Ted Bundy is an infamous American serial killer who confessed to the kidnapping, rape and murder of 30 young woman and girls across America during the 1970’s. Although the exact number of his victims cannot be confirmed for sure.
Bundy preferred his victims to be pretty, with long brown hair that parted in the middle and his murders mostly followed the same MO, his victims were beaten, raped and strangled. This man got a sexual kick out of witnessing the fear that dominated his victim’s, seeing the terror in their eyes – because they knew their fate, was an aphrodisiac for him. When the “entity” (as he called it) took over, he became an evil vicious predator and vulnerable, innocent, young females were his unsuspecting prey.
After the brutal engagement of killing his victims, Bundy would often return to the scene to tend to the lifeless bodies and partake in the act of cleaning them, washing their hair, reapplying their make up and nail varnish. He admitted he would often perform sexual acts with the corpses until they were so decomposed it was no longer possible.
It beggars belief that there are women, still to this day, that openly fantasise and swoon over the monster that Bundy was, all the while knowing the atrocities he unleashed upon his victim’s. During the murder trials, some women even went as far as to alter their appearance, dying their hair brown and parting it in the middle, so as to become more attractive and noticeable to Bundy. One can only hope they were still ignorant to his guilt at that point.
Ultimately, Bundy was sentenced to the death penalty for his barbarous crimes and was executed via the electric chair on 24th January 1989, aged 42.
****For a quicker read and summary of Ted Bundy’s crimes – click here****
CHILDHOOD
Bundy spent the first few years of his life believing his maternal grandparents, Samuel and Eleanor Cowell, were his parents. In reality he had been born to their unwed daughter, Louise Cowell, and his father was unknown. Having an illegitimate child was considered wrong in those days so to escape the stigma his grandparents raised him as their own. Believing his mother, Louise, to be his sister, Bundy was understandably distraught to discover via his birth certificate that she was actually his biological mother, something he, apparently, permanently resented her for, although in later years he denied ever being bothered by it. Whilst Bundy appeared to have a softness towards his grandmother, there are conflicting accounts on whether he got along with his grandfather Samuel. Although Bundy was also known to occasionally praise his grandfather, the wider consensus is that Samuel wasn’t particularly nice to his family. At one point Bundy and other family members referred to Samuel as a racist, bigot and bully who often displayed violent and sometimes strange behaviour.
Bundy himself began to exhibit the same worrisome behaviour at a young age, His Aunt Julia (Louise’s sister) recalled…
“awakening from a nap to find herself surrounded by knives from the kitchen and Bundy standing by the bed smiling.”
The family were relieved when in 1950, Louise moved to Sheridan Street, Tacoma, Washington, taking Bundy with her.
(I’m not sure if they were relieved she’d taken Bundy with her because his weird antics freaked them out or if they were relieved because they felt it was best for Bundy to be away from Samuel. Probably a mix of the two.)
In 1951 she met Johnny Culpepper Bundy and a year later they married and he adopted Ted, willingly raising him as his own. They would attend church regularly and were active within the Scouting scene. The family grew as Louise and Johnny had four more children but Bundy always remained distant towards his adoptive father, often complaining about him to friends. However when discussing his childhood, Bundy himself stated;
“boyhood was not an unpleasant one.”
The Ted Bundy Tapes
However, childhood friends remember Bundy as being different, a miss-fit, and in early childhood he had a speech impediment which made him an easy target for teasing. Allegedly, as a young boy, Bundy had used pegs to hang a cat to a clothes line before dousing the animal in diesel and setting it alight.
In his teenage years Bundy grew to be a loner, by his own admittance it was from his own choosing, not other peoples.
“I wasn’t a social outcast.”
The Ted Bundy Tapes
He later remarked he just didn’t understand the rules of socialising or why anybody would want to do it. He would often search neighbours trash for pictures of naked woman, peep through windows at woman undressing and look for magazines and literature involving sexual violence.
Before the age of 18 Bundy was already known to the police, having been arrested twice for burglary and auto theft.
RELATIONSHIPS
In 1967 Bundy began dating Stephanie Brooks, (also known as Diane Edwards.) She was a fellow classmate at The University of Washington where he was enrolled at the time. They were together for about a year before Brooks tired of Bundy’s nonsense and ended the relationship. Bundy took the rejection hard, some believe it was Brook’s rejection that began changing things for Bundy and the person he would become.
(Diane Edwards)
Bundy returned to Washington in 1969 where he met single mum, Elizabeth Kloepfer. The pair remained together, in a turbulent relationship, for many years. However, during his relationship with Kloepfer, in 1973, Bundy restarted his romance with Brooks and for a while he dated both woman at the same time, although neither of them knew of the other. Bundy stopped all contact with Brooks in January 1974 (he continued dating Kloepfer) and later admitted he only dated Brooks again so he could reject her like she rejected him. Despite everything that happened between them, Bundy acknowledged that he loved Kloepfer, probably too much.
“I loved her so much, it was destabilising.“
Ted Bundy / Netflix
Bundy and Kloepfer dated on and off until around 1975. During the relationship he had cheated on her multiple times, with multiple women. Kloepfer had also become suspicious that Bundy was the “Ted” with the “Volkswagen Bug” that the police were searching for as their prime suspect in the Lake Sammamish State Park abductions. Ultimately, she would report Bundy three times to law enforcement about her suspicions.
In 1979, during his trial for the murder Kimberly Leach, Bundy proposed to friend/supporter, Carole Ann Boone, who was testifying on his behalf at the time. She accepted his proposal and as per Florida law, (because it was a declaration of marriage in court and in front of a judge), it was deemed a legal marriage. The pair went on to have a child together, Rosa Bundy, and remained married until 1986 when Bundy began to confess to the murders. A devastated Boone, who had believed throughout in Bundy’s innocence, divorced him. He tried calling her on the morning of his execution but she refused to speak to him.
VICTIMS
WARNING: The following contains CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHS which some readers may find upsetting.
Ted Bundy was gifted with charm and charisma, with many people describing him handsome, and he knew it. (Not the usual characteristics given to a serial killer) Unfortunately it was these traits that enabled him to approach his victims with confidence. Many of would leave with him willingly, suggesting they didn’t sense him as a threat.
Bundy claimed to have began his serial killing “spree” in Washington, when he was around 27 years old, although it is widely accepted that he probably began attacking females when he was a teenager.
Linda Ann Healy:
Linda Ann Healy, 21, was a University of Washington student when she disappeared from her home in Seattle on 1st February 1974. Colleagues became concerned when she failed to turn up for her part time job as a radio weather girl and friends noted she hadn’t been seen on campus all day.
This was uncharacteristic for Healy as she had always been reliable. The Police were called and they searched her room where they discovered blood on Healy’s pillow and head end of the neatly made bed.
basement bedroom
Donna Gail Manson:
Donna Gail Manson, was 19 when she disappeared from The Evergreen State College campus in Olympia, Washington on March 12th 1974. She had been on her way to a jazz concert.
Bundy actually confessed to killing Manson, recalling how he cremated her skull in Kloepfer’s fireplace, as if it was a normal thing for someone to do! (Unbelievably, out of everything he did, he thought Kloepfer would be angry with him for that the most?!)
1978 came with a discovery that no doubt brought hope of closure to Manson’s loved ones – Law enforcement were confident they may have located the rest of Manson’s remains when a skeleton was found with clothing matching what Manson was reported to have been wearing when she disappeared. However, shockingly, the remains were lost along with evidence relating to the find before identification could take place. (How do you misplace a skeleton? This seems somewhat suspicious in my opinion)
Susan Elaine Rancourt:
Susan Elaine Rancourt, 17, was approached by “struggling” Bundy in Central Washington State University campus on 18th April 1974. He had his arm in a sling and feebly asked her if she’d help him carry his books to his car, being the kind girl that she was, Rancourt kindly agreed to help him. She was never seen alive again. Her skull was discovered on Taylor Mountain on 3rd March 1975.
Bundy didn’t discuss in any detail about what happened to Rancourt but he did admit to killing her just before his execution.
Roberta Kathleen Parks:
Roberta Kathleen Parks, 20, disappeared from Oregon State University campus on 7th May 1974. Bundy described approaching Roberta in the campus cafeteria and striking up a conversation during which he suggested they go somewhere for a drink. She accepted and willingly got into his car. In order not to alert her to where they were going he mentioned that he had to pick up something briefly so would be taking a quick detour. Once he had driven somewhere remote he forced her to undress before raping her and then strangling her to death. Her skull was found on Taylor Mountain on 3rd March 1975.
Brenda Carol Ball:
Brenda Carol Ball, was 22 years old when she disappeared from Burien, Washington, on 31st May 1974. After a night out at the Flame Tavern she was unable to secure a lift home so she left alone, shortly after which she was seen talking to a man in the parking lot, the witness reported the man had his arm in a sling. Disappearing, often for days on end wasn’t unusual for Ball so friends were unaware of anything untoward at first. She was eventually reported missing just over two weeks after being abducted. Bundy confessed to killing Ball and surmised he had abducted her from the Tavern parking lot in order to throw off police, who were searching for a campus abductor / killer. He claims to have taken Ball home with him where they had consensual sex before he gave in to his urges and strangled her to death . On 1st March 1975, Ball’s remains were found on Taylor Mountain….the first of several.
Georgann Hawkins:
Georgann Hawkins, 18, a student of The University of Washington, disappeared from campus on 10th June 1974. She had been on her way home after visiting her boyfriends house, 6 doors away from her own. Bundy confessed to killing Hawkins, he had been wearing a fake leg cast and hobbled on crutches when he had approached her that night and asked for help carrying his briefcase. Whilst she was helping him he struck her with a crowbar, knocking her unconscious and put her in his car, handcuffing her to the interior. He recalled having to knock her out a second time as she came to, before strangling her with a cord. He told police that the unidentified remains they’d recovered in Issaquah alongside Janice Ott and Denise Naslund belonged to Hawkins.
“The Hawkins girl’s head was severed and taken up the road, erm, er, 25 to 50 yards, and buried in a location about 10 yards west of the road on a rocky hillside”
Ted Bundy Confession Tapes
Janice Ann Ott:
Janice Ann Ott, was 23 years old and had been married for a year and a half when she vanished from Lake Sammamish State Park, Washington, on July 14th 1974.
Ott was the first of two women to disappear from the park that day, in broad daylight, The park had been extremely busy with events organised throughout the day and Ott had rode down on her bike to enjoy the festivities. Witnesses came forward to say they had seen Ott and several other women be approached and asked by
“a good looking young man wearing an arm cast to help load his sailboat on the car in the parking lot.”
Netflix
Witnesses also reported to police that the man talking to Ott was driving a…
“Light brown or Tan Bug” and that the man introduced himself as “Ted”
Netflix
Ott went to help the man, who Bundy later confessed was him, and she was never seen alive again. Her partial remains were discovered in Issaquah on 6th September 1974, along with the remains of some of Bundy’s other victims.
Denise Marie Naslund:
Denise Marie Naslund, 18, was the second woman to go missing from Lake Sammamish State Park that day. Naslund had left her group briefly to go and use the restrooms. Whilst there, witness claimed she was approached by a man, who we now know was Bundy, and was asked if she would help him. She agreed and went with him and just like Ott, she was never seen alive again. Her remains were discovered in Issaquah on 6th September 1974 in the same place as Ott’s.
When Bundy confessed to the murders he stated that Ott was still alive when he abducted Naslund and he made one watch as he killed the other, although he later denied that was true.
Police weren’t immediately aware they were dealing with a serial killer at first, having not connected all the abductions as being the work of one man. After the disappearances of Janice Ott and Denise Naslund at Lake Sammamish State Park, police were able to issue a sketch of the man they wanted in relation to the two women, not realising it was the same man they were seeking in relation to the Seattle abductions too.
to witnesses at
Lake Sammamish State Park
Upon seeing the news and the sketch, Bundy’s girlfriend, Elizabeth, called police and notified them that she believed the man they were looking for in connection with the murders was her boyfriend, Ted Bundy. With the new information and a possible suspect identification, police were able to show the witnesses from Lake Sammamish State Park a photo of Bundy. Shockingly most of the witness claimed that wasn’t the man they saw.
In September 1974 Ted Bundy’s murderous “spree” in Washington had come to an end, for now. Bundy had accepted an offer to study at The University of Law and so moved on, to Utah…
In Utah, Bundy continued to abduct and kill young women. It was hard back in those days for authorities to establish a link between crimes committed across different Counties, let alone different States, as the database available to us today didn’t exist in the 1970’s, so nobody realised at this point that they were dealing with a serial killer.
Nancy Wilcox:
Nancy Wilcox was Bundy’s first known victim in Utah. 16 year old Wilcox disappeared from Holladay, Utah. Wilcox had popped out to buy some gum, and was seen driving her VW Bug, similar to Bundy’s. Wilcox was never seen again. Authorities originally believed Wilcox had run away but began to suspect something more sinister had happened after she hadn’t been heard from for a few years! Bundy later confessed to abducting Wilcox at knife point and taking her to his home where he kept her for a day before taking her to an orchard where he raped and strangled her. Bundy claimed he buried her body in Capitol Reef National Park, however, her remains have never been found.
Melissa Anne Smith:
Melissa Anne Smith, was 17 when she disappeared from Midvale, Utah on 18th October 1974. Her father was the Midvale Chief of Police. She was last seen by her friend leaving a restaurant and heading for home as she, after which she was suppose to attend a sleepover at another friends house but failed to attend. Just over a week later, her battered body was found in Summit Park by deer hunters, on 27th October 1974. Smith had been beaten, raped, strangled with a blue sock and shot in the head. Her hair had been freshly washed, her make up reapplied (in brands which were not her own) and her nails varnished. Bundy confessed to the murder of Smith, claiming he kept her alive in his apartment for several days before killing her and disposing of her body.
Laura Ann Aime:
Laura Ann Aime, 17, disappeared on Halloween, 31st October 1974 in Lehi, Utah, she had just left a cafe and was on her way to a park when she vanished. Bundy admitted he was the one who had abducted and killed her. Her naked body was found by hikers in the Wasatch Mountains on 27th November 1974. She had been beaten, raped and strangled. Bundy had beaten Aime so severely she was unrecognisable and her father was only able to identify her because of three scars she had from a horse riding accident.
Carol DaRonch:
Carol DaRonch, 18, was abducted by Bundy from a shopping mall in Salt Lake City, on 8th November 1974. Bundy, posed as a police officer, approached DaRonch and told her someone had been caught trying to break into her car in the Mall parking Lot. Bundy requested she follow him to her car to check nothing had been stolen, trustingly, DaRonch did as he asked. After checking her car DaRonch confirmed nothing was missing, Bundy then suggested she rides with him to the police station to file a complaint about the “car thief.” At this point DaRonch began to get suspicious and requested Bundy showed her some identification, Bundy promptly flashed her a police badge and DaRonch, once again, put her trust in the man she believed to be a policeman. A short time later Bundy suddenly stopped driving and DaRonch realised something was seriously wrong. As she tried to get away Bundy grabbed DaRonch’s arm and attached a handcuff to her wrist but was unable to get it onto her other one, leaving the handcuff dangling. When describing the attack years later, DaRonch said
“I have never been so frightened in my entire life!”
Netflix
As she continued to struggle and fight for her life Bundy pulled out a gun and told her he was going to shoot her. DaRonch managed to escape the car, which was Bundy’s VW Bug, and began running but Bundy chased her, hitting her with a crowbar to try and prevent her getting away. She caught the attention of an oncoming car and managed to get to safety. DaRonch was the first known Victim of Ted Bundy to survive and was able to help police a lot with their case against him.
In November 1974, Bundy’s girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer became aware of the string of murders happening in Utah, around the area Bundy was living and studying as a Law student. Once again she informed the police that she believed the “Ted” they were looking for was Ted Bundy. Suspicions that she repeated to detectives again in December 1974. Bundy was now firmly on the detectives radar, and they began to consider the possibility of a having a serial killer on their hands.
Debra Jean Kent:
Debra Jean Kent, 17, disappeared in Bountiful, Utah, on 8th November 1974, from the Viewmont High school parking lot. She had been at a school play with her parents but had left before them as she was picking up her brother from the local skating rink. Kent failed to show up at the rink and has never been seen again. In fact Kent hadn’t even made it to her car. When Kent’s parents reported her missing, they were told by law enforcement that it was likely she had runaway, refusing to search for 24 hours. When they did eventually conduct a search they discovered a handcuff key in the high school parking lot. A key that ended up fitting the lock to the handcuffs Bundy had locked onto DaRonch, a mere 17 miles away and only hours earlier. Bundy confessed, years later, to killing Kent. He told police he had kept Kent at his home for a while before killing her and burying her in Fairview Canyon, the same place he’d buried Wilcox. Only one human bone was ever recovered from the site Bundy claimed to have buried some of his victims, a patella (knee cap) which was DNA testing later confirmed as belonging to Kent.
D) “was she killed right there at the school?”
B) “No.”
D) “but you are responsible for her death?”
B ) “yes”
D) “Did it take place in your car or um..”
B) “No, the place where I lived.”
D) “Oh you took her home?”
B) “I could keep her there for a period of time, a day, hours”
D) “Was she alive during that time being?”
B) “Lets see, half of it.”
Bundy’s (B) confessions to the detective (D) shortly before his his execution
Mind of a monster
In January 1975, Bundy decided to move his serial killing “spree” to Colorado whilst he remained living in Salt Lake City, Utah
Caryn Eileen Campbell:
Caryn Eileen Campbell, 23, is believed to be Bundy’s first victim in Colorado. She disappeared from the Wildwood Inn on 12th January 1975. She had popped up to her hotel room just after finishing dinner with her fiance and his children. It was the last time she was seen alive. On 17th February 1975, Campbell’s naked body was found amongst the snow, just a few mile from where she had disappeared. Wild animals had feasted upon her body and there was significant decomposition, yet it was still very apparent that she had been struck over the head several times and had been brutally beaten. An autopsy alongside dental identification confirmed the remains were Campbell’s, she had died just hours after her abduction. A later examination of Bundy’s VW Bug produced hair fibres which were proven to be Campbell’s, indicating that at one point she had been in Bundy’s car.
Julie Cunningham:
Julie Cunningham, was on her way to a tavern in Vail, Colorado, on the 15th March 1975, when she seemingly vanished into thin air. Years later Bundy confessed to her murder, making her Bundy’s oldest known victim at only 26 years old. Pretending to be an injured skier he had hobbled on crutches and requested Cunningham’s assistance in carrying his ski boots to his car and she kindly agreed to help. Bundy said he then knocked her unconscious, handcuffed her and stuffed her in the trunk of his car before driving about 80 miles away where he raped and murdered her via strangulation. He claimed to have buried her body a month later in a shallow grave in a desert area of Rifle, Colorado. Cunningham’s remains have never been recovered.
Denise Lynn Oliverson:
Denise Lynn Oliverson, 24, was last seen leaving her home to go on a bike ride. in Grand Junction, Colorado, 6th April 1975. Her yellow bike and red wooden sandals were discovered the following day under a viaduct near her home. Bundy became a suspect after detectives were able to place him in Grand Junction on the day of Oliverson’s disappearance using credit card receipts. Although Oliverson’s remains have never been found, Bundy confessed to her murder, claiming he killed her and threw her body into the Colorado river.
“Denise Oliverson, I believe, I’m not sure… out of Grand Junction that Mike Fisher wanted to discuss… ah, I believe that the date was in April 1975. Ah… the young woman’s body would have been placed in the Colorado River about five miles west of Grand Junction. It was not buried.”
Transcript of a Recording by Bundy, dated 1-24-1989, Florida State Prison:
https://hiimted.blog/2019/11/20/case-file-denise-lynn-oliverson-1975/
Lynette Dawn Culver:
Lynette Dawn Culver, 12, was last seen as she walked out of the grounds of Alameda Junior High School in Pocatello, Idaho, on 6th May 1975. It’s believed Culver may have been hitchhiking and entered Bundy’s car willingly. Bundy confessed to Killing Culver, claiming he dumped her body into the snake river. He is alleged to have admitted to drowning Culver in his hotel room before sexually assaulting her dead body. Authorities were confident Bundy was telling the truth about abducting Culver as he knew details about her that he could have only known if he had spoken to her, for example, she had just moved to the opposite side of town. He told investigators he had gone to Pocatello specifically to commit murder. Culver’s remains have never been recovered.
“She made a comment that sounded like she had other friends or relatives in Seattle…Made a comment indicating that she either lived with her grandmother or that her grandmother lived with her family. Another comment indicating that perhaps they were thinking of moving to another house. Indications that she had had some trouble with truancy at school…and…finally that I encountered her at a time when she was leaving the school grounds to meet someone at lunch time.”
The Bundy Murders
Susan Curtis:
Susan Curtis, 15, disappeared on 27th June 1975, on the first day of a two-day conference she was attending at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She left a banquet to walk the quarter of a mile back to the dormitories, she never made it and hasn’t been seen since. Not much is known about Curtis’ disappearance or death but Bundy did end up confessing to her murder, claiming he had buried her along the highway in Price, Utah. Curtis’ remains have never been found.
Interestingly, Curtis and Debra Kent (an earlier victim of Bundy’s) were from the same neighbourhood in Utah and both families had been at the same high school play when Debra was abducted. Ultimately, both were abducted and murdered by Ted Bundy, within months of each other.
On the night of August 16th 1975 Bundy was pulled over by police for a traffic violation and was matched to the attempted abduction of DaRonch. She positively identified Bundy in a line up and he was subsequently found guilty of kidnapping and was sentenced in 1976 to one to fifteen years in prison.
Whilst serving his sentence in Utah State Prison, for the kidnapping and assault of DaRonch, Bundy was charged with the murder of Campbell and in January 1977 he was extradited to Aspen to stand trial.
Bundy decided to represent himself in court, therefore he was not required to wear handcuffs and shackles. During the recess of the preliminary hearing, in Pitkin County Courthouse, he was given permission to use the law Library under the watch of prison guards. There are conflicting stories as to how or why, but on the 7th June 1977. Bundy ended up out of view of the Guards, giving him the perfect opportunity to escape. An escape he had planned meticulously – best routes, timings, he even practised jumping from the top bunk in his cell, in preparation for the landing. Out of the sight of the guards, Bundy jumped out of a second story window of the courthouse and literally ran for the hills.
“I psyched, psyched, psyched myself up for weeks. Literally, it took weeks. I began jumping off the top bunk in my cell in the Garfield County jail. Jumping again and again and again off the top bunk to the floor to strengthen my legs for the impact. I measured, mentally measured the distance from the corner of the courthouse to the alley and from the alley to the riverbed and from the riverbed to the mountains. And I measured my cell and I ran those distances. I ran those distances again and again and I practised how rapidly I could change my clothes from my courtroom attire to my shorts and I, um, got a haircut…so that I had a different appearance.”
I said I’m ready to go, and I walked to the window and jumped out.”
Bundy / Confessions with a killer.
Despite a massive manhunt for him, Bundy managed to elude capture for 7 days, eventually being caught on the 13th June 1977 as he tried to escape on the outskirts of the town. He was taken to Garfield County Jail where he was placed in solitary confinement and transported daily to the courthouse. The trial for the Murder of Campbell was finally set to go ahead in Colorado springs.
Over the next few months Bundy deliberately lost weight, around 20+lbs. He had noticed an unsecure grate and light fixture in the ceiling of his cell. One night he strategically placed his books on his bed and covered them with his blanket so as to make it look like it was him asleep. Heaving himself through the loose fittings in the ceiling he entered the crawlspace of the prison, exiting into a jailers apartment, (The jailer was out at the time, luckily for Bundy.) He donned civilian clothes and brazenly walked straight out of the building main entrance as if he had all the rights in the world to do so! Even though guards bought him his meal that night his escape went un-noticed until morning. By which time Bundy was long gone. A simple but ingenious escape, I’m sure you’ll agree!
Authorities in several States were concerned that Bundy would use this as an opportunity to hunt out more victims. That’s exactly what he did.
Margaret Elizabeth Bowman:
Margaret Elizabeth Bowman, 21, was the first of four victims in the Chi Omega Sorority house, Florida State University, in the early hours of January 15th 1978. Bowman was asleep when Bundy entered her bedroom and began attacking her with a wooden log. She was brutally beaten with crushing blows to her head and sexually assaulted. He had tied a nylon stocking around her neck as he strangled her to death. Bundy was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Bowman.
Lisa Levy:
Lisa Levy, 20, was Bundy’s second victim in the Chi Omega sorority house. She was asleep when he began bludgeoning her with the same wooden log he had just used to attack and kill Bowman with. Whilst attacking Levy, Bundy bit into her flesh, leaving behind clear teeth impressions that were later used to convict him. He had also bitten of her nipple. Levy had been raped and sexually assaulted with a hairspray bottle.
Like Bowman, she had also been strangled. Bundy was convicted and sentenced to death for her murder, yet he maintained his innocence for many years, Eventually he confessed to the attack and murder of Levy.
Kathy Kleiner:
Kathy Kleiner, 21, was Bundy’s next victim in the Chi Omega Sorority house. Kleiner awoke as Bundy entered her bedroom, which she shared with sorority sister Karen Chandler. Just as she realised what was happening, Bundy began bludgeoning her with the wooden log. He beat her so badly that he broke her jaw in three places, leaving it hanging from one socket. Her cheek was ripped open and she had almost bitten her tongue completely off. Kleiner survived the attack because roommate, Chandler, began to stir in her sleep, at which point Bundy stopped attacking Kleiner and began attacking Chandler instead.
Karen Chandler:
Karen Chandler, 21, was still asleep when she was beaten by Bundy with the same wooden log he had used to attack the previous three girls. She survived the attack but with serious injuries, most of her facial bones were broken as was her right arm. Chandler couldn’t remember anything about the attack itself. It’s likely Bundy would have continued until Chandler was dead but he realised Kleiner was attempting to get up so he returned his attention to her.
Just as Bundy was about to resume hitting Kleiner, the bright headlights of a car shone through the window, illuminating the bedroom and Bundy fled15, leaving both girls severely injured, but alive.
Cheryl Thomas:
Cheryl Thomas, 21, was asleep in her room in Dunwoody Street, Florida State University, approximately about 6 blocks away from the Chi Omega Sorority house. On January 15th 1978 Bundy broke into Thomas’ home via a kitchen window. He began his vicious attack on her immediately, beating her with the same wooden log he’d attacked the sorority sisters with just an hour or so earlier. Her neighbours heard the commotion and alerted the authorities, again Bundy fled the scene. Investigators found Thomas barely alive.
She was in a coma for ten weeks as a result of her injuries. She had sustained several fractures to her skull, a broken jaw and had a permanent lost of hearing. When she awoke she had no memory of the attack. Thomas later confessed to psychiatrist, Dorothy Lewis, that Thomas had actually been the only intended target that night and he hadn’t planned on attacking the Chi Omega house. Thomas survived the attack.
Kimberly Diane Leach:
Kimberly Diane Leach, 12, is the last confirmed victim of Ted Bundy’s. He had abducted her on February 9th 1978 from Lake city Junior School as she went to her homeroom to collect her purse. Bundy drove Leach away in a vehicle he had stolen just after the Chi Omega attacks, (vegetation samples found in the van were later used to link Bundy to the crime and also led police to the location of her body). Leach had been sexually assaulted and beaten by Bundy before he disposed of her body in a hog pen shed behind the Suwannee River State Park.
Her remains were discovered on April 7th 1978. A jury convicted Bundy to death for the kidnapping and murder of Leach.
CAPTURE AND ARREST
After the violent and murderous rampage Bundy had unleashed upon Florida, he decided it was time to leave and began heading out of State. Alas, for Bundy it was not to be, for he was stopped by Police and arrested for driving a stolen vehicle and being in possession of 21 stolen credit cards. Bundy didn’t go willingly and tried to run from the arresting officer but after a struggle between the two Bundy was apprehended and taken to the Station.
Once there he refused to give police his name for a couple of days before making a deal with the officers – he would only divulge his true identity if they allowed him make a phone call – to Kloepfer. He warned her that news was about to break about his arrest and the crimes he was accused of, how she was sure to be caught up in the media frenzy of it all. He tried to explain what caused him to do the unthinkable things he had done, putting it down to a sickness, an entity, within him that he couldn’t control.
Sickness or entity, call it what you will, it didn’t help Bundy in the end. He was ultimately served three death by electrocution sentences for the brutal Chi Omega murders and the murder of young Kimberly Leach.
Subsequently, Bundy, 42, was taken to the electric chair on the 4th January 1989.
Crowds of people celebrated outside as his execution was carried out and he was pronounced dead at 7.16 am. His body was removed from the prison and taken to Gainesville where he was cremated.
His ashes were scattered on Taylor mountain, where he had buried some of his victims, on the the Cascade Mountain Range, Washington.
His final words before he was executed were…
“Jim and Fred, I’d like you to give my love to my family and friends,”
Oxygen
Before his execution Bundy also confessed to murdering other women. Police have been unable to corroborate the murders and only have the sparse information he was able to recall. Additionally, Bundy is implicated in further attacks / murders but due to lack of evidence the cases remain unsolved.
SUSPECTED ATTACKS AND MURDERS
Ann Marie Burr:
Ann Marie Burr, 8, disappeared from her home in Tacoma, Washington. Circumstantial evidence implicated Bundy in her disappearance – he used to lived close to Burr’s home and his great Uncle lived nearby at the time of the abduction, Bundy also delivered newspapers to a nearby street, and a shoe imprint found outside the Burr residence suggested the kidnapper was someone relatively young. Bundy was 14 at the time. Burr’s remains have never been found and no one has been charged for her disappearance. The case remains unsolved.
Lisa Wick, & Lonnie Trumbull:
Lisa Wick, 20, and Lonnie Trumbull, 20, both air stewardesses, were both bludgeoned with a piece of wood, in similar style to the Chi Omega attacks. Trumbull died and Wick survived but with no memory of what happened. There were several suspects implicated, including Bundy, who was 19 at the time. He worked in a shop nearby where the pair shopped. Wick later said
“I know that it was Ted Bundy who did that to us,” she wrote, “but I can’t tell you how I know.”
Lisa Wick
Susan Davis & Elizabeth Perry:
Susan Davis, 19, and Elizabeth Perry, 19, were on vacation together when they were both murdered on May 30th 1969. Their bodies were found buried under a pile of leaves in the woods near the Garden State Parkway. Davis was found naked whereas Perry was fully clothed. They had both been stabbed to death, each having received several stab wounds. Bundy became a suspect in the double murder after he allegedly confessed to killing to co-eds around Philadelphia in 1969. The case remains unsolved.
Rita Curran:
Rita Curran, 24, Burlington, Vermont, was viciously beaten, raped and strangled to death in her basement apartment on July 19th 1971. Bundy was implicated in her murder as he was believed to be visiting his birthplace, (to get his birth certificate) across the road from where Curran worked, around the time of her murder. Bundy allegedly confessed that he…
“murdered a young woman in July 1971 in Burlington, Vt., who worked next door to a home for unwed mothers”
Bundy / Wikipedia
Given his whereabouts at the time along with his confession it is highly plausible that Bundy was the one behind Rita’s disappearance, However, without solid evidence the case remains unsolved.
Joyce LePage:
Joyce LePage, 21, disappeared from Washington State University on July 22nd 1971, just after her friends dropped her off at her apartment. Her naked, skeletal remains were found in Wawawai Canyon in April 1972 and an autopsy indicated she had been stabbed in the ribs three times. Bundy later became a suspect because LePage fit his victim type with long brown hair, parted in the middle and was abducted from WSU.
Rita Jolly:
Rita Jolly, 17, went missing in West Lynn, Oregon, on June 29th, 1973. She had gone out for a evening walk but never returned and hasn’t been since, no remains link to Jolly have ever been found either. Bundy was considered a possible suspect but nothing further came of it and case remains open.
Brenda Joy Baker:
Brenda Joy Baker, 14, disappeared on May 25th 1974, from Puyallup, Washington. It’s believed that she had been hitchhiking at the time. Her decomposed remains were discovered on June 17th 1974, in an area adjacent to Millersylvania State Park, Thurston County, Washington. Authorities suspected Bundy as the perpetrator but there was no evidence or anything to suggest he was involved. The case remains open.
Sandra Jean Weaver:
Sandra Jean Weaver, 18, was abducted from Salt Lake City on the 1st July 1974. Her naked body was discovered just a day later in Grand Junction, Colorado. Bundy was a suspect in Weaver’s murder as she fit Bundy’s victim type and the murder took place in the same area as some of his later murders. It is claimed Bundy confessed to her murder but this is unconfirmed. The case remains unsolved.
Melanie Suzanne Cooley:
Melanie Suzanne Cooley, 18 (known as “Suzy”) disappeared on April 15th 1975, after leaving school and hitchhiking in Nederland, Colorado. She was severely beaten and strangled to death before being dumped in Coal Creek Canyon. Her remains were found on May 2nd 1975. Bundy became a suspect in her murder after receipts show he was in the area at the time of her disappearance and the murder was similar to his MO. Bundy never confessed to her murder and there wasn’t enough evidence to prove he was involved. The case remains unsolved.
Shelley Kay Robertson:
Shelley Kay Robertson, 23, disappeared June 29th 1975, from Golden, Colorado. Her naked and decomposed remains were found August 21st in a mine-shaft in Berthoud Pass, Colorado. Bundy became a suspect in Robertson’s murder because a gas receipt showed he was in the same area at the time of her disappearance. There is no other evidence linking him to the crime. When questioned about the murder Bundy said he didn’t want to talk about it. The case remains unsolved.
Nancy Perry Baird:
Nancy Perry Baird, 23, vanished on July 4th, 1975, during her shift at a gas station in Layton, Utah. Witnesses claim to have seen a truck at the station around the time of her disappearance. She has never been found. When questioned about Baird’s disappearance, Bundy denied all knowledge and claimed he wasn’t involved.
Thank you for visiting Ginger’s Crime Museum.
REFERENCES: Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy Netflix, Conversations with a killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes: Handsome Devil https://www.netflix.com/watch/80226550?trackId=200257859 Netflix, Conversations with a serial killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes: One of us.https://www.netflix.com/watch/80226551?trackId=14170286&tctx=2%2C0%2Cbb724ecc-2e36-42c8-a661-fde2fb11316b-19635547%2Cbd0d6c9d-3d2f-4d01-ab31-a27c2af388ec_34059513X3XX1590769353337%2Cbd0d6c9d-3d2f-4d01-ab31-a27c2af388ec_ROOT%2C Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp36u7gpuA8 Ted Bundy Confession Tapes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmsgtGN4D9M Oxygen: https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/why-did-vivian-winters-reach-out-to-ted-bundys-mom-louise Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy Burlington free press: https://eu.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2019/04/29/ted-bundy-movie-extremely-wicked-mother-father-child-abuse/3616604002/ The Stand: https://thestand-online.com/2019/03/01/quick-reminder-ted-bundy-was-an-actual-murderer/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ted-Bundy-Falling-Killer/dp/B082FPGQD8 Newspaper.com: https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=31114804&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjMxNjcxMjI5MSwiaWF0IjoxNTkwNzkyMTI0LCJleHAiOjE1OTA4Nzg1MjR9._2fbv7Joqxrdsg-2gCZ-xRizQZQaY3fZhA6gxTsmMxc Storymaps: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6b05987d60ac4c1d97e405df340a77bf The Bundy Murders, A comprehensive History. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NlLcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA144&lpg=PA144&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false History Collection https://historycollection.com/40-disturbing-facts-about-ted-bundy/34/ and https://historycollection.com/killer-plain-sight-6-facts-serial-killer-ted-bundy/4/ The Sun: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8202022/ted-bundy-execution-electric-chair-netflix-conversation-with-a-killer/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/468867011181179316/ and https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/349803096054489619/ FBI.gov: https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/bundy-wanted-poster.jpeg/view Tampabay: https://www.tampabay.com/data/2019/01/24/ted-bundy-was-executed-30-years-ago-today-three-of-his-victims-were-from-st-petersburg/ The Denver Channel https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/gallery-newspaper-clippings-from-serial-killer-ted-bundys-time-in-colorado Aspen Times: https://www.aspentimes.com/magazines/aspen-times-weekly/bundy-escape-exposes-flaws/ All thats intersting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/rose-bundy-ted-bundy-daughter and https://allthatsinteresting.com/ted-bundy-education
