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”

  2. Wow, Fiz! You’re the first person that I’ve heard from who was doing this sort of thing at that age. I know I didn’t have any friends who were reading any grown up books, much less true crime. Very cool, Fiz!

  3. Hi Barry–

    yes, the interest in serial killing would still be with us, because serial killers are with us. It’s just that Bundy stands out to us from most killers for the very reasons we’ve talked about here.

    Bundy did not, in my opinion, kill Debbie Smith. And yes, there were other killers out there even when Ted was on his rampage.

  5. Hi everybody!

    Let`s say Bundy was born in 1982 and he started his “career” last month. Would it be possible for him to pull out 30+ nowadays? Or would the progress of crime scene investigation be too much for Bundy to handle?

    Kiitos 🙂

  6. I was reading stuff like that at the same age, Kevin! I started reading some T.C. crime books at 9, which belonged to my parents and was allowed to join the adult library in our town at 11 and I could always be found near 343 (criminal trials/justice) or 364.152, true crime cases. It worried my mum to death but then she started reading some of them and we both had the same motivation – are people wicked or evil (both or either, I have finally decided) and also the fact that it is very slightly addictive!

  7. I was wondering if Ted Bundy never became a serial killer would there be as much interest in serial killers as there is today do u think Kevin?.

    As Ted was one of a kind and didnt look like a killer i guess it opened up everyones mind that anyone could be a killer and not based on what they look like. I guess bundy was the one who started all the interest.

    Anyway Kevin what i was wanting to ask you is about the murder of Debbie Smith who was a victim of bundy. I couldnt find much info about her and the details surrounding her death is rare indeed. All i know if she was last seen near an airport if im not mistaken. Do u know any details about her dissappearance Kevin?

    On a more lighter note what do u think happened to Ted Bundys Dog Lassie LOL I guess poor old lassie must be as dead as his owner now LOL

    Thanks Again

  9. Wow, that’s pretty heavy stuff to read at age ten, LOL!

    Well, it looks like your experiences as a minister and your thirst for knowledge via books, has certainly paid off! The insight you have gained is pretty impressive, i must say!

    Thanks again for your time, Kevin! Will leave you in peace now, LOL.

    Regards.

  10. Hi Monica–

    Academically speaking, nothing more than basic courses. However, my own personal knowledge of how the criminal mind (and psychology in general) works, comes from literally a lifetime of devouring books along these lines. Indeed, the first adult book I read — The World’s Worst Murderers — occurred when I was 10 years old; and I can assure you that my friends of the same age would not (and more likely could not) have read such a book at that time in their lives. But for me, it was perfectly natural, and once I shut the cover on that one, I grabbed another “grown up” book, and never looked back. believe me, most 10 year old kids are not like this, LOL!

    Also, having a background in ministry ( a profession that aims at meeting the problems of people at every level) allows you to experience the human condition in all of the areas one can imagine: From the very best, to the very worst.

    Anyway, I hope this helps.

  11. Kevin, i am wondering, have you studied psychology at some point? The reason i ask this: because i have noticed, looking back at some of these posts and your responses to them, that you have “quite some insight” (and i mean this as a big compliment) into the way Ted’s mind appeared to operate. I found a preview of your book on the internet, and i noted the same thing there too. There are certain things that only Ted himself could tell you about why he acted in a certain way, unless of course, you had quite a vast knowledge of psychology.

  12. I don’t know why he’d take one head and not another. I could speculate, but I won’t.

    He could have buried the heads far easier than the effort it took to bury the bodies. So, I would assume there was something in him that kinda wanted the heads discovered.

  13. Kevin,
    Are there any thoughts as to why ted took Ott’s head but not Naslunds? It seems that he took the heads of most Washington victims and dumped them at different locations than the bodies. So why leave Naslund intact?
    I read in your book about how that fellow saw the carcass but thought it was a deer, so he just left. He must have freaked when he learned the news of what it really was.
    and why did he not bury most of the heads, as he did with the bodies? Did he just through them on the hillside?

  14. Very true, Kevin. Who can argue with that!
    The knives incident (at only three years of age) is deeply shocking, unbelievable, actually! There was something wrong very early on, and like you say (as hard as it to believe) he already had the desire to maim (or even kill) others at that point.
    It is all so terribly tragic (for his victims foremost), but also for the once innocent, little Ted.

  15. Vidor–

    I’m still surprised Florida offered Bundy that deal. I’m not surprised Bundy rejected the deal, however, as he always thought he could beat the system. Colorado, however, was a different story, and it was “iffy” that Bundy would be convicted there. However, I have a copy of the Warrant for Murder doc that Mike Fisher authored and came to life by the signature of the presiding judge, and I must tell you that it was filled with a good deal of circumstantial evidence; but it was evidence that would make a believer (gas purchases at, or nearby the same location of where the girls went missing, on the same day, etc) out of the stanchest Bundy defender, circumstantial or not. Very damning stuff, here!

    Yeah, the Caryn Campbell thing, well, I was inwardly shaking my head no when I read it. It just didn’t seem to be the real deal to me. So I’m not surprised.

    See ya,

    Kevin

  16. Monica–

    I don’t believe Bundy snapped, per se. the snapping occurred long ago in his early childhood. Yes, a part of him wanted Liz and that life. But a greater part of him wanted to murder young women, and to be honest, I don’t believe there was any person or any situation in life that would have been important enough for Bundy to forgo his plan to kill coeds. Keep in mind, that when Bundy was 3, the incident where he takes kitchen knives and places them around his aunt’s body (pointing at her) while she slept, that was a very powerful signpost that Bundy really wanted to murder women. No matter what one imagines as to when Ted Bundy “turned” into a killer, this particular incident is absolute proof that he was , even at this early age, on that road to murder. His thinking was that screwed up.

    I hope you enjoy the book.

  17. Oh, well, certainly you would have to be unusually stupid to actually believe Bundy was innocent in 1979. There’s a deeply embarassing PEOPLE magazine article from 1980 that pushes the “Bundy was framed” POV. But I think from a legal perspective that the case against him was shaky, which, again, was why Florida offered the plea that Bundy stupidly turned down.

    BTW, regarding the Caryn Campbell essay linked above, it occurred to me that I could simply go to the source, so I emailed MIkita Brottman. She confirmed that it’s a fiction piece she wrote for a possible book. Still a great read.

  18. Duh! Quite clearly i missed the point you were making: Even if the conversation did not take place between them, the film-maker’s were probably onto something with that.

    What a shame Ted couldn’t lead the normal life that he so desperately wanted, once he had met Liz. But i guess that was impossible, given his mindset/psychopathology. Something went terribly wrong, something clearly snapped inside of him. I wonder what brought on that defining moment where he crossed the line, never to return again?

  19. Vidor, thanks for your input!
    Yes, i do remember that scene in the film ‘Ted Bundy’, though whether that conversation actually took place between the two of them is questionable, as i know other scenes in that movie clearly did not take place. What a goddamn awful film that was! As movie’s go on the Ted case, i think, to date ‘The deliberate stranger’ is the best one out there. It sticks mostly to the facts.

    I have given in, and placed an order for you book today, Kevin (and about time!) Will have to wait 7-10 days before i receive it, but that will give me a adequate breather, lol. I can’t wait to read it now!

    Regards.

  20. Well, there was a proverbial ton of evidence to convict Bundy in Florida. Hair and fiber evidence in the van, the license attached to the van which was still in Bundy’s possession when Deputy Dawes stopped Bundy while he was loading the stolen car for his trip out of the state, and which of course is the same plate Danny Parmenter wrote down after he followed Bundy, etc.

    However, the article I mentioned in my above post did not have to do with any real evidence as opposed to circumstantial evidence, but rather the author’s almost (in my view) blind defense of Theodore Bundy, at a time (Bundy’s “unmasking” in Utah) when this person should have known better. Remember, once Bundy became news in Utah, he became news in Washington State. When this occurred, it was like everybody’s eyes were opened. The circumstantial evidence now in Washington made far more sense after Bundy’s arrest in Utah: Murders in Washington stop after MINOR suspect Bundy (VW owner named Ted, several people called about him) heads for Utah. Murders begin in Utah, and Bundy is arrested in the carol DaRonch case, and MINOR suspect Bundy becomes MAJOR suspect Bundy, By this time, anyone with any sense (and we’re not even getting into what transpired in Colorado, and would soon be known and discussed by everyone concerning the gas receipts, etc) were finding the scales falling off their eyes, and most everyone knew from this point forward that Bundy was the guy. As such, I find it almost unbelievable that any truly thinking person (and this includes the aforementioned article writer) could think otherwise.

    Of course, I defend the right of the writer to believe and feel any way they desire, I just found this particular article very foolish indeed.

  22. Regarding the nature of Bundy’s relationship with Liz Kloepfer…

    Surely part of it was him using her as sociopaths will use the people they come into contact with. She was good for sex and money. But there was probably some sort of attachment as well. The “Ted Bundy” mvoie isn’t very good but there is an interesting scene where Liz asks Ted what he wants out of life and he says he wants to be normal. She quizzically asks “you aren’t normal now?” and he says “I’m trying to be”. The filmmakers were onto something with that, I think. He probably did think of her as the path to a “normal” life. And, as Kevin points out, instead of taking the path of a normal life he gave into his complusions and madness.

  23. there is a piece written about Bundy from the position that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove he was guilty

    Well, that’s a logical enough viewpoint. The evidence against him was very iffy. I wrote upthread about how I think he might well have walked in the Campbell trial. In the Chi Omega trial–a better lawyer might have been able to throw doubt on the Neary ID, which was from a brief glance in profile, and the bite mark evidence was iffy too, new science without a lot to back up the notion that one could really match a mark on skin to a person’s teeth. In the Leach trial, the ID by Andy Anderson was very, very iffy. I didn’t buy Polly Nelson’s belief in the incompetent to stand trial appeal when I read her book, but I agreed with her on the shaky, circumstatial nature of the state’s case. And there was zero chance of even getting an indictment on the Washington murders. They had nothing on him.

    There was a reason that the prosecution was willing to cut a deal of three 25-to-life sentences for Ted, and why prosecutors in Colorado had decided not to pursue the death penalty. They knew there was a chance they might lose at trial.

  26. That is probably made up dialogue by the film folks, based, they believe, on the statements Bundy made to others about not being able to relate to people in the same way other people do.

    As far as the statement purportedly said by his mother: I haven’t a clue, but I kinda doubt it.

  27. Indeed, not all sociopaths are killers! and there are a great many out there who hurt others, never once considering the feelings of that person, who could, like you say, be another type of sociopath.

    I do not have a copy of your book yet, Kevin, though i do intend to get myself one in the near future. I’ve done enough reading about the case, for the time being at least (read one book after another without much of a breather in between, and i find them to be quite taxing emotionally.) It does sound like you cover a lot of the questions in your book, which i am eager to have answered, and that is great!

    I’ve taken up enough of your time for one day, and i don’t want to look like i am spamming the board, becoming a pest, lol. So i will disappear for a while. But, there is one more thing i wonder if you can help me with? I recently saw the film ‘The Riverman’ for the first time. It was one of the last books i read, and i was eager to see Cary Elwe’s portrayal of Bundy, as i have heard it praised so much. His acting was marvelous, i thought, but the film itself was rather disappointing.

    Anyway, during Bundy and Keppel’s exchanges in the film, (while Ted was helping Bob catch the Green river killer), there were a couple of things said by Bundy which intrigued me and i do not recall reading them in the book. He talked of his mother threatening to send him to his grandfather if he wasn’t good, which she did anyway (whether he misbehaved or not.) And once there, his grandfather would lock him in a cupboard (or something similar.) Also, in the film, he said no-one knew the hell it was to not be able to feel, and in having to mimic other people’s emotions. I can’t remember the exact words, but he went into depth about how it felt for him, you were led to believe that he was going through extreme mental/emotional pain. Now, i have read many books on the subject, and nowhere do i recall reading him say those things. Have you heard them said before, and if so, where?

  28. well, not all sociopaths are killers. Men, or women, who walk out on their families, without the slightest bit of remorse, are sociopaths too. But they are not likely to kill anyone during their time here among us.

    Now, if you have a copy of my book, I go in to this aspect of Bundy in great detail. Although he couldn’t “love” perhaps in the same way as a normal person, he still had needs, and the desire to be with a female in a one on one relationship. It wasn’t the most important need he had, mind you, but it was something he really wanted.

    And yes, once Bundy launched his, shall we say, full time career as a serial killer in January of 1974, he absolutely understood that he was exchanging one life for another, and there would be no going back. But again, I explain this fully in the book.

  29. Yes, he loved murder more, no question about it! homicide was his addiction, or the necrophilia (whichever the case may be.)

    I can’t seem to recall the exact age he was when he met Liz, though i think he must have been in his early twenties, but he had been a sociopath all his life, hadn’t he? So i just assumed that lacking the emotions of love, compassion etc, he would have no real drive or desire to engage in a relationship that was anything other than sexual in nature. When you talk about his ‘transformation’ and that it was a process, by that do you mean, once his urges overwhelmed him, and spurred him on to commit an act of murder, he had changed then and could never go back to the person he once was? But wasn’t he already damaged to begin with, a sociopath who had no empathy or love for others, but merely used them for his own self-serving purposes? I am still somewhat confused.

  30. Hi Monica–

    Actually, when Bundy first met Liz, I believe, there was a part of him that did want a normal (as well as he could perceive normal) relationship with her. Remember, his transformation was a process, and while he may have been a somewhat strange person as a youth (battling emotions and desires he may not have fully understood, or acted upon — who knows) he wasn’t the diabolical killer he became as a young man. So yes, I think there was a time in that relationship when he would have liked it all to be normal. The only problem is that he loved murder more!

  31. I hear you, Kevin! It was just a bit of fun speculation, and that’s all that it is. You’re right, there’s no point in discussing it any further (though it was fun while it lasted, LOL.)

    On to a different subject. I have always been curious as to why Ted got involved with Liz in the first place, his motivations behind it. Bundy was a sociopath, so therefore, i imagine that he had no real drive within him to have a loving relationship, as he did not have such emotions in the first place. The way he met Liz, in a Tavern, and then quickly struck up a relationship with her (and let’s not forget she was vulnerable after her divorce and clearly had self-esteem issues), knowing the way Ted worked, leads me to think that she was deliberately targeted for that very reason. She was easy prey to him. I also think that, coupled with the fact that Ted, by the sounds of it, did as much as he could to give the illusion (outwardly) that he had a ‘normal’ life, like the rest of us, was the real motivation behind him embarking on a relationship, and no other reason. Of course, this is merely speculation, we cannot know, but do you agree with that, Kevin?

  32. Let us all take a deep breath about this gay thing and Ted Bundy.

    Ted Bundy was an evil, violent, depraved, and despicable destroyer of women. He was not, however, a homosexual. That he had visited a gay bar means nothing. That investigators stupidly went down this road means nothing either (they also got off this road rather quickly). Those at this site who are fixated on his possible gay side are, in my opinion, running down a rabbit trail that will lead to nowhere. It has absolutely no merit as to the case in general. It is a pure wast of time.

    Richard — When I was in Utah doing research, I located (and copied) the magazine article you mention. And you’re correct, it does contain a few things left out of the Merrill / Winn book. Also (I can’t remember now, but this might be a portion of the Wolf contribution, or it could have been a separate document from another person not related to this article?) there is a piece written about Bundy from the position that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove he was guilty. I found that to be exceedingly strange, as by the time this info rolled off the press, a ton of evidence was surfacing against Theodore, and anybody (in my opinion) who had been following the case and still didn’t know if Bundy was guilty, needed his headgear washed out, LOL!

    Also, the Utah magazine piece was part two (in Washington State) of a three part article released there. So Winn and Merrill had a rather substantial release of information prior to their book being published. Interesting, but I’m not so sure how wise that was per book sales.

    Pertaining to the Caryn Campbell article, I will say this: maybe yes, and maybe no. Which is to say, who knows?

  33. Just when you think you’ve seen it all … I came across a 1979 reprint of a 1978 three part magazine series that had appeared in the Sept-Nov ’78 issues of the defunct Utah Holiday Magazine. It’s titled “Who is the Real Ted Bundy” and was written by David Merrill, Steven Winn, and Ron Wolf. It’s 45 magazine pages (about 100 paperback pages) and contains nine photos, a map (Aspen), plus three excellent sketches signed D. Young. It’s one of the earliest substantial pieces written about Bundy and contains gems not found elsewhere, even in Winn & Merrill’s later book.

    Thanks, Vidor, for the Caryn Campbell article. I wish there were more pieces like it about other victims. We should know them better than we do.

    On the gay thing, for what it’s worth, Ted never had sex with men while in prison.

  34. KYGB, Interesting info, regarding Ted’s ‘gay explorations’. What odd behaviour in the courtroom? Hell, maybe you are right, Ted actually was a closet homosexual, lol.

    Vidor, Great find, that piece about Caryn Campbell.

  35. Kris–

    Bundy told Utah investigators he dumped Debi Kent near Fairfield, Utah, or something like that. He told Bob Keppel where the head of Georgann Hawkins was buried, but it was never found. the taking of the heads were for sexual purposes, etc.

    Of course, if you read all of my book, you can find all of these things out with even more detail, LOL!!

  36. Kevin,
    Ted never gave up the location where he buried the bodies even in his final interviews? Were any of the headless bodies discovered at all (other than Naslund)? I know Naslund’s skull was found near her skeleton, according to Chapter 4 in your book. Why do you think he took Ott’s head and not Naslunds?

    Besides Issaquah and Taylor Mountain, there is likely a third dumping ground somewhere in WA where many of the kills took place?

  38. Hi Kris–

    Well, his “kill” locations were not always the same as his dumping locations. However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t kill at dumping locations, because he probably did. As far as the skull finds: The bodies belonging to those skulls were discarded at another location (and buried). And it’s pretty clear to me, that Bundy wanted those skulls to be eventually found, for if this isn’t the case, he would have buried them (as he did the bodies) and they would still be in the ground today.

    Yes, there is a change in Bundy by the time he starts killing in Utah. Instead of bringing only heads into his apartment, Bundy (I believe) was taking whole bodies up to his apartment. And in my opinion, this didn’t mean they were dead.

    I’m glad you’re enjoying the book!

    Kevin

  39. I’ve been reading your book Kevin, which I am enjoying, and want to know about a few things I dont recall being answered.
    Was it ever discovered where exactly Ted killed some of the Washington women? It is detailed how some skulls were found on the mountain dumping location, but did anyone ever discover where he actually killed these woman and left the rest of their skeletons?

    I read through the Utah stuff again and I noticed something. It seems that he started to leave the bodies intact with the Utah murders instead of taking the heads like he did in Washington. Had he stopped much of the mutilation stuff by this point? Was he already trying to simplify the murders by the time he got to Utah?

  42. Hi everyone…

    Well, just to let everyone know, I am now a contributor at In Cold Blog, and I’ll be assisting them in the building of their very own crime library.

    Now, before anyone has a fit — no, I’m not leaving Executed Today. I’ll still be here answering questions pertaining to all thing Bundy. I’m just letting you all know that you can catch me over at ICB as well.

    Ah, the ‘world’ of the internet!

  43. I’m sure this is a true life account. Great catch, Vidor.

    Man, A nice young nurse trying to make a go of a relationship with a Doc with a ready made family.

    Then, Ted the vampire appears in the halls of their hotel. “The Angel of Death”, always ready with a quick smile for a pretty, young female.

    Gives you shudders just to think of it.

    This is such a great perspective on all the collateral damage that SOB Ted caused.

    How’d you find this, Vidor?

  44. It certainly sounds like it could be true. All the details were correct, and it even had a little info I’d never seen in a book, such as correctly naming “Buttermilk Mountain”.

  45. Hey guys
    that Caryn Campbell thing was neat-not I would think ,a true recollection-an interesting little vignette,I think.What do you all think?

  46. Hmm…I am not sure how that page came to be on that website, because Mikita Brottman is English. Odd.

  47. Holy cow, look at this.

    http://www.mikitabrottman.com/Caryn.html

    This is a remembrance of the events of Caryn Campbell’s disappearance from one of Dr. Gadowski’s two children that was there at the Wildwood. It seems to be legit, and wonderfully well written. It also has a photo of Campbell that I’d never seen before (but a bigger version of that same photo is at her enetry at Find a Grave).

    Website running really show. I wonder if we should continue this discussion somewhere else?

  48. When the skulls of some of his victims were found in WA, etc. did they show signs of multiple blunt force trauma or just 1 or 2 hits? When he did the Chi O murders, he obviously beat these women in the head over and over, but was that the case in Washington,Utah, and Colorado as well? I know FL was more of a frenzied attack.
    As he was a sex killer, how did Bundy obtain his sexual element during the Chi O crimes?

  49. I have a brief comment about Ted and his gay “explorations”. I have looked around for this material for some time because of an experience I had in observing the Chi O trial. I ’79, I was down in S Florida during the time of that trial. The Bundy trial was held at the same time some of my favorite fish to catch in the Keys were running. Every night after really productive days of fishing and diving, we would gather around the tube and watch the local news, which all featured Ted’s trial.

    Initially, Ted played the competent young defense attorney. He acted and dressed himself accordingly. As the trial wore on, Ted stopped speaking and played a less proactive role in his defense. Then, one day, Ted showed up looking like a cast member of La Cage aux Folles. He had on a pastel sports coat, a bow tie and he was camping it up. He acted the same way, mincing about the court room like a little peacock. The footage of this was never preserved as far as I can tell. The locals watching the news with us all asked how this guy, so obviously gay, could have been involved with so many women. That might have been Ted’s motive in the first place.

    The next day, Ted was back to the “Ted Bundy, ace attorney” get up. That one day was the only time he dressed and acted that way.

    I have questioned other researchers in this case about this. The information given in this thread is the most data I’ve ever seen about the possibility that Ted was either gay or a gay poseur.

    Ted is famous for his ability to compartmentalize. I’ve basically chalked it up to this. One of the compartments in Ted’s brain was a gay one. What he did with it or how he used it is open to speculation. But it was in there, I think that’s clear.

  50. Topelius– I can only tell you Bundy was a Republican, and he once spied on an anti-war group and gave authorities some valid info.

    Monica & Barry: Who can say why Bundy went to gay bars, LOL!

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