40 Disturbing Facts About Ted Bundy

36. Author Ann Rule Worked With Bundy

Ted Bundy and future true-crime author Ann Rule worked together at the suicide prevention hotline in Seattle during Bundy’s early adult years, before becoming a serial killer. At the time, he was going to college and dating “Stephanie Edwards.” Later, Ann Rule would become one of those among the shocked people to learn about Bundy’s secret life. When questioned about her days with Bundy, Rule stated that he was very skilled at his job as a volunteer and helpful towards the callers. She said he helped ease many callers and saved hundreds of lives.

35. Ted Bundy’s Grandfather Had A Temper

Many people who researched Ted Bundy and the reasons behind his serial killer ways believe that one of the factors was Bundy’s grandfather, Samuel Cowell. Relatives of Bundy stated that his grandfather was known for his explosive temper and obsession with pornography. People indicate that his grandfather showed Bundy his large collection of pornography, which included violent sex acts. Many believe this is what started Bundy’s obsession. On top of this, some people think that Samuel wasn’t only Bundy’s birth father but also molested Bundy as a child.

34. People Started Making Connections After Disappearances From Lake Sammamish Park

In July of 1974, two women, Janice Ott and Denise Nusland, who attended a Lake Sammamish Park picnic disappeared during the event. In “Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” on Netflix, interviewers from the cases state that these disappearances gave them apparent details. First, they learned the suspect was a male who was injured as he had a cast on his arm and stated he needed help loading up his sailboat. Through the witnesses at the park, the police were able to get a sketch of the suspect.

33. Contractors Claim Bundy’s Childhood Home Is Haunted

Ted Bundy grew up in Tacoma, Washington. Recently, a construction company called Extreme Contracting received the bid of remodeling Bundy’s childhood home. They started work in September 2016 and immediately noticed strange events inside the house. While some workers claimed they heard doorknobs jingle, others stated they would listen to knocking on the door, but no one would be on the other side. In about seven months, the crew noticed at least 30 strange occurrences including two notes written in the home with one reading “leave” in sawdust and the other “help me” in the dirt in the basement.

32. Bundy Didn’t Just Attack Female Adults, He Killed Young Girls Too

While Bundy was in Florida during 1978, he went on another killing spree. One of Bundy’s Florida victims was 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, who disappeared from her Lake City Junior High School on February 9th. She went to retrieve her purse from homeroom, and no one ever saw her alive again. In the Netflix documentary, prosecutor George Dekle stated they had much evidence to link Bundy to the crime, such as a witness who saw Bundy bringing Leach to a white van, her blood and fibers from her clothing in the van, and shoe tracks.

31. He Also Rescued A Young Boy From Drowning

One of the most prominent personality characteristics that threw everyone off who knew Ted Bundy was he could be a very helpful person. Not only did he save dozens of lives while working at a suicide prevention hotline, but he also rescued a young boy from drowning. The life-saving event occurred in 1970 when a three-year-old boy left his parents’ side and fell into Seattle’s Green Lake. Witnesses recalled Bundy immediately jumping into Green Lake to save the child from death. This would be around the time where either Bundy started his serial killing spree or right before.

30. Bundy Served As His Own Lawyer In Court

While in college, Ted Bundy dreamed of one day becoming a lawyer. After obtaining his undergraduate degree in Psychology, Bundy got accepted into law school in 1973; however, he dropped out a year later. But this did not stop Bundy from often acting as his own attorney during his Florida Trial, even though he had attorneys present. The Netflix documentary explains Bundy asked to take part of his own defense when he stated that his lawyer believed him to be guilty. After the judge denied Bundy’s lawyer’s withdrawal from the case, the lawyer became advisory council, and Bundy became co-counsel.

29. Bundy Asked His Witness To Marry Him During Kimberly Leach’s Trial

Bundy, who represented himself during his trial for the murder of Kimberly Leach, questioned his witness, Carole Ann Boone about his character. She answered favorably, which is when Bundy asked Boone to marry him. She agreed. The Netflix documentary discusses this announcement by George Dekle stating he believed it was one of Bundy’s tricks towards the jury and asked the jury to consider the timing of the marriage proposal. Dekle felt it was Bundy’s way to say that the jury couldn’t convict him on his wedding day.

28. Bundy Did Not Feel Guilt or Remorse On Death Row

In the Netflix documentary, “Conversation with A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” Michaud stated that Ted Bundy didn’t feel remorse for the killings. Bundy is recorded saying that he didn’t feel guilty and it wasn’t because he closed off a part of his mind or forgot anything. Instead, he states that he has a better understanding of his actions. He further states that guilt is used to control people and it’s not a healthy mechanism. Michaud notes during his documentary interview that Bundy seemed to show pride.

27. His Stories Never Matched Up

The most significant problem investigators had with Ted Bundy is his stories never matched up. When he met with one psychologist, he told him in 1969, while visiting family in Pennsylvania, he killed two women. He said to another psychologist that he attempted his first kidnapping in 1969 while living in Seattle but the first time he murdered a woman was in 1971. While Bundy spoke to homicide detective Robert D. Keppel, Bundy told him that he killed one woman in 1972 and another in 1973. However, he never talked more about these murders.

26. No One Knows How Many Women Bundy Murdered

Ted Bundy only gave a number to the women he raped, tortured, and murdered before his execution in the electric chair. When he gave this number, he stated about 30 women. However, many people believe that Bundy killed several more women. The estimated number of women and young girls murdered by Bundy is about 100. The problem is because he never told one person everything and usually left many details out, investigators couldn’t find out the exact number. Plus, no one knows when Bundy started murdering people, and the question will probably remain a mystery.

25. Bundy Tried His Hand In Politics

In Netflix’s documentary “Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” Bundy explains that Diane Edwards, his girlfriend during college, inspired him to do more with his life. Therefore, he decided to try his hand in politics. He started volunteering for the Republican Party for the state of Seattle. He joined Governor Daniel E. Evan’s re-election campaign and when Evans was re-elected, became an assistant to Ross Davis. In the documentary, Bundy states that he enjoyed politics because it allowed him to use his natural talent and assertiveness.

24. Bundy Worked For The Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Commission

Netflix’s documentary, “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” discusses how Bundy worked for the Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Commission. In the documentary, Bundy states that this gave him access to crime statistics, especially for the section he worked on, which was crimes against women, particularly rape. He would study the information and then give them advice on how they could work to prevent rape. Through this work, Bundy noticed that police department didn’t always know what to do and realized someone who knew the way police worked could get away with these crimes.

23. He Attacked Four Women In A Sorority House

Ted Bundy escaped a Florida jail in 1978 and then broke into Florida State University’s Chi Omega sorority house. He only spent 20 minutes in the house, but during that time he raped and brutally murdered two women, Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy. He also savagely beat two other women who tried to escape the house. Both these women received a broken jaw, lacerations, and missing teeth. However, Bundy didn’t stop there. After leaving the sorority, he walked a few blocks and then broke into another woman’s house where he beat her as well.

22. He Helped Set Up A Database to Help Capture Serial Killers

During 1984, the FBI worked to create a computer database which would help them catch serial killers through analyzing patterns. To help create a profile, FBI agents started talking to serial killers, such as Bundy. In the Netflix documentary, Michaud explains that Bundy informed the FBI that law enforcement needed to change their procedures for these types of crimes because new criminals were coming forth. Bundy discussed how serial killers return to the crime scene and leave evidence to throw law enforcement off. This database helped capture many serial killers, such as Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer.

21. His Attorney Believes Bundy’s First Victim Was A Man

John Henry Browne became one of Bundy’s attorneys during the 1970s. According to Browne, he is the only person that Bundy admitted to murdering over 100 people. Browne states that Bundy told him he didn’t just murder women but men too. Bundy told Browne that his first victim was a male. Of course, this is only one man’s story to the many that Ted Bundy gave to several investigators, psychologists, and attorneys. However, Browne, who recently wrote a book called The Devil’s Defender, claims that this is relevant information because he didn’t tell anyone else.

20. Bundy Used His Personality To Lure His Victims

One of the truths of Ted Bundy is, while he committed dozens of twisted murders, he could turn on his charismatic personality if he wanted to. He showed this part of his character throughout his life, which is why the people who knew him best were shocked about his crimes. Bundy also used his charming personality to lure his victims to come with him. He did this by acting disabled, in need of some help, or serving as an authority figure. He would bring the victims to a private location to commit his crimes.

19. He Would Sometimes Return To His Crime Scene

For Ted Bundy, it wasn’t enough to commit the crime and dispose of the body. Through investigation and interviews with Bundy, people found out that he would often return to the scene of the crime. Upon return, he would reimagine the scenario, sometimes critiquing himself to see how he could perfect the offense with his next victim. Sometimes he would become aroused when imagining the crime. Bundy would occasionally return to the scene of the crime until the wild animals destroyed the location.

18. Bundy Abused The Victim Bodies

Ted Bundy’s attraction to his victims didn’t end once he murdered them. If he left the corpse at the location, Bundy would return from time to time. When he did, he would become interested and continue his sexual fantasies on the carcass until decomposition made it impossible or they were torn up by wild animals. In the Netflix documentary, an FBI investigator states the body showed post-mortem mutilation on the breast. Later in the documentary, Bundy admitted to performing Sexual Abuse two days before his execution.

17. Some Of Ted Bundy’s Victims Survived

Ted Bundy became an extremely violent man throughout his life. Some of his victims he brutally beat but didn’t kill. Whether Bundy thought they would die from the beating and left them for dead or didn’t care if they lived or died is subject to speculation. However, a few of his victims he planned to kill made it out alive. In fact, one of these victims from Salt Lake City identified Bundy in a police lineup in 1975.

16. He Used A Variety Of Weapons During His Attacks

Ted Bundy didn’t just use his hands to rape and kill his victims. While people aren’t sure that we even know all the weapons Ted Bundy used throughout his serial killer career, we do know that he used a tire iron, various knives, a gun, and other items he beat his victims. He also used any foreign object he could to sodomize his victims before and after their death.

15. Bundy Kept Souvenirs From His Victims

While some details about Bundy’s murders came into light before cops arrested him due to the similarities of the crimes, much information did not emerge until after his arrest and trial in Florida. One of these details was Bundy kept souvenirs from his victims. Not only did he take pictures of his victims, after the crime, but he also kept body parts, such the victim’s head. When asked about this, Bundy simply stated that when you work so hard to do something correctly, you want to souvenir.

14. He Escaped To Freedom During His Trial

Ted Bundy used all the advantages he could think of while serving as his lawyer during his late 1970s and early 1980s trial in Florida. While he acted as his attorney, the judge allowed Bundy not to be locked up in shackles during his trial. This loophole proved to be a mistake when Bundy asked if he could be excused to use the law library during a break so he could study his case. The judge allowed this, but while Bundy checked things out in the library, he found a window and escaped.

13. Bundy Hid For Nearly A Week

After escaping from the law library, Bundy hid around the area for nearly a week before authorities captured him again. Even though Bundy fractured his ankle when he jumped from the second story of the building, he walked through Aspen getting rid of his outer layer of clothing. Bundy then broke into a hunting cabin where he took a gun and some food. From there he wandered around the forest, missing two trials which would have led him to his desired location. Six days later, a cop spotted a weaving car and, upon pulling the vehicle over, found Bundy.

12. He Escaped A Second Time

Ted Bundy found a way to escape a second time, this time while living in prison. One day, Bundy noticed a one square foot wide hole in the corner of his cell’s ceiling. He then lost about 35 pounds and escaped on December 23, 1977. To make it look like he was sleeping in his bed, Bundy piled files and books under his blanket. Authorities never found him until a couple of months later, on February 15, 1978. During this time, we know he murdered at least two college women and brutally beat a few others.

11. Bundy Bit His Victims

While Ted Bundy did many cruel things to his victims, biting was one of them that eventually helped put him in prison. Nearly all of Bundy’s victims, that are acknowledged to be his anyway, had bite marks all over their body, including the breasts, stomach, and butt. Bundy bit one of his victims so hard that he took off her nipple. To connect Bundy to his crimes, he received an impression of his teeth, which matched the bite marks on his victims.

10. Ann Rule Wrote A Book About Ted Bundy

Ann Rule wrote about many true crime stories and this included killers. One of her most popular books was about Ted Bundy and his life as a serial killer. Rule, who worked with Bundy at the suicide prevention hotline, titled her book, The Stranger Beside Me. The story received publication in 1980 and quickly became a best seller. In the text, Rule also discusses her reaction to Bundy’s crimes, which included not believing he committed the crimes.

9. Bundy Trained For His Killing Binges

Whether he treated murder like a sport because of his obsession or, to him, it really became a sport is unknown. What we do know is that Bundy trained for his killing sprees. He even had what he called an “off-season” where he would pick up different women and then let them go to keep his skills fresh. To Bundy, killing was like basketball or cooking and required regular practice.

8. Ted Bundy Had A Fan Club While On Trial And In Prison

Several criminals have a fan club once they become famous. One of the most notable of these criminals, other than Charles Manson, is Ted Bundy. Even though Boone and Bundy remained married for the beginning of his final prison stay, women swarmed around everything Bundy. They would send him letters writing about how much they loved him and stood by him. Thousands of women around the United States called him hot and sexy.

7. Bundy Received The Death Penalty

On February 10, 1980, the day after Ted Bundy proposed and married Carole Ann Boone while she sat on the witness stand citing his innocence, the judge handed Ted Bundy his sentence. For the third time, the judge gave Ted Bundy death by electrocution. Both Boone and Bundy became irate and yelled, continuing to proclaim his innocence. However, nine years later, the third death sentence would go through.

6. Bundy Had A Daughter With Boone And Possibly Other Children

A year after Bundy and Boone married in court, Boone gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Rose. The Netflix documentary, “Conversations with Ted Bundy: The Ted Bundy Tapes” discussed that some feel that Ted Bundy. However, four years later, Bundy admitted to multiple murders making Boone divorce him. Since then the daughter changed her name and lived out of public eye. While this is Bundy’s only known daughter, many people believe he fathered more children.

5. Netflix Released A Documentary About Ted Bundy

On January 24, 2019, the streaming service Netflix released season one of the Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. This is a documentary series which features interviews of Ted Bundy while he sat on death row. Season one features four episodes that include archival footage and present-day interviews from those involved with Ted Bundy along with audio recordings. While the series seems to be a great hit on Netflix, it has also received a fair amount of criticism. Nonetheless, it’s a way to get inside the mind of serial killer Ted Bundy, if you want to.

4. Once Again, Women Say Ted Bundy Is Hot

Recently, Netflix sent out a note asking for women to stop talking about how hot Ted Bundy is. The streaming service tweeted that there are thousands of hot men on Netflix and very few of them are serial killers. The streaming services do not understand why women are discussing the hotness of Ted Bundy, through creating memes, after viewing their documentary, Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. However, for some of these women, the meme could relate to Zac Efron, who is starring as Ted Bundy in an upcoming movie.

3. People Celebrated After Ted Bundy Died

While some people protested the execution of Ted Bundy, most people celebrated his death. The man of pure evil finally received his death sentence, and by 6 a.m. the morning of his execution, people buzzed to the fence of the Florida State Prison. That morning, at least 500 people showed up around the time Bundy got his head shaved. Some people sold t-shirts about the event while others created “smoked” Bundy burgers to sell. In the Netflix documentary, interviewees state that people chanted “burn Bundy burn” and set off fireworks.

2. Two Days Before His Execution Date, Bundy Confessed To 30 Murders

In the Netflix documentary “Conversations with A Killer” Bundy discusses they were able to come up with 30 murders he committed within seven states, which included California, Washington, Florida, Idaho, Utah, Oregon, and Colorado, between the years 1973 and 1978. After being asked, Bundy admitted to burying roughly ten of these victims. Hagmaier then asked Bundy around how many of the victims he beheaded. Bundy responded by guessing about 6 out of the 30. During this time, Bundy spoke about how he practiced necrophilia for the first time.

1. Ted Bundy Received Execution By The Electric Chair

On the day of his execution, Bundy talked to Hagmaier about how he didn’t want them to kill him and said killing him is just society’s way of getting an eye for an eye. While people partied and awaited news of his death outside, Bundy continued to pray and read his Bible. During this time, Bundy started to show remorse by crying. Witnesses to Bundy’s execution state in the Netflix documentary that when Bundy walked into the death chamber, he looked white as a sheet. Ted Bundy died on January 24, 1989, at the age of 42.

Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

“The Rumors About Ted Bundy’s Mom and Dad Are Very Disturbing”, by Meghan Demaria, Cosmopolitan, AUG 25, 2021

“Who Was Ted Bundy’s Father — A War Veteran, A Sailor, Or His Actual Grandfather?” by Sharon Lynn Pruitt, Oxygen, January 24, 2019

“Who Was Ted Bundy’s Mom, Eleanor Louise Cowell?” by Katie Serena, All That’s Interesting, June 19, 2019

“Does Ted Bundy’s Childhood Hold The Key To His Madness?”, by Katie Serena, All That’s Interesting, June 25, 2019

“Ted Bundy Trivia: 33 interesting facts about the serial killer.” Evita Gorgorni, Useless Daily. May 2017.

“10 Odd Facts About Ted Bundy.” The List Love. September 2014.

“15 Little Known Facts About Ted Bundy That Will Chill You To Your Core.” Beverly Maier, Thought Catalog. April 2018.

“Contractors claim bizarre events at home where killer Ted Bundy grew up.” Gabe Cohen, Komonews. May 2017.

“Former defense attorney claims serial killer Ted Bundy confessed to ‘murdering more than 100 people and his first victim was a MAN'” Emily Anne Epstien, Daily Mail. May 2012.

“Ann Rule, 83, Dies: Wrote About Ted Bundy (a Friend) and Other Killers.” William Grimes, New York Times. July 2015.

“Ted Bundy and 9 Other Famous People Who Couldn’t Handle Law School.” Aleksi Tzatzev, Business Insider. October 2012.

“The Miseducation Of A Serial Killer: Where Did Ted Bundy Go To College And What Did He Study?” Gina Tron, Oxygen. January 2019.

“Classmates remember a friend 40 years after her murder.” WCJB 20. February 2018.

“‘My Name Is Ted Bundy. I’ve Never Spoken to Anybody About This.'” Kate Storey, Yahoo Entertainment. January 2019.

“Ted Bundy’s Education: Student By Day, Killer By Night” by All That’s Interesting, June 26, 2019

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“From troubled childhood to electric chair: The full timeline of Ted Bundy’s life and murder spree” by Meghan Reinhardt, Business Insider, Feb 2, 2019

“Did Ted Bundy kill his 1st victim when he was 14? Police not ruling him out in girl’s 1961 disappearance” by WBNS-10TV Staff, 10TV, November 8, 2019

“Netflix’s ‘Extremely Wicked’ Shows Ted Bundy’s Escape From Prison—Here’s What Really Happened”, by KRISTIN CANNING, Women Health Magazine, MAY 3, 2019

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