>Ted Bundy was described as bright and personable, as was
>David Westerfield, and now Scott Peterson. Yet, they have
>also been described as demented creeps, to say the least.
The 'demented creep' status for those prominent defendants seems to stem solely from their activities that came to light. David Westerfield and Scott Peterson rather rapidly, Ted Bundy only after several victims. Other than the fact that they had commited their various murders, no one would really describe them as a demented creep. It is true that DW seems to have had some problems in his relationships, but he did have long-term relationships. Scott Peterson also was not only able to maintain a long-term relationship but was also able to obtain employment as a salesman which certainly is not an occupation in which demented creeps thrive.

Consider David Westerfield: Engineer, fairly wealthy and posessed of various 'Desert Toys'. Now maybe he did have a few problems in relating to people and it seems he clearly had problems with alcohol and from time to time, violence. Yet he would never be referred to as a Demented Creep prior to sneaking into his neighbor's occupied home and driving aimlessly around the desert with their daughter's corpse in his RV. He might not have been the most sociable engineer in the office, but he was not ever thought of as a demented creep until he gave in to desires he probably had endured for years.

Now clearly DW's crime was sexually motivated, but I have some doubt as to the murder of JonBenet Ramsey being sexually motivated. Demented creep? I think we are dealing more with a David Westerfield type than a Gary Oliva type.