10 Most Compelling Suspects In The D.B. Cooper Hijacking
8. Ted Braden
One of the suspects with a long and interesting track record involving countless devious deals and dangerous schemes, is Ted Braden. Throughout his life, Braden was caught and in and out of prison for a long list of financial crimes, including stealing $250,000 in a truck scam during the early 1970s.
He was also a master skydiver and paratrooper, even representing the Army in international skydiving events. He started off a military career during 1944 and gradually worked his way up to the point of skydiving instructor for soldiers in the Vietnam War. During his time in Vietnam, he became a deserter and fled to the Congo. He then became a mercenary before being in front of a court martial for desertion.
As a result, many believe Braden to have committed the Cooper hijacking in a way to get back against the system following his court martial. He was often profiled throughout his life as having a secret death wish and often defying danger. Coupled with his criminal tendencies, it seems very likely that Ted Braden could have committed the hijacking.