(Continued)

By Katherine Ramsland

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(Crime Library)

We know that she claims she was not kidnapped, although when she was recognized in Indiana, her face was puffy, as if from crying.  She stated that she went with Ludwig of her own free will, but supposedly did not ask him to kill her parents or know what he was going to do.  So she comes across as an innocent victim, more or less, even though she freely ran off with her parents' killer.

However, there are doubters.  On a Web site, "All Info About Crime," Bill Bickel writes that "it just doesn't add up."  How could she not know?  He suggests that while on the run these two conspired to have Ludwig say he acted alone, and in return Kara Beth would shield him from kidnapping charges, so that both could slip through a more legally complex case and help each other avoid certain charges a pretty sophisticated plan for a couple of kids.

Still, Ludwig was known to talk openly about killing.  Had he never mentioned this to Kara Beth?  Never told her that if her parents ever caught them, that he'd rescue her and take her away from the consequences?  Did he keep from her the fact that he was coming over to her house that morning well-armed?

Her behavior inspires just as many questions: Why didn't she run to her parents' or siblings' aid when her parents were gunned down? Why didn't she call 911? Why did she run out to catch up with her parents' killer instead?

Kids do spin fantasies, even violent ones.  Kids do get caught up in obsessions and discuss plans of action that may include running away.  Just being together and being similarly discontented is enough to generate such ideas.  It's not that unusual.  A child who's been home-schooled and raised in a strict religious environment may feel especially rebellious. Sometimes such children have even killed. It does seem implausible that Kara Beth, who clearly had a close relationship with Ludwig, had no idea what he might do on that fateful morning.

Yet until we know more about her, we can't know whether she was simply fertile ground for the likes of Ludwig or whether she gave him reason to believe she'd accept the murder of her parents as the price to be paid to be with him.  But one thing is clear from research on couples involved in violence: When two people come together and violence happens, there's always the question as to whether one was led into something he or she might not have done if they'd never met. There's usually a leader and a follower, and the follower is generally young and malleable or suffers from an unstable personality disorder that makes them willing to do whatever's required to remain with the stronger one.

We await further details, but there's little doubt that when Ludwig and Borden met, each affected the other in a way that made behavior that contradicts their religious beliefs acceptable to both. 

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David Ludwig and Kara Borden - Full Coverage

Feature Story - Kara Beth Borden and David Ludwig