A Killer in the Family
Virginia Tech tragedy brings back 'terrible memories' for Unabomber's brother.
April 20, 2007 — -- Today the family of Seung-Hui Cho released a statement to The Associated Press saying they felt "hopeless, helpless, and lost" and would "do whatever we can to help authorities understand why these senseless acts happened."
Throughout the week, they have been the recipients of overwhelming criticism from observers who continue to wonder how this tragedy could have happened, how they missed the warning signs, and how could their child could commit such a horrible act.
One man, David Kaczynski, is far too familiar with the plight of the Cho family.
His brother Ted Kaczynski is known to many as the Unabomber, the brilliant mathematician who was also a calculating murderer. For a period of 17 years, beginning in the late 1970s, Kaczynski created homemade parcel bombs, killing three and injuring 23 people.
ABC's Martin Bashir met with David Kaczynski on Thursday at the Melanie Ilene Rieger 11th Annual Conference Against Violence in Waterbury, Conn.
Like Seung-hui Cho, the Virginia Tech student who killed 32 people on Monday, Ted Kaczynski also produced a manifesto -- a document that raged against society and, in particular, the effects of technology.
For Kaczynski's younger brother David, this week has been a dreadful experience of deja vu -- the horror and anguish that comes with finding out that a member of your family is a killer.
"This all brings back terrible memories," he said.
'What's Wrong With Teddy?'
David and his brother Ted grew up together in Chicago, their family the apparent model of a perfect picture. But behind the happy portrait there were worrying signs of the trouble to come.
"I loved my brother. I adored him. He was a good big brother and always treated me with kindness, sometimes incredible kindness," said David Kaczynski. "I think there was probably a time when I asked my mom, 'What's wrong with Teddy,' and she said, 'What do you mean, there's nothing wrong with your brother.'"
When David Kaczynski looked at his brother, he saw an isolated, sensitive individual who had problems socially. Ted, said his brother, didn't have "the kind of social interactions that I had. He was much more comfortable reading a book in his room than hanging out with his friends or playing sports."
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