he sexually assaulted and murdered young women. Scherman mentions, “Ted Bundy’s criminal trial is in the record books for being the first trial to be nationally televised (2017).” This means that many members of the public have viewed the Ted Bundy case, which most likely instilled a large amount of fear into individuals and their families. 

Although learning about criminals can be interesting, it seems that it can have strange impacts on younger minds. Young women may be attracted to the appearance of certain criminals and young men may be inspired by certain criminals. An example of men being inspired by criminals comes from the “Scream Killing”, or the Casey Stoddart case. Even though the criminals in the Scream movies are fictional, the teens who committed the real murder were inspired by this film and its antagonists. The media can have a negative influence on people, especially younger individuals, so I think it is important for parents to pay attention to their children and identify if their kids could be battling any mental illnesses. I think teens or young adults are more susceptible to acting out their fantasies if they are actively battling mental illnesses and are not aware of the issue. 

Reference: 

Scherman, J. (2017, August 29). 6 Intriguingly Famous Court Cases that Captivated the Nation. Rassmussen University. 6 Intriguingly Famous Court Cases that Captivated the Nation (rasmussen.edu)

In response to two of your peers, compare and contrast how the media influenced empathy in your case and in theirs. Consider the following in your comparison:

• Are there any similarities in the two cases, such as how the media was used or who was affected by the media?
• Explain how the case outcome could have been different if the media had not influenced empathy in the case they chose.
• Provide any additional insights or thoughts regarding the case and how the media influenced empathy.