By Katherine Ramsland

(Crime Library) — There has been much speculation over whether Kara Beth Borden and David Ludwig, both raised in deeply religious homes, may have played the parts their parents expected so they could secretly indulge in darker deeds.  In other words, their verbal allegiance to Christian values may have been a useful façade. We hear repeatedly about people who'd given family and friends the impression that they were incapable of antisocial behavior but then did exactly what no one who knew them could have predicted.  Clearly, these kids had it in them.

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Yet it's possible that one or both actually believed the Christian doctrines they were taught while yielding to the demands of physical connection so strong that more worldly concerns dominated.   To get close to the truth, we need to learn about their past patterns. 

What we know about David Ludwig was that he did act in devious ways. He took a girl last spring to his family's hunting cabin without asking her parents' permission.  He exchanged explicit photos with Kara Beth that her parents would surely not have approved of.  He sneaked into her house and brought her over to his so they could be together when their families were asleep.  It seems that his own self-interest dominated. 

We can only wonder at what Ludwig genuinely believes.  He was home-schooled as a Christian and supposedly organized a space for youth meetings, about which he said in a blog, "God has enabled far more to be completed than any of us ever imagined! Glory!" According to Salon.com, Ludwig loved hardcore Christian rock music, the kind that made fans scream and bang their fists.  At the same time, as per his messages, he seemed to think it was all right to have sexual relations with underage girls, to forcibly enter other people's homes, and possibly even to kill an acquaintance who might know too much.  That's quite a list one that would make what he did on November 13 less surprising than it originally had seemed.

After Ludwig had taken Kara Beth home from a forbidden rendezvous, he learned that she'd been caught and her parents wanted to speak to him. So his first impulse was not to go have a conversation but to prepare for violence: He armed himself with a .40 caliber Glock, a rifle and a hunting knife. When forbidden from seeing Kara Beth, he killed both parents.  He then took Kara Beth away with him.  Thus, he had no thought but for what he wanted and he used violence to get it.

But what about Kara Beth? 

David Ludwig and Kara Borden - Full Coverage

Feature Story - Kara Beth Borden and David Ludwig

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