Many killers have something to hide, or something to hide behind. Some devise plans to not get caught, but this murderer simply had a handsome face and charismatic personality; something he used to his advantage.
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Who was Ted Bundy?
Theodore Robert Bundy was a serial killer who operated in the 1970s, admitting to killing over 30 women. He was executed in Florida’s electric chair in 1989, at the age of 43.
Parents and early years
Eleanor Louise Cowell, who went buy Louise, was a 22-year-old unmarried woman when she gave birth to her son, Ted. There are, reportedly, a few potential fathers in the mix; it is unlikely anyone will ever know for sure who Bundy’s father was.
1951 saw Eleanor marry Johnnie Bundy. Ted took his stepfather’s name, but didn’t much in the way of respect for him as Bundy considered him to be poorly educated and working class. The couple went on to have several children together.
Bundy was born in Burlington, Vermont, on November 24th, 1946. His young life was a show of shame, as his mother was somewhat penitent of her illegitimate son; he caused his grandparents a great deal of embarrassment due to this circumstance.
To hide the humiliation they felt, Bundy’s grandparents was raised to believe he was the adopted son of his grandparents, and that his own mother was in fact his sister.
It seemed that Bundy grew up in a happy, unproblematic home. However, around the age of three, he began to show an odd interest in the macabre and became enthralled with knives.
He was reserved but intensely intelligent; he did very well with his studies, but not with other children.
As Bundy entered his teenage years, a troublesome part of his began to rear its head. He enjoyed peering into people’s windows, and also thought taking things he wanted from others was nothing to worry about.
Education
Bundy was, by all accounts, a very intelligent man. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in psychology in 1972; he’d been given a place at law school in Utah, but he would never get that degree.
While studying at Washington University, Bundy had a relationship and fell in love with someone who had wealthy, beauty, and ascendancy; things he desired in a woman.
Their breakup deeply affected Bundy, so much so that it seemed he went for victims based on their looks, which were similar to his ex-girlfriend’s: pretty with long, dark hair.
Bundy became more confident and outgoing as the 70s continued; he even got a letter of recommendation from the Republican governor of Washington after working on his campaign.
Victims
Bundy confessed to the murders of 36 women across multiple states throughout the 70s; however, some experts believed this number to have potentially exceeded 100.
The way in which Bundy took the lives of so many women followed a gruesome pattern; he would usually rape his victims and then beat them to death.
Bundy would often lure his victims into his car, a now famous Volkswagen Beetle, by faking an injury and claiming to be wounded and in need of help. Sadly, the kindness of many women was met with an unjust, and underserving end.
Bundy reportedly avoided the use of guns to kill his victims, and would instead beat them to death with blunt objects, or strangle to death. Decapitation sometimes followed this grisly routine.
It is rumoured that, with the heads he removed from the bodies, he would display them in his apartment, supposedly to relive the thrill of the murder.
Capture and trial
In 1975, one year after being arrested for the possession of a crowbar, face mask, rope and handcuffs, Bundy was arrested again for the kidnapping of Caron DeRonch, one of the few women to escape his evil grip.
For this, he was convicted and received 15 years in prison.
In 1977, Bundy escaped from authorities twice; one time was when he acted as his own lawyer during a murder case against him and he jumped out of a window; he was caught eight days later.
In 1978, Bundy would commit his last, heinous crimes.
He attacked four female residents of a sorority house, and killed two of them; he then went on to kidnap 12-year-old Kimberly Leach.
Bundy fought for his life after his final arrest, but was convicted nonetheless and spent nine years appealing his death sentence from inside death row.
In July of 1979, Bundy was convicted for the two sorority house murders and received the death penalty – twice.
Another death sentence was given the following year, for the murder of Leach.
On January 24th, 1989, Ted Bundy was electrocuted at around 7am at the Florida State Prison in an electric chair.
Crowds gathered outside the prison to cheer and celebrate Bundy’s death; fireworks were even set off after his execution.
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