1989: Ted Bundy, psycho killer

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It was 20 years today that Ted Bundy, the signature sexual psychopath in a golden age of serial killers,* rode the lightning in Florida’s Starke Prison.

Executed Today is pleased to mark the occasion with a conversation with Louisville crime writer Kevin M. Sullivan, author of a forthcoming2009 book on Ted Bundy … and a man who knows how the world looks from inside Bundy’s ski mask.

Ted Bundy is obviously one of the most iconic, written-about serial killers in history. Why a book about Ted Bundy? What’s the untold story that you set out to uncover?

The desire, or drive, if you will, to write an article about Ted Bundy and then create a 120,000 plus word book about the murders, was born out of my crossing paths with his infamous murder kit. Had Jerry Thompson [a key detective on the Bundy case -ed.] left Bundy’s stuff in Utah that May of 2005, well, it would have been an enjoyable meeting with the former detective, but I’m certain it would have all ended quietly there. Indeed, I doubt if I’d even considered writing an article for Snitch [a now-defunct crime magazine -ed.], much less a book about the killings. But it was having all that stuff in my hands, and in my home, and then being given one of the Glad bags from Ted’s VW that made it very real (or surreal) to me, and from this, a hunger to find out more about the crimes led me forward.


Ted Bundy’s gear, right where you want it — image courtesy of Kevin M. Sullivan. (Check the 1975 police photo for confirmation.)

Believe me, in a thousand years, I never would have expected such a thing to ever come my way. I can’t think of anything more odd or surreal.

ET: You mentioned that you think you’ve been able to answer some longstanding questions about Bundy’s career. Can you give us some hints? What don’t people know about Ted Bundy that they ought to know?

I must admit, when I first decided to write a book about the crimes, I wasn’t sure what I’d find, so the first thing I had to do was read every book ever written about Bundy, which took the better portion of three or four months.

From this I took a trip to Utah to again meet with Thompson and check out the sites pertaining to Bundy and the murders in that state. Next came the acquisition of case files from the various states and the tracking down of those detectives who participated in the hunt for the elusive killer.

Now, no one could have been more surprised than me to begin discovering what I was discovering about some of these murders. But as I kept hunting down the right people and the right documents, I was able to confirm these “finds” at every turn. And while I cannot reveal everything here, It’s all in the book in great detail. Indeed, you could say that my book is not a biography in the truest sense, but rather an in-depth look at Bundy and the murders from a vantage point that is quite unique. I wish I could delve further into these things now , but I must wait until it’s published.

The Bundy story has a magnetic villain and a host of victims … was there a hero? Was there a lesson?

The real heroes in this story are the detectives who worked day and night for years to bring Ted Bundy to justice. And if there’s a lesson to be learned from all of this, it is this: It doesn’t matter how handsome or articulate a person might be, or how nicely they smile at you, for behind it all, there could reside the most diabolical person you’ll ever meet! We need to remember this.

But how can you act on that lesson without living in a continual state of terror? Bundy strikes me as so far outside our normal experience, even the normal experience of criminality, that I’m inclined to wonder how much can be generalized from him.

Actually, (and I might say, thank God here!) people as “successful” as Ted Bundy don’t come our way very often. I mean, the guy was a rising star in the Republican Party in Washington, had influential friends, a law student, and certainly appeared to be going places in life. Some were even quite envious of his ascension in life. However, it was all a well-placed mask that he wore to cover his true feelings and intentions. On the outside he was perfect, but on the inside a monster. He just didn’t fit the mold we’re used to when we think of a terrible killer, does he?

Now, there are those among us — sociopaths — who can kill or do all manner of terrible things in life and maintain the nicest smile upon their faces, but again, just beneath the surface ticks the heart of a monster, or predator, or what ever you might want to call them. Having said that, I’m not a suspicious person by nature, and so I personally judge people by their outward appearance until shown otherwise. Still, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to see the “real” individual behind the person they present to us on a daily basis.

You worked with case detectives in researching your book. How did the Ted Bundy case affect the way law enforcement has subsequently investigated serial killers? If they had it to do over again, what’s the thing you think they’d have done differently?

They all agree that today, DNA would play a part of the investigation that wasn’t available then. However, in the early portion of the murders, Bundy made few if any mistakes, as he had done his homework so as to avoid detection. As such, even this wouldn’t be a panacea when it came to a very mobile killer like Bundy who understood the very real limitations sometimes surrounding homicide investigations.

I can’t help but ask about these detectives as human beings, too. Clearly they’re in a position to deal with the heart of darkness in the human soul day in and day out and still lead normal lives … is a Ted Bundy the kind of killer that haunts or scars investigators years later, or is this something most can set aside as all in a day’s work?

They are, first of all, very nice people. And you can’t be around them (either in person, or through numerous phone calls or emails) for very long before you understand how dedicated they are (or were) in their careers as police officers. They are honorable people, with a clear sense of duty, and without such people, we, as a society, would be in dire circumstances indeed.

Even before Bundy came along, these men were veteran investigators who had seen many bad things in life, so they carried a toughness which allowed them to deal with the situations they came up against in a professional manner. That said, I remember Jerry Thompson telling me how he looked at Ted one day and thought how much he reminded him of a monster, or a vampire of sorts. And my book contains a number of exchanges between the two men (including a chilling telephone call) which demonstrate why he felt this way

How about for you, as a writer — was there a frightening, creepy, traumatic moment in your research that really shook you? Was there an emotional toll for you?

Absolutely. But the degree of “shock”, if you will, depends (at least for me) on what I know as I first delve into each murder. In the Bundy cases I had a general knowledge of how Bundy killed, so there wasn’t a great deal that caught me by surprise, as it were. Even so, as a writer, you tend to get to know the victims very well through the case files, their family members or friends, and so on. Hence, I’ll continue to carry with me many of the details of their lives and deaths for the remainder of my life. And so, lasting changes are a part of what we do.

However, I did a story a few years back about a 16 year old girl who was horribly murdered here in Kentucky, and this case did cause me to wake up in the night in a cold sweat. Perhaps it was because I have a daughter that was, at the time, only a few years younger than this girl, and that some of what transpired did catch me off guard, so to speak, as I began uncovering just what had happened to this very nice kid.

Watch for Kevin M. Sullivan’s forthcoming The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History from McFarland in summer or fall of 2009.

* In fact, the term “serial killer” was coined in the 1970’s by FBI profiler Robert Ressler, as an improvement on the sometimes inaccurate category of “stranger killer”.

Additional Bundy resources from the enormous comment thread:

On this day..

Possibly related executions:

8,544 thoughts on “1989: Ted Bundy, psycho killer”

  1. Remember during the sentencing in his Utah trial, he attacked the reports made by a number of psychologists by making a tearful plea to Judge Hanson. I believe the transcript of his plea is in the Killer Next Door book by Winn and Merrill. By this stage when he knew he faced a long period behind bars, he couldnt keep his composure

    Although Bundy was able to hold it together in front of people, I am sure he vented his anger and frustration in his private moments although his ability to compose himself in stressful situations is quite remarkable.

  2. The initial question in that interview is what i was talking about in my other post above. There was a lot of comment in the Salt Lake media about Ted’s reaction to the DaRonch verdict. He showed no emotion.

    Most observers that were familiar with Ted at both trials felt Ted’s display of emotion in the Southern trials were to have an outward show of emotion due to the criticism in Utah of his stoic demeanor at sentencing..

  3. Yes, Barry, I have seen that piece, and it’s interesting to see Nita’s body language as she points Ted out. Once a person has viewed that segment, it sticks in the mind. At least it made an impression on me, LOL!

  4. here is a good interview where bundy explains to a reporter why he has to remain calm and keep himself together in court. He wants to keep a good self image in court which jason mentioned above about his concern for peoples views on him.

    NOW the interesting part in the interview is when he said “Inside he is mad”, which that anger picture showed.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbwXDcLA3Cc

    Hi Kevin did u see the footage where nita neary pointed out ted in court and the camera zoomed across to ted and u can see ted sitting very low hiding with his nostrils flaring in a rage. He was on the edge of snapping.

  5. The face he made after Judge Cowart left the room only shows anger and rage at himself being found guilty..I don’t see a “yawn”..Considering Ted made excuses for everything he did,I am not surprised he even made an excuse for the face..Ted was a fantastic liar,so good that people believed him..

  6. You’re so right, Jason! I’m sure Bundy later felt regret for having made the face; if he could help it, that is, lol!

  7. Kevin: –

    You mentioned in your book that Bundy had an image problem and I believe here is where he showed it. The views and opinions that people held of him mattered alot to him. For example, when Judge Cowart announced the death penalty to Bundy in front of the cameras, Bundy showed little or no emotion because he knew of the VAST amount of people who were watching him both inside and outside the courtroom. But the picture above shows that once the cameras stopped rolling and Judge Cowart left the building, he vented his anger and frustration in a way that I believe no one had seen from him before. Thanks to the photographer who took the photo we caught a glimpse of the madness and depravity that lurked inside him.

    Even Bundy had to make an excuse as to the picture above. I thought that Bundy wanted to make himself look like a skilled attorney. Acting like he did in the picture is a poor way of showing it lol.

  8. Fiz–

    I’m sure Ott and Naslund saw something similar. It’s just the true nature of Theodore being revealed!

  9. That’s no yawn! It terrified me the first time I saw it and I still can’t look at it with equanimity. That’s the monster, all right!

  10. Hi James–

    I think you might be mistaken about that. Bundy never said it was a yawn, but made up another excuse. Also, numerous people (including Ann Rule) witnessed it, and I doubt if anybody believed it to be a yawn. However, I can see where you might think that, given his posture, etc; but I still think Ted was either exhibiting the monster, or he was playing one for the crowd.

  11. That famous photo of Ted in court is nothing more than a picture catching him in the middle of a deep yawn while stretching his arm behind his head. I am positive on this. That is all it was.
    There was no outburst involved. And it was taken during the Chi Omega trial in Miami in 1979 as Kevin has stated.

  13. Kanchana–

    If you mean by “speculating”, speaking in the third-person, then yes, this was his way of talking about the murders.

    Evidence was recovered from Bundy’s VW linking him to some of the murders. Carol DaRonch identified him as the one who abducted her. The drama teacher at Viewmont High identified him; as did Tamra Tingy who was Debbie Kent’s locker mate. And Bundy left bit mark evidence on a victim in Florida, as well as other connecting evidence. Also, in his confessions, Bundy sometimes told investigators things that only the killer would know.

  14. Jason–

    Bundy later said something like he was just kidding or putting on a show, but I don’t believe it. I just think it was the monster surfacing. I’m also certain that he had such moments with his victims, such was his depravity.

  15. When Ted was “speculating” was he in fact talking about himself?

    Considering no physical evidence was ever found regarding most of his victims,( except his last minute confessions) was there any other proof that it was Ted Bundy who murdered them?

  16. Kevin –

    There was a general misconception that the picture was from the Kim Leach trial when in fact it was from the Chi O trial. Here is the quote from the website: –

    ‘Serial killer Ted Bundy acting up in courtroom after the judge had departed’.

    Bundy looks so enraged like he is about to let out a roar or start screaming. Its probably when he was in this state of mind at the time he committed the Chi O murders which showed the damage left by a man in a rage.

  17. But seeing as the cameras were allowed to record during the chi omega trial im surprised no one recorded bundys outburst. maybe when judge edward cowart left the court so did the reporters and i guess when ted sensed that the cameras werent on him he released all his built up anger throughtout the trial. i guess he just knew he was doomed.

  18. Jason–

    Here is the caption which is attached to the photo I have:

    Judge Edward D. Cowart leaves the courtroom following the verdict of the jury for a death penalty in the murder trial of Bundy. Bundy was convicted last week for the murder of two Florida State sorority sisters in 1978. (AP LASERPHOTO) (ps021805 pool photo by Bill Frakes) 1979

  19. Here is my source of where that picture came from: –

    http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=editorial&assetType=image&p=ted%20bundy#

    If you scroll down, his picture is on the bottom row. Bundy gained a few pounds by the Leach trial and his face took on a more rounded look as opposed to this picture.

    It would be interesting to hear why he reacted in that particular fashion? Maybe the defense attorneys in the case may know something about it.

  20. I forgot to say that there are about six cut outs of this pic (and the dates they ran) on the back of the photo.

  21. Barry–

    The photo in question was snapped by a photographer as it happened. I don’t believe any news footage exists of this particular event, but I’m thankful the photo guy was quick with the shot!

    P.S. I have the actual photograph of this which the San Fransisco Chronicle used every time they wanted to run it in the paper. On the back of this pic is a cut out of it from their newspaper, and the date they ran it. Kind of interesting.

  22. Hi Barry–

    Sorry this took a few days — I was out of town.

    I believe Bundy may have killed when he was 14. Or, he may have started around 1969. But whenever it was, I’m certain he murdered before his “official” launch in 1974.

    Of course, if he was 27 when he killed his first victim, then I would say it simply took him that long to cross over from his fantasy life to the reality of murder; and this could be the truth of the matter. In other words, I doubt if we will ever know for sure just when this occurred.

    Take care,

    Kevin

  23. Check out comment 1250 by Jason

    “It would of been nice if we could of seen the Leach trial uncut because there were other instances where Bundy was making such outbursts. One example is when the leach verdict was announced, he blurted out ‘Tell the jury they’re wrong!’

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/Ted_Bundy_3.jpg

    Another side note is that people tend to believe that the picture of Ted Bundy with his mouth wide open and with one hand in the air is from the Leach trial when he heard the verdict. The picture was actually taken from the Chi O trial after Judge Edward Cowart left the court. A possible glimspe into the madman.”

    I haven’t verified this, has anybody else?

    One of the reasons I heard for Ted’s outburst was that in Salt lake he had little response when found guilty at the DaRonch trial. The papers mentioned it, so Ted made sure to “put on a show” in Florida. Ted was also had big access to drugs in the Fla trials, many have felt he was high and it made him emotional.

    Would be interested to read what others think on this.

  24. Brad the quote that i mentioned wasnt from the video, wasnt sure where he said it but he said “I wouldnt change the past for nothing, the things i ave done and the friends i have met and its a mellow trip to lay back and think on”. it mightn be a direct quote but its sumwhere along those lines. it shows u that ted had no remorse for what he had done as he wudnt change it for nothing.

    Hi Laura
    Ted did lots of other things to his victims besides dismemberment and necrophilia. He wanted to humilate his victims so he often raped the women with branches and parts of trees. In the chi omega murders he sodomised a girl with a hair spray can and with kimberely leach an autopsy showed a knife had been taken to her genitals. i presume they were done after the victim was dead but u wudnt know.

    The next big thing i would love to see of ted bundy is that of any video footage of this pic of him

    http://z.hubpages.com/u/28063_f520.jpg

    It occured when bundy was found guilty of kimberely leachs murder the rage in that pic just shows the true bundy animal inside him.

    Do u know kevin if any footage of that pic was taken?

  25. Thanks for the link, it’s amazing what you can find on youtube. Most of the better known stuff is easy to find on there but a few things I have come accross I hadnt seen before and it’s always very interesting.

    KYGB, you mention dismemberment. Was this just of the heads of his victims? Im curious did they ever find bodies (apart from Chi O) intact, other than with the heads missing. Anything that gave any kind of indication as to what he may have done to these poor girls? In Keppells book (Riverman) he mentions he mutilated these girls, I was never quite sure what he meant is this a reference to cutting off the heads after death or something else (i.e. Jack the Ripper type scenario)? I recall they mention in the young Leach girls case, a large section of her stomach or genital (cant remember) was missing, however they couldnt say for sure if it was deliberate or animals due to state of body. If so, and if he did anything else (mutilation wise) I wonder if it was done before or after death. Bob Keppell said in his book that there are some things he thinks the public should never know, I often wondered considering how much he told us (severing heads, burning skulls, necrophilia) how much worse can somebody get?

    I was reading the M & A book the other night and yes a lot of it Bundy tries to emphasise how the killings were just a means to an end, something he had to do to silence the victim but not really anything that gave pleasure. I often wonder, after watching the films – which I wasnt that impressed with – was there any kind of torture going on there as the film would suggest i.e. Bundy “playing” with the victims while they are still alive and getting off on their terror. Or was he a coward who preferred a girl unconcious or dead….? Its well known about his necrophilia so you’d assume there may be some truth in what he said about the whole posession thing and preferring a victim he didnt have to interact with. He says in the third person that he was largely looing to rape girls and death usually had to follow to eliminate the risk of capture which we know is bulls..t however I wonder what his true motivations were I guess thats what I find interesting, was it the planning/hunting stage where he stalked women. He says something in a book regarding this person he wishes had realised the real thrill was the chase, or was it the psychological terror he got off on, or was it purely the necrophilia side of things? Or maybe a combination.

    Sorry for the long winded post. One last point, I read somewhere that one girl whose body was found appeared to have her hair freshly washed, and make up perfect. In the films they have him putting make up on heads, what a bizzare scene, as if it couldnt get any more bizzare. Some guy out in the woods (or in his room) putting make up onto severed heads or washing their hair etc

  26. Nice post, Barry. I had seen that material before, but hadn’t heard the confession stuff on You Tube.

    The part where he describes the murder shows the Bundy tendency to “sugarcoat” his acts. He uses the third person. He doesn’t accurately describe his crimes. He will say that the killing was an accident, he merely wanted to molest the victim. Then he accidentally chokes her to death in attempt to silence her screams.

    There was a investigator who commented on these confessions, “That’s what he tells you guys (the writers hearing the confessions), but that ain’t how he kills them.”

    No mention of the assault using a blunt object, sanitizing the violence perpetrated on the young victim, no mention of the dismembering, etc.

    Ted would never tell of the attacks on very young victims or of the more unseemly aspects of his murders. And of course, frequently using the 3rd person so the confession really couldn’t be used against him. Ted was always manipulating and maintaining some level of control of the information.

  27. Barry, I saw that youtube video as well, interesting stuff indeed. I didnt hear him explicitly say ‘i wouldnt change the past for nothing’ but that could easily be inferred from his statements.

    Its amazing how people obtain these things after all this time…

  28. Hey folks

    Here is a rare video of ted confessing to his murders in the third person to S.Michaud and H.Aynesworth i believe.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbL7j3TPj4M

    In it ted talks about when he hears his name broadcast that people want him killed.

    I think this quote from bundy sums him up in a nutshell. he says “im satisfied with who am i and what i have done and i wudnt change the past for nothing”.

    This just shows u how much ted loved to murder as kevin rightly pointed out and killing women and girls was on his mind 24/7.

    Hey kevin its been stated that ted committed his first murder wen he was 27 years old. although we know that dis is probably not true as he may have started much younger. well if he did commit his first murder at 27 what do u think made him wait that long? as it seems a late age for most serial killers to start out.

    well i suppose an obvious reason is maybe he was busy with his law and encrolling in college and work and stuff. But as bill hagmaire pointed out ted was always fantacising about murder and this kept him satisfied until he took the urge to make his fantises real. and once ted got his taste for murder and all those fantises became reality there was no stopping him.

  30. BTW the Facebook page was excellent..And kind of sad because people have died violently there..Yet now the places look so serene and beautiful as if nothing violent happened there..

  32. Hi KL–

    Actual remorse? No, I don’t think so. Now, I read once that Ted was supposed to have said to Bill Hagmaier something like, “What am I going to say to God?” But even this doesn’t speak of regret or remorse, only that he was concerned about being judged for his acts. I think the bottom line with Bundy is this: Ted truly loved murder, and killing women and young girls was the most important aspect of his life. Otherwise, he’d never have given himself totally over to such a thing. And once that was fully developed in him, the transformation was complete. In other words, had they released Bundy on the morning of his execution (rather than killing him) it would have been only a short time until he would have been slaughtering females once again.

    I hope this helps.

    Kevin

  33. In all the years he spent in jail,did Ted ever feel one bit of remorse for killing innocent girls?In the beginning he didn’t(this I read in “The Only Living Witness”) but what about towards his last days?

  34. Facebook site was nifty. Now all we have to do is get someone to take pictures at the Wildwood Lodge.

  35. Hi Lucas–

    Thanks for ordering the book, and the thread to the FB site! I think you’re gonna really enjoy the book, as I think you’ll find it to be quite unique indeed (at least, I hope so, LOL!). Anyway, when you finish it, let me know what you think, will you?

    Take care,

    Kevin

  36. Different parts of the case have different levels of interest for those who follow it. I’ve been interested in Ted’s trials and incarceration because it reveals some of the character of this funny bird.

    Polly Nelson’s book is quite interesting for those who want to know more about the nature of Ted’s make-up. Although he was a very important person to the public, hell his death was of international interest, on a personal level there was almost no one there to see him go.

    He really only had Diana Wiener there as a friend. An attractive female whose level of interest bordered on a personal, sexual nature. There is a tremendous amount of irony in that fact. Jamey Boone had begged Ted not to get involved in any public confession because of the impact it would have on his mother, Carole. Once again, good old Pysychopathic Ted could care less about the feelings of another person, and he really shattered Carole by confessing to all those killings. Due to that fact, Jamey bowed out of Ted’s final hours.

    Liz K and other females were revulsed by Ted’s true nature. So once the public mask was lifted, there was so little of the real Ted left, no one came to see the shell that was Ted Bundy go to his death. It’s totally fitting, but really bizarre when you think of it.

    It’s a spare list. One personal acquaintance, some attorneys, evangelists, Dobson and little else in the prison. Outside, a gross carnival of drunks and college kids, beating on pans & shooting off fireworks. A sad commentary on a savage episode of Amnerican history.

  38. You’re funny, daddy-o! Of course, I love answering those questions I can. Indeed, I’ve had questions come my way at this site pertaining to certain aspects of this case that my research never delved into. The interesting thing, of course, is that sometimes I’m able (and usually in response to some inquiry) add a tidbit or two concerning Bundy that, for whatever reason, didn’t make it into the book. That’s always fun to do. And it’s also true, that there are still areas of this case where we don’t have all the answers, and it’s good to discuss these too. So the subject of Bundy and the murders is still of interest to me, for you (I) never know just what might show up in the days or years ahead, which will spark, I’m sure, even more questions, LOL!

  39. I’m sure everyone understands. We are all content with you browsing the comments section and replying as you see fit. Surely no one intends for you to do the research equivalent of writing another book to answer these questions.

    Sorry, didn’t mean to call you Shirley.

  40. Thanks, KYGB!

    I was going to say ‘check out all the Bundy books for your complete answer’ (as I knew about the Dobson interview, etc) but I guess that’s obvious. As for me, I just don’t have the time to seek out answers in an area I’m no longer working in. I’m getting deep now into a new project, and my Bundy stuff ( notes and files, but not books) is boxed up, so if I don’t know the answer to a particular question (and it might require some digging to obtain the answer), I hope everyone understands.

  41. Last visit the day & night before:

    Dr James Dobson who did the “Dangers of Porn” interview
    Polly Nelson
    Diane Weiner
    Jamey Boone was disappointed in Ted’s public confessions and declined to come in the last 24 hours
    John and Marcia Tanner
    Jim Coleman was late after filing appeals and was denied access.
    He was present at the execution,

    That’s it, I believe.

  43. Who were his last visitors (besides Diana Weiner etc..) before the execution?In Ann Rule’s book it was mentioned that his step-son Jamie came to visit him but in the book “The only living Witness” it was mentioned that he didn’t come on the last day..I am confused..

  44. Yeah, I’ve seen that picture. Well, I haven’t seen all the pics of Lake Sam photos from that day, but I guess we’ve seen most of the “important” ones. However, the police received so many photographs from that 40,000 plus crowd, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were photographs of you guys playing football that day. But because of the lack (in their view) of significance of the shot, who knows where such a pic may be today. Perhaps the King Co. Archives holds these as well.

    As to that particular shot you refer to, perhaps a really good magnification can help you there; at least it worth a shot (no pun intended, LOL!)

  45. Kevin, is there a good aerial picture of Lake Sammamish Park as it was on July 14 1974? I always wondered if there could be a way to tell if the field I was playing touch football on that day was in close proximity to Bundy’s parked Volkswagen, whether there was more than one such open area in the park, etc. Not a significant question, just curious.

  46. McFarland is running a 30th anniversary sale, 30% off any book in stock, from 11/20 thru 12/20. Enter the promotional code 30TH when checking out on the website.

  47. I can’t remember if keppel states in his book the time of that incident, but he knows what time it occurred. We talked on the phone about that picture, But I can’t remember if he mentioned the time frame to me; I know it’s not in my notes. I would suspect, however, that it’s before the first abduction, as the lady who identified his car (if my memory serves me correctly) was in that first group of people Ted approached. Given that, it is probably just a short time after his arrival at Lake Sam.

  48. I should have said, I looked in the car, but couldn’t see anything. That pic at the site had lower contrast or something and made the figure stand out.

    I know Ted liked to “hide in plain site”, but he must have been freaked by all those cop cars.

    Did they figure out what time the picture was taken?

    Was this before the abductions or in the middle of Ted’s little adventure that day.

  49. KYGB–

    You’re correct. He appears to be leaning forward, and you can clearly see the outline of his rather bushy hair. And yes, this aspect of his (doing the kinds of things like exposing himself to hundreds of people to pull off an abduction here at Lake Sam, at Viewmont High, etc) goes against the grain of the normal mind!

  50. One thing that knocked me out about the picture was the fact that I have looked at it many times, but never looked inside the car. That’s Ted. That’s his posture and the way he held his head at times.

    The longer you follow this case, the more interesting tidbits you run into. That was Ted’s VW, what a crazy spot to lead women back to. Right out in the parking lot in broad daylight. The guy really was nuts.

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