Netflix’s Unabomber movie, which began streaming Friday, is bringing the disturbing true story of Ted Kaczynski to a new audience. Known as the Unabomber, Kaczynski killed three people and wounded 23 others by mailing homemade bombs across the United States during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.
Directed by Janus Metz Pedersen and written by Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves, the Unabomber film unfolds across two timelines. One looks back to the early 1960s, when a young Ted Kaczynski, portrayed by Jacob Tremblay, attended Harvard and took part in psychological experiments overseen by Professor Henry Murray, played by Russell Crowe. The second timeline follows the FBI’s 1990s investigation and the final stage of the nationwide search that ended with Kaczynski’s arrest. Shailene Woodley plays Joanne Miller, a fictional FBI agent reportedly inspired in part by real agent Molly Flynn, who received a crucial tip and linguistic analysis from a private team hired by Kaczynski’s brother, David.
Viewers who followed the Unabomber case in the 1990s may remember how the investigation concluded. For younger Netflix subscribers discovering the story through the film, however, the ending may be less familiar. Here is what happened to Ted Kaczynski and whether the Unabomber is still alive.
Where is the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski now?
After being convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1998, Kaczynski spent more than 25 years at the maximum-security facility in Florence, Colorado. In 2021, while in his late 70s, he was diagnosed with rectal cancer and transferred to a federal prison medical center in North Carolina.
According to medical examiners, as reported by NBC, Kaczynski continued chemotherapy until March 2023. He then declined additional treatment because of its severe side effects and his poor prognosis.
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Is the Unabomber still alive?
Ted Kaczynski is no longer alive. The convicted Unabomber died by suicide in prison in 2023 at the age of 81.
When did the Ted Kaczynski the Unabomber die? Ted Kaczynski cause of death:
Kaczynski died in June 2023, roughly two years after receiving his cancer diagnosis.
An autopsy report obtained by NBC said Kaczynski had appeared depressed before his death and had been referred for a psychiatric evaluation. The report identified the cause of death as hanging after he used a shoelace in his solitary room at the North Carolina prison medical facility.
“At around midnight on June 10, 2023, he was found to have hung himself from a handicap rail in his room with shoelaces,” the report stated. “He was initially pulseless, and resuscitation was initiated.”