Biography of Ted Bundy, Serial Killer

Theodore Robert Bundy  (November 24, 1946–January 24, 1989) was one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history, who confessed to kidnapping, raping and murdering 30 women throughout seven states during the 1970s, although the actual count of the people he murdered remains a mystery.   Fast Facts: Ted Bundy Known For: Confessed serial murder of 30 peopleBorn: November 24, 1946 in Burlington, VermontParents: Eleanor â€Å"Louise† Cowell, Johnnie Culpepper Bundy (adoptive father)  Died: January 24, 1989 in Raiford, FloridaEducation: Woodrow Wilson High School, University of Puget Sound, University of Washington (BA Psychology, 1972), Temple University, University of UtahSpouse: Carol Ann Boone (m. 1980)Children: Rose, by Carol Ann Boone From the time of his capture, up until his death in the electric chair became imminent, he proclaimed his innocence and then began confessing to some of his crimes to delay his execution. The actual count of how many people he murdered remains a mystery. Early Life Ted Bundy was born Theodore Robert Cowell on November 24, 1946, at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Burlington, Vermont. Ted’s mother Eleanor â€Å"Louise† Cowell returned to Philadelphia to live with her parents and raise her new son. In the 1950s, being an unwed mother was scandalous and illegitimate children were often teased and treated as outcasts. To avoid having Ted suffer, Louises parents, Samuel and Eleanor  Cowell, took on the role of being Ted’s parents. For several years of his life, Ted thought his grandparents were his parents, and his mother was his sister. He never had any contact with his birth father, whose identity remains unknown. According to relatives, the environment in the Cowell home was volatile. Samuel Cowell was known for being an outspoken bigot who would go into loud rants about his dislike of various minority and religious groups. He physically abused his wife and children and brutalized the family dog. He suffered hallucinations and would sometimes talk or argue with people who were not there. Eleanor  was submissive and fearful of her husband. She suffered from agoraphobia and depression. She periodically received electric shock therapy, a popular treatment for even the mildest cases of mental illness during that time. Tacoma, Washington   In 1951, Louise packed up and, with Ted in tow, moved to Tacoma, Washington to live with her cousins. For unknown reasons, she changed her surname from Cowell to Nelson. While there, she met and married Johnnie Culpepper Bundy. Bundy was an ex-military cook who was working as a hospital cook. Johnnie adopted Ted and changed his surname from Cowell to Bundy. Ted was a quiet and well-behaved child although some people found his behavior unsettling. Unlike other children who seem to thrive on parental attention and affection, Bundy preferred isolation and disconnection from family and friends. As time went on, Louise and Johnnie had four more children, and Ted had to adjust to not being an only child. The Bundy home was small, cramped, and tense. Money was scarce and Louise was left taking care of the children without any additional help. Because Ted was always quiet, he was often left alone and ignored while his parents dealt with their more demanding children. Ted’s extreme introversion and any developmental issues went unnoticed or were explained as a characteristic based on his shyness. Education Despite the circumstances at home, Bundy grew into an attractive teenager who got along with his peers and  who performed well in school. He graduated from  Woodrow Wilson High School  in 1965. According to Bundy, it was during his high school years that he began breaking into cars and homes. Bundy said the motivation behind becoming a petty thief was partially due to his desire to go downhill skiing. It was the only sport he was good at, but it was expensive. He used the money he made off of stolen goods to help pay for skis and ski passes. Although his police record was expunged at the age of 18, it is known that Bundy was arrested twice on suspicion of burglary and auto theft. After high school, Bundy entered the University of Puget Sound. There he scored high academically but failed socially. He continued to suffer from acute shyness, which resulted in social awkwardness. While he did manage to develop some friendships, he was never comfortable with participating in most of the social activities that others were doing. He rarely dated and kept to himself. Bundy later attributed his social problems to the fact that most of his peers at Puget Sound came from wealthy backgrounds—a world that he envied.  Unable to escape his growing inferiority complex, Bundy decided to transfer to the University of  Washington in his sophomore year in 1966. At first, the change did not help Bundy’s inability to socially blend, but in 1967 Bundy met the woman of his dreams. She was pretty, wealthy, and sophisticated. They both shared a skill and passion for skiing and spent many weekends on the ski slopes. First Love Ted fell in love with his new girlfriend and tried hard to impress her to the point of grossly exaggerating his accomplishments. He downplayed the fact that he was working part-time bagging groceries and instead tried to gain her approval by boasting about a summer scholarship that he won to Stamford University. Working, attending college, and having a girlfriend was too much for Bundy, and in 1969, he dropped out of college and began working at various minimum-wage jobs. He devoted his spare time to doing volunteer work for  Nelson Rockefellers presidential campaign and even worked as a Rockefeller delegate at the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami. Unimpressed with Bundy’s lack of ambition, his girlfriend decided that he was not husband material and she ended the relationship and moved back to her parent’s home in California. According to Bundy, the break up broke his heart and he obsessed over her for years. At this same time, whispers about Bundy being a petty thief began to spread among those who were close to him. Stuck in a deep depression, Bundy decided to do some traveling and headed to Colorado then on to Arkansas and Philadelphia. There, he enrolled at Temple University where he completed a semester then returned to Washington in the fall of 1969. It was before his return to Washington that he learned about his true parentage.  How Bundy dealt with the information is not known, but it was obvious to those that knew Ted that he had experienced some kind of transformation. Gone was the shy, introverted Ted Bundy. The man that returned was outgoing and confident to the point of being seen as an extraverted braggart. He returned to University of  Washington, excelled in his major, and earned a bachelors degree in psychology in 1972. Life Gets Better for Bundy In 1969, Bundy became involved with another woman, Elizabeth Kendall (the pseudonym she used when she wrote  The Phantom Prince My Life With Ted Bundy. She  was a divorcee with a young daughter. She fell deeply in love with Bundy, and despite her suspicions that  he  was seeing other women, her devotion toward him continued. Bundy was not receptive to the idea of marriage but allowed the relationship to continue even after reuniting with his first love who had become attracted to the new, more confident, Ted Bundy. He worked on the reelection campaign of Washingtons Republican Governor Dan Evans. Evans was elected and appointed Bundy to the Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Committee. Bundys  political future seemed secure when in 1973 he became the assistant to Ross Davis, chairman of the Washington State Republican Party. It was a good time in  his  life. He had a girlfriend, his old girlfriend was once again in love with him, and his footing in the political arena was strong. Missing Women and a Man Called Ted In 1974, young women began vanishing from college campuses around Washington and Oregon. Lynda Ann Healy, a 21-year-old radio announcer, was among those who went  missing. In July 1974, two women were approached at a Seattle state park by an attractive man who introduced himself as Ted. He asked them to help him with his sailboat, but they refused. Later that day, two other women were seen going off with him and they were never seen alive again. Bundy Moves to Utah In the fall of 1974, Bundy enrolled in law school at the University of Utah and moved to Salt Lake City. In November Carol DaRonch was attacked at a Utah mall by a man dressed as a police officer. She managed to escape and she provided police with a description of the man, the Volkswagen he was driving, and a sample of his blood that got on her jacket during their struggle. Within a few hours after DaRonch was attacked, 17-year-old Debbie Kent disappeared. Around this time, hikers discovered a graveyard of bones in a Washington forest, later identified as belonging to missing women from both Washington and Utah. Investigators from both states communicated together and came up with a profile and composite sketch of the man named Ted who approached women for help, sometimes appearing helpless with a cast on his arm or crutches. They also had the description of his tan Volkswagen and his blood type, which was type-O. Authorities compared the similarities of the women who had disappeared. They were all white, thin, and single and had long hair that was parted in the middle. They also vanished during the evening hours. The bodies of the dead women found in Utah had all been hit with a blunt object to the head, raped, and sodomized. Authorities knew they were dealing with a serial killer who had the capability to travel from state to state. Murders in Colorado On January 12, 1975, Caryn Campbell vanished from a ski resort in Colorado while on vacation with her fiancà © and his two children. A month later, Caryns nude body was found lying a short distance from the road. An  examination of her remains  determined she had received violent blows to her skull. Over the next few months, five more women were found dead in Colorado with similar contusions to their head, possibly a result of being hit with a crowbar. Ted Bundys First Arrest In August 1975, police attempted to stop Bundy for a driving violation. He aroused suspicion when he tried to get away by turning his car lights off and speeding through stop signs. When he was finally stopped his Volkswagen was searched, and police found handcuffs, an ice pick, a crowbar, pantyhose with eye holes cut out, and other questionable items. They also saw that the front seat on the passenger side of his car was missing. Police arrested Ted Bundy on suspicion of burglary. Police compared the things found in Bundys car to those DaRonch described seeing in her attackers car. The handcuffs that had been placed on one of her wrists were the same make as those in Bundys possession. Once DaRonch picked Bundy out of a line-up, the police felt they had enough evidence to charge him with attempted kidnapping. The authorities also felt confident they had the person responsible for the tri-state murder spree that had gone on for more than a year. Bundy Escapes Twice Bundy went to trial for attempted kidnapping DaRonch in February 1976 and after waiving his right to a jury trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. During this time, police were investigating links to Bundy and the Colorado murders. According to his credit card statements, he was in the area where several women vanished in early 1975. In October 1976, Bundy was charged with the murder of Caryn Campbell. Bundy was extradited from the Utah prison to Colorado for the trial. Serving as his own lawyer allowed him to appear in court without leg irons, plus it gave him an opportunity to move freely from the courtroom to the law library inside the courthouse. In an interview, while in the role as his own attorney, Bundy said, More than ever, I am convinced of my own innocence. In June 1977 during a pre-trial hearing, he escaped by jumping out of the law library window. He was captured a week later. On Dec. 30, 1977, Bundy escaped from prison and made his way to Tallahassee, Florida, where he rented an apartment near Florida State University under the name Chris Hagen. College life was something Bundy was familiar with and one he enjoyed. He managed to buy food and pay his way at local college bars with stolen credit cards. When bored, he would duck into lecture halls and listen to the speakers. It was just a matter of time before the monster inside Bundy would resurface. The Sorority House Murders On Saturday, Jan. 14, 1978, Bundy broke into Florida State Universitys Chi Omega sorority house and bludgeoned and strangled to death two women, raping one of them and brutally biting her on her buttocks and one nipple. He beat two others over the head with a log. They survived, which investigators attributed to their roommate Nita Neary, who came home and interrupted Bundy before he was able to kill the other two victims. Nita Neary came home around 3 a.m. and noticed the front door to the house was ajar. As she entered, she heard hurried footsteps above going toward the stairway. She hid in a doorway and watched as a man wearing a blue cap and carrying a log left the house. Upstairs, she found her roommates. Two were dead, two others severely wounded. That same night another woman was attacked, and the police found a mask on her floor identical to one found later in Bundys car. Arrested Again On February 9, 1978, Bundy killed again. This time it was 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, who he kidnapped and then mutilated. Within a week of Kimberlys disappearance, Bundy was arrested in Pensacola for driving a stolen vehicle. Investigators had eyewitnesses who identified Bundy at the dorm and Kimberlys school. They also had physical evidence that linked him to the three murders, including a mold of the bite marks on the flesh of the sorority house victim. Bundy, still thinking he could beat a guilty verdict, turned down a plea bargain whereby he would plead guilty to killing the two sorority women and Kimberly LaFouche in exchange for three 25-year sentences. The End of Ted Bundy Bundy went on trial in Florida on June 25, 1979, for the murders of the sorority women. The trial was televised, and Bundy played up to the media when on occasion he acted as his attorney. Bundy was found guilty on both murder charges and given two death sentences by means of the electric chair. On January 7, 1980, Bundy went on trial for killing Kimberly Leach. This time he allowed his attorneys to represent him. They decided on an insanity plea, the only defense possible with the amount of evidence the state had against him. Bundys behavior was much different during this trial than the previous one. He displayed fits of anger, slouched in his chair, and his collegiate look was sometimes replaced with a haunting glare. Bundy was found guilty and received a third death sentence. During the sentencing phase, Bundy surprised everyone by calling Carol Boone as a character witness and marrying her while she was on the witness stand. Boone was convinced of Bundys innocence. She later gave birth to Bundys child, a little girl who he adored. In time, Boone divorced Bundy after realizing he was guilty of the horrific crimes he had been charged with. Death After endless appeals, Bundys last stay of execution was on Jan. 17, 1989. Before being put to death, Bundy gave the details of more than 50 women he had murdered to Washington State Attorney Generals chief investigator, Dr. Bob Keppel. He also confessed to keeping the heads of some of his victims at his home and to engaging in necrophilia with some of his victims. In his final interview, he blamed his exposure to pornography at an impressionable age as being the stimulant behind his murderous obsessions. Many of those directly involved with Bundy believed he murdered at least 100 women. The electrocution of Ted Bundy went as scheduled amid a carnival-like atmosphere outside the prison. It was reported that he spent the night crying and praying and that when he was led to the death chamber, his face was sullen and gray. Any hint of the old charismatic Bundy was gone. As he was moved into the death chamber, his eyes searched across the 42 witnesses. Once strapped into the electric chair he began mumbling. When asked by Supt. Tom Barton if he had any last words, Bundys voice broke as he said,  Jim and Fred, Id like you to give my love to my family and friends. Jim Coleman, who was one of his lawyers, nodded, as did Fred Lawrence, the Methodist minister who prayed with Bundy throughout the night. Bundys head bowed as he was prepared for electrocution. Once prepared, two thousand volts of electricity surged through his body. His hands and body tightened up and smoke could be seen coming from his right leg. Then the machine turned off and Bundy was checked over by a doctor one last time. On January 24, 1989, Theodore Bundy, one of the most notorious killers of all time, died at 7:16 a.m. as crowds outside cheered,  Burn, Bundy, burn! Sources Berlinger, Joe (director). Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. Netflix, 2019.Janos, Adam. Ted Bundys Many Faces: How the Serial Killer Was Able to Change His Appearance So Easily. AE Real Crime, February 21, 2019.Kendall, Elizabeth. The Phantom Prince My Life with Ted Bundy. 1981.  Michaud, Stephen G. and Hugh Aynesworth. Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer. Irving Texas: AuthorLink Press, 2000.Rule, Ann. The Stranger Beside Me. Seattle: Planet Ann Rule, 2017.