Kara Beth Borden & David Ludwig

Enthralled

Kara Borden

And there is evidence that Kara Borden was deeply in Ludwig's thrall. During at least one of their liaisons, according to published reports, the 18-year-old Ludwig had photographed the 14-year-old in various stages of undress. Though both had come from family's that emphasized traditional moral values, friends of the couple's have said that they were aware that the two had a sexual relationship. And there is some evidence, say those who were familiar with Kara's internet postings, suggest that as her relationship with Ludwig progressed, she became more flirtatious, and at the same time, more sullen, a dramatic change from the bubbly, vivacious, baby-sitting young teen she had been.

Kara posing

In fact, at least one of Kara's closest friends, in an exchange that managed to escape deletion when the rest of Kara's blog was removed from the public domain, expressed deep concern about the nature of their relationship and the changes she had seen in Kara's behavior. It is perhaps a measure of how deeply enthralled she was that Kara bristled at any interference from her friends. As she wrote in response to one friend's questions, "if it doesn't have anything to do with you, then I don't want to know...what you have to say...If it has to do with (D)avid and me, we are taking care of it — we know what we are going to do."