The Unabomber Investigation Revisited
Tuesday, 26 Apr 2022 at 7:00 pm – Campanile Room, Memorial Union
Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent James R. Fitzgerald will discuss his role in the identification and arrest of Theodore J. Kaczynski, aka, the Unabomber, in April of 1996. "Fitz" will describe how forensic linguistics, the science of language within the legal system, proved to be a pivotal factor in the eventual resolution of the 17 year-long serial bomber case. This talk will be open to the public and there will be an opportunity to purchase books and receive a signed copy.James R. "Fitz" Fitzgerald remains an active criminal profiler and forensic linguist with his company, James R. Fitzgerald Associates, LLC, even after retiring in 2007 with 20 years in the FBI as a Supervisory Special Agent, along with 11 years before that as a police officer/detective/sergeant on the Bensalem Township police department in Pennsylvania. During his extensive and varied law enforcement career he successfully investigated numerous homicides, sexual assaults, kidnappings, bank robberies, and other violent crimes, as well as matters of international notoriety to include the Unabom, Jon Benet Ramsey, Anthrax, and DC Sniper cases as a profiler and/or a forensic linguist.
Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.
Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.
Lecture Etiquette
- Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
- Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
- Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
- Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.