Overview of Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy’s real name is Theodore Robert Bundy. Ted Bundy is also known as the “Lady Killer.”

Ted Bundy was born on November 24, 1946 and died on January 24, 1989.

Bundy’s birth was recognized as a disgrace in his family. His mother was ashamed of her son because her parents, Bundy’s grandparents, were very religious and disappointed in her pregnancy. Bundy’s father is unknown. Based on this humiliation for the family, Bundy was unknowingly adopted by his grandparents, and he knew his mother as his sister.

Bundy was viewed as a child who was raised in a good, working-class family, but showed suspicious signs at a young age. At age three, Bundy was oddly interested in knives. During his childhood, he was fascinated in the idea of death and gruesome injuries.

In his teenage years, Bundy would look inside peoples houses to watch them, mutilate rodents in the woods, and attempt to drown individuals. As he got older, these strange and disturbing behaviors accelerated.

Bundy had a girlfriend of six years with Elizabeth Kloepfer. Kloepfer became suspicious of Bundy’s behavior. She went to the police two different times, in which the second attempt would contain evidence leading to his arrest.

Ted Bundy was a rapist and necrophiliac on top of being a serial killer.

Bundy’s Victims:

It is fairly unknown when Bundy started his serial killings; however, it is suspected he committed his first murder in 1974. It is assumed because it was the year women started to be reporting missing in Oregon and Seattle, Washington, and were allegedly last seen with man consisting of similar characteristics as Bundy.

Bundy’s technique was to pretend to be injured and in need of help. The victims would go to Bundy’s car in order to provide assistance, leading to their kidnapping.

Bundy confessed to 36 victims; however, it is suspected that he had over 100 victims.

How Was Bundy Caught?

Bundy eventually moved to Utah for his education. Many women were beginning to disappear.

Bundy was pulled over by the police in 1974, where they completed a search of his vehicle. The police discovered a face mask, rope, handcuffs, and a crowbar during the search. Police were originally suspicious of the intent to burglarize based on the evidence uncovered; however, they would later connect the dots to the missing women across multiple states.

Bundy was eventually arrested in 1975 after one of his victims managed to escape. The victim, Carol DaRonch, was kidnapped by Bundy, but was one of the only victims to escape and survive.

In 1977, Bundy managed to escape prison on two separate occasions. During his second escape, Bundy broke into a sorority house at Florida State University on January 14, 1978. He killed two women, and attacked a total of four women.

Bundy’s Sentencing:

Bundy was convicted and sentenced to one to 15 years in prison in 1975 for the kidnapping of DaRonch. During his sentence, he managed to escape twice, on two different occasions. The first escape occurred when he was facing possible murder charge for one of his victims. During his indictment, he decided to represent himself, meaning he was his own lawyer at the time. During the indictment, Bundy jumped out of the window at the courthouse. However, he was caught eight days after his escape.

A few months later, Bundy escaped the prison institution. He restricted his eating so he could lose about 30 pounds. Bundy carved a hole in his cell’s ceiling, allowing him to climb out. The correctional officers did not realize he was no where to be found until approximately 15 hours after he escaped.

Bundy was finally caught from the Chi Omega house incident at FSU due to the similar evidence found on the bodies of the victims, such as bite marks.

In July 1979, Bundy was found guilty for the Chi Omega murders and received two death penalty sentences.

After almost 10 years on death row, Bundy was convicted of another murder, which shortened his death sentence of the electrical chair. Bundy was executed at the Florida State Prison in 1989.

Interested in learning more about Bundy but not interested in documentaries? Watch the Netflix’s original movie “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.”

Reference: https://www.biography.com/crime/ted-bundy