PSY-310 Southern New Hampshire University Milestone 1
Summary
Frank Timmons was a child of divorce and lost his mother at just 12-years-old. According to
most of his siblings, their father was verbally abusive and an alcoholic. He was primarily raised
by his older sister, Margaret, who was described as potentially being unstable, verbally and
sexually abusive, and an alcoholic like their father. In his high school years and early twenties,
he was described as acting aggressive during football and was later arrested for potential rape.
While he was never charged with rape, he did end up being charged with trespassing and driving
under the influence. After these charges, Frank ended up serving 13 years in prison for the
abduction, rape, and bludgeoning of another woman. While he claims their sexual encounter was
consensual and the attacks were done by two other men, Frank does have a previous record of
potentially assaulting women. About a year after being released on parole. Timmons is accused
of 9 murders, several sexual assaults, and several robberies. These all occurred within four miles
of his home.
It is possible that his motivation for attacking women comes from having an absent mother
and potentially abusive older sister. He lost his mother at a young age and was then raised by an
alcoholic father and his older sister, who was also potentially an alcoholic and sexually abusive
to Frank. Even when both parents were in the picture, they were not actively involved in their
children's lives, leaving the kids unattended and free to do as they chose. His family also lived in
poverty, mainly getting funds from government assistance. Frank's upbringing left him to be a
product of multiple risk factors for criminal tendencies.
Crime Assessment
Ted Bundy was also a serial killer that raped his victims, though he is possibly
responsible for many more murders than Frank Timmons. In both cases, the victims were often
sexually assaulted before their death and were often young girls or young women. Bundy credits
the sexual violence of his attacks to an addiction to pornography, particularly violent
pornography. Both men were linked to their crimes through DNA evidence left at the scene. Ted
Bundy did eventually confess to the murders he was charged with, as well as additional murders
that were never able to be confirmed. Based on the information available, Frank Timmons and
his family maintain that he is innocent and did not harm anyone.
Because of his childhood and relationship with his mother, it's possible that Bundy and
Timmons share motives for their crimes. Ted was raised by his maternal grandparents, believing
his mother was actually his older sister. It wasn't until his college years that he learned the truth.
and his life changed after this discovery. After this event, he attempted to go to law school and
even dated two women at the same time -- eventually proposing to one shortly before his murder
spree began. Frank Timmons and Ted Bundy both had fathers (or father figures