Ted Bundy Research Paper Essay Example

and suffered from frequent bouts of depression. Louise faced a great challenge when it came to informing her parents about her pregnancy due to the potential consequences. After giving birth, Louise returned to Philadelphia, allowing her parents to make the decision of whether to keep Theodore or put him up for adoption.

During the Cowell family's deliberation, they entrusted Theodore to strangers in Vermont. After two months, Louise returned to Vermont and returned with the baby to Philadelphia. As soon as they arrived home, the Cowells announced to the town that they had adopted Theodore and that Louise was his older sister, to avoid gossip from their neighbors. Even in his youth, Ted displayed peculiar behaviors that set him apart from other children. "When he was a young child, there were instances where he would secretly place butcher knives under his Aunt Julie's blanket as she slept. He would then stand there and smirk."

During Ted's early childhood, these events occurred while he was just three years old (Serial Killers 10). In 1950, Louise and Theodore relocated to Tacoma, Washington and resided with welcoming relatives. To protect her reputation, Louise altered her last name to Nelson and presented herself as a widow to the town. Shortly after, she secured a job as a secretary and began attending a local Methodist church (Serial Killers 10). It was during this time that Louise met John Culpepper Bundy, a hospital cook, and the two tied the knot on May 19, 1951, prompting Ted to undergo his third name change at the young age of five (11).

Once four additional children were included in the Bundy household, Theodore became even

more withdrawn, mostly keeping to himself (“Ted Bundy Biography”). As Theodore reached adolescence and began attending school, his teachers sent concerned messages to his mother, advising her to manage his explosive temper. When provoked, Ted would become extremely angry, prompting worry among his teachers. Throughout his high school years, Ted acknowledged his divergence from the rest of his peers. He was unable to experience or comprehend basic human emotions like typical teenagers, forcing him to imitate them in order to blend in.

Bundy lacked the ability to be caring or compassionate and was unable to develop a conscience. He perceived the world around him as a collection of objects that could be exploited or discarded (Serial Killers 15). During his high school years, Ted initiated his criminal activities by stealing luxury clothing and ski gear. Additionally, he would secretly observe women undressing by sneaking out and peering through their windows. To fulfill his sexual fantasies, he tampered with a woman's vehicle, rendering her less mobile and therefore more susceptible.

Despite his seemingly normal appearance and involvement in positive activities, such as attending church and being active in Boy Scouts, Ted Bundy had a double life as a sex-obsessed criminal. Even people who knew him would be shocked by his hidden side. In 1965, after finishing high school, Bundy was awarded a scholarship to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. However, he later transferred to the University of Washington where he met Stephanie Brooks - the woman he deemed perfect due to her looks, wealth, and social status.

Ted made significant efforts to please Stephanie, going as far as joining her at Stanford University in 1967. However, their

relationship ended shortly after, leaving him devastated. As a result, Ted decided to leave Stanford and go back to the University of Washington. The heartbreak he experienced had a profound effect on his academic performance, leading him to withdraw from school (Serial Killers 15). In 1968, Ted became fixated on winning Stephanie back and underwent a complete transformation in appearance. He became more determined than ever to make a lasting impression.

Ted Bundy transformed himself into a completely different person, someone who would appeal to Brooks. He decided to pursue a career in politics and became involved in the Washington State Republican party (Serial Killers 15). In late 1968, he found himself unemployed when the Republican candidate he was supporting lost the election. In the subsequent year, Ted briefly attended Temple University (16).

Theodore was becoming the perfect citizen (Serial Killers 15). He authored a brochure on preventing rape for women (Boynton 25), received praise from the Seattle Police Department for apprehending a purse snatcher, rescued a toddler from drowning in a lake (Serial Killers 15), and served as an assistant director of the Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Committee (Boynton 25). In 1971, Ted enrolled again at the University of Washington (Serial Killers 15). To make some extra money, Bundy offered his services at Seattle's Crisis Clinic, where he crossed paths with Ann Rule.

Ann Rule and Bundy developed a strong bond, with Ann taking on a maternal role for him. According to Rule, Bundy possessed exceptional counseling skills and had the ability to persuade those in despair that there is hope (Thompson). In 1972, Bundy earned his psychology degree from the University of Washington (Serial Killers 16)

(Boynton 25). Despite applying to law schools, he faced rejections due to low test scores. However, in 1973, he was accepted into the law school at the University of Utah but deferred enrollment until the following year in 1974. By the summer of 1973, Bundy felt confident enough to reconnect with Stephanie Brooks who was now twenty-six years old.

During a business trip to California, Bundy took Brooks out for an extravagant dinner and managed to persuade her to marry him. However, despite Brooks' excitement about their upcoming marriage, Bundy abruptly cut off all communication with her as a way of getting back at her for past offenses. In hindsight, Bundy admitted that his main intention was simply to prove his capability of being committed in a marital union.

However, this revenge did not bring Bundy much comfort and instead initiated a series of assaults on innocent women ("Ted Bundy Biography"). All of his victims fit a specific profile - they were slim, white, had a middle part in their hair, and disappeared in the late afternoon or evening (Boynton 25). Interestingly, Bundy's targets bore a peculiar resemblance to Stephanie Brooks. On January 4, 1974, near the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Bundy carried out his first of numerous attacks. Eighteen-year-old Joni Lentz was brutally assaulted while sleeping in the house she shared with her roommates (Boynton 25). The following morning, Lentz failed to appear for breakfast as she usually did.

Initially, Joni's roommates were unconcerned, assuming she was simply sleeping in. However, as noon neared, their concern escalated. They attempted to communicate by knocking on her door but received no reply, prompting them to enter her

room. To their astonishment, they discovered Joni lying on her bed with dried blood staining her hair and face. Additionally, they observed that a metal rod had disappeared from her bed. Driven by curiosity, they lifted the covers and uncovered the true events involving the rod.

The object was forcibly inserted into her vagina. Lentz spent months in a coma after the attack, but fortunately, Joni survived and had no memory of what happened (Serial Killers 16). Just twenty-seven days later, on a Thursday night, Lynda Ann Healy, a twenty-one-year-old law student at the University of Washington and part-time weather reporter, was abducted from her bedroom in Seattle's University District (Boynton 25). As a weather reporter, Healy had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. for work.

m. each morning and each night she went to bed early. Oddly, she did not show up to work and did not attend her classes later that day. Friday night Healy’s parents called the police hoping they were worrying for no reason- that their daughter was safe.

Detectives Wayne Dorman and Ted Fonis arrived at the scene to find Lynda missing. The pillow was covered in dried blood and the sheets were soaked. The missing pillowcase was never found. While searching for clues in Lynda's room, the detectives discovered Healy's nightgown hidden in the back of the closet, with dried blood on the neckline (Serial Killers 16). Donna Manson, a college student at Evergreen State College, left her dormitory to go to a jazz concert six weeks after Healy's disappearance.

Manson did not show up, and a month later, Susan Rancourt, a freshman at Central Washington State College, went missing.

Rancourt vanished while heading to a campus movie and was never found alive again (Serial Killers 17). Once students learned about Rancourt's fate, they came forward with accounts of similar experiences. They recounted encounters with an attractive, towering man who had one arm in a sling. This enigmatic individual would request assistance in transporting his books or packages to his car.

Kathy Parks vanished from Oregon State University, while Brenda Ball was last spotted in the parking lot of a tavern in Burier, Washington conversing with a good-looking man with brown hair and a sling. Georgeann Hawkins disappeared from her sorority house located just north of the University of Washington (Boynton 28), and she was last seen departing from the Beta fraternity house. Witnesses recalled sighting a tall, attractive man on crutches in close proximity to where Hawkins was last observed (29). The disappearances of Ball, Parks, and Hawkins occurred within a span of two months.

The police were unable to find any leads on the identity of the psychopath responsible for these acts as Bundy had taken great care to hide any evidence. On July 14, 1974, at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah, Washington, both Janice Ott and Denise Naslund were kidnapped (Boynton 25). Janice Ott, a twenty-three-year-old probation-office worker, was enjoying the sun on her blanket around noon when she was approached by a man named Ted who had his arm in a sling. Witnesses saw them talking briefly before Ott left with the unidentified man - this was the last time she was seen alive.

Denise Naslund, an 18-year-old secretary and aspiring computer programmer, disappeared on the 14th at 4:30 in the afternoon

after waking up from a nap and going to the bathroom (Serial Killers 19). Detective Robert Keppe, leading the King County Major Crimes Unit, was tasked with investigating the abductions at Lake Sammamish. It was Detective Keppe who initially linked the kidnappings of Ott and Naslund to the assaults on Lentz and Healy.

While working at the Washington State Department of Emergency Services in Olympia, Bundy's fellow coworkers noticed his unsettling resemblance to the "Ted" depicted in police sketches. However, Bundy dismissed their concerns with a smile. His girlfriend Beth Archer, along with four other individuals, eventually contacted the police and suggested Bundy as a potential suspect. Beth had deliberated for days before making the call, as she struggled to accept the possibility that her loved one could be a killer. Nevertheless, there were undeniable coincidences that could not be overlooked.

Bundy had a constant interest in the suspect and car descriptions mentioned in the newspaper, which were strangely similar to Ted's. However, her lover was currently safe as there was no solid proof of murder, as the victims' bodies had not been discovered (Serial Killers 20). On September 7, 1974, the prayers of the policemen were answered when Elzie Hammons, a hunter, stumbled upon a skeleton while walking along a rough dirt path set up four miles away from Lake Sammamish.

During the search led by Detective Bob Keppel of the King County police, a human skull was found nearby. The search yielded one skull, a lower jaw, a rib cage, a spinal column, five thigh bones, assorted smaller bones, and eight locks of hair. These remains were positively identified as belonging to Janice Ott and Denise

Naslund.

According to Serial Killers 20, the identity of the third victim is believed to be Georgann Hawkins, although it cannot be confirmed. Despite the discovery of these facts, the murders appeared to cease. Yet, this turned out to be false as Bundy resumed his killings when he enrolled at the University of Utah in 1974. Subsequently, the disappearances began again, with Nancy Wilcox going missing from her Salt Lake City neighborhood on October 2, 1974.

According to Serial Killers 21, the teenager who was sixteen years old was last spotted in a light color Volkswagen bug. Shortly after, a seventeen-year-old named Melissa Smith went missing from a local pizza parlor. Thirteen days after Smith's abduction, Laura Aime, also seventeen years old, vanished following a Halloween party. Roughly a month later, police discovered Smith's lifeless body in a canyon located in the Wasatch Range, situated east of Salt Lake City. Shortly after this discovery, Aime's body was found by a trail in the same mountains where Smith was located. Both victims suffered skull fractures resulting from violent blows to the head.

Smith and Aime's bodies were discovered naked and assaulted, having been strangled and raped (Serial Killers 21). On November 8, 1974, Bundy made an attempt to abduct Carol DaRonch. While at the mall, DaRonch was approached by an individual who claimed to be a police officer, requesting her presence in the parking lot (Nordheimer). Going by the name Officer Roseland, he informed Carol that her car had been broken into (Serial Killers 9). After they ventured to the parking lot, Officer Roseland presented his identification to DaRonch and requested that she accompany him to the police station.

She entered his Volkswagon, and once they sped away, the "officer" promptly restrained her with handcuffs.

Carol kicked her attacker in the groin and successfully unlocked the car door. Once she leaped out, she quickly halted a passing vehicle for assistance (Nordheimer). Fortunately, she had managed to escape unharmed and considered herself exceptionally fortunate to still be alive. On that very evening, Bundy drove to Viewmont high school in Bountiful, Utah, searching for another target to satiate his insatiable desire, as his initial victim had managed to flee.

During the evening when Viewmont was hosting a school play, the teacher in charge received a request from Bundy to assist in identifying a car in the parking lot. Fortunately, the teacher had the wisdom to refuse the attractive man's offer. However, unfortunately, seventeen-year-old Debra Kent was not as lucky. Debra left the play prematurely in order to collect her younger brother (Serial Killers 21).

Soon after she left, residents from an apartment complex across the street heard two ear piercing screams. Kent’s body would never be found (22). After the attempted kidnapping of DaRonch and the successful abduction of Kent, Bundy stopped killing for about four months. He then resumed in Colorado where he murdered four more women (26). March 1, 1975, was a comforting day for the families of Brenda Ball, Susan Rancourt, Kathy Parks, and Lynda Healy. Ten miles east of Issaquah, a couple of students that were hiking found a skull near Taylor Mountain.

Detective Keppel acted as the leader of a search team consisting of two hundred officers and volunteers. In just eight days, the team successfully located and retrieved all of the remains mentioned in

the Serial Killers article (20). In 1975, Ted Bundy managed to keep two dozen police agencies from Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado on high alert, all unaware that they were pursuing the same individual (22).

At 2 a.m. on August 16, 1975, Sergeant Robert Hayward noticed a suspicious gray Volkswagon as he was driving home from his shift in his neighborhood.

Hayward activated his bright lights in order to examine the license plate. As soon as he switched on the brights, the driver of the Volkswagon promptly switched off their lights and made a hasty escape. After an ensuing chase, the Volkswagon eventually made a stop at a rundown gas station. The driver's license bore the name Theodore Robert Bundy. Ted claimed to be disoriented and mentioned that he had recently watched a film at the nearby theater.

When detective Daryle Ondrak arrived as backup, Hayward asked him to check Bundy's car. Surprisingly, Bundy had taken out the passenger seat and instead, there was a crowbar placed beside where the seat would normally be. This unusual discovery prompted the detectives to further examine the trunk, where they uncovered an ice pick, ski mask, panty hose mask, rope fragments, and a pair of handcuffs. Immediately, Modrak apprehended Bundy, but he was subsequently released (Serial Killers 22).

Later in the week, Ondrak attended a regular meeting with detectives in the area. As the meeting ended, Ondrak brought up Bundy and the recent events. Detective Jerry Thompson, from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, connected all the pieces of information. Thompson had been investigating Melissa Smith's murder for more than a year. He recalled Carol DaRonch's attempted kidnapping, where she was handcuffed

in a Volkswagon. Everything started fitting together in Thompson's mind, and he concluded that Bundy was the murderer.

Thompson put in a great deal of effort to establish a connection between Bundy and the DaRonch case (Serial Killers 22). To ensure this happened, Thompson organized a police lineup on October 2, 1975. He enlisted the presence of Carol DaRonch, the drama teacher from Viewmont, and a Viewmont student who had also encountered the unidentified person on the night of the play. All three women identified Bundy from the lineup.

Bundy faced charges of kidnapping and attempted murder in connection with Carol DaRonch. He was initially held at the Salt Lake County Jail with bail set at $100,000. However, after seven weeks, his bail was lowered to $15,000, thanks to the efforts of Johnnie and Louise Bundy. On November 26th, Bundy returned to Seattle. The trial for Bundy's assault on Carol DaRonch took place on February 23, 1976, at the Salt Lake City Courthouse.

The trial lasted for several days and revolved around DaRonch's testimony, which played a crucial role. After four days, Theodore was found guilty of aggravated kidnapping and was instructed to undergo a psychiatric examination before his sentencing (Serial Killers 24). A few months later, on June 30th, Ted Bundy received a prison sentence of one to fifteen years at the Utah State Prison. He arrogantly claimed to be a popular inmate and believed that his conviction, which he viewed as a minor setback, would be overturned in the near future (Serial Killers 24). In January of 1977, Bundy was transferred to Colorado to stand trial for the murder of Caryn Campbell.

During his two-month stay at

the Aspen-based Pitkin County Jail, Ted enjoyed unrestricted telephone privileges and quickly formed friendships. Throughout the trial, he faced difficulties in getting along with his team of lawyers, leading him to dismiss them and handle his defense independently. Bundy's decision to represent himself allowed him the freedom to move around as prisoners who act as their own lawyers are granted such privileges. Additionally, he had the opportunity to utilize the library's collection of law books and related resources (25).

Bundy took matters into his own hands when he escaped on June 7, 1977. As Bundy was in the courtroom, his handcuffs and leg irons were removed. The deputy responsible for him was guarding the courtroom door, allowing Bundy to slip out the back of the attached library. From there, he jumped out of a second-story window, falling twenty-five feet below. His impact left a four-inch imprint in the ground. A woman near the courthouse witnessed Bundy's jump and hurried inside to ask an officer if it was common for people to jump out of windows at that location.

The officer hurriedly left the premises, however, the fugitive had already made a clean escape. The law enforcement officials were well aware of Bundy's psychopathic tendencies and the urgency of apprehending him (Boynton 27). The police issued a warning to the residents of Aspen, instructing them to secure their homes, park their vehicles in garages, and protect their children. Louise Bundy, Ted's own mother, made a heartfelt plea on a news broadcast in Tacoma, Washington, urging her son to surrender to authorities (Serial Killers 27).

Ted never turned himself in, as he was apprehended eight days after escaping from

jail (Boynton 27). Upon his return, he was required to wear handcuffs and leg irons whenever he left his cell (Serial Killers 27) and was transferred to Garfield County Jail for increased security measures (25). The murder trial was relocated from Aspen to Colorado Springs on December 23, 1977, where the death penalty was more frequently administered compared to Aspen. Prosecutors and law enforcement were aware of the inadequacies in the evidence regarding the Caryn Cambell murder.

Despite Bundy's belief that the verdict would not favor him, he was unwilling to spend the rest of his life in prison. Consequently, Bundy embarked on his second escape on December 30th. In order to fit through a hole in his cell's ceiling, he purposely starved himself to become thin enough. Maneuvering through a crawl space, he eventually reached the jailer's apartment closet. After some patient waiting, he courageously walked out of the jail's front door without arousing any suspicion.

It was not until fifteen hours later that anyone discovered his escape. Bundy made his way to Ann Harbor, Michigan, and then Chicago, eventually ending up in Florida (Boynton 27). Following his second escape in January 1978, Bundy decided to rent an apartment near Florida State University.

Ted Bundy, also known as "Chris Hagen", grew a beard and underwent a slight transformation, but he was mostly the same person. In Florida, he murdered three women. Specifically, on January 14th, he assaulted Margaret Bowman, Lisa Levy, Karen Chandler, and Kathy Kleiner from the Chi Omega Sorority at Florida State University. Thankfully, Chandler and Kleiner survived, but Bowman and Levy were strangled to death by Bundy (Boynton 26). These murders demonstrated that Bundy

had lost some of his previous finesse.

According to Serial Killers 34, he killed rapidly and aggressively. The next day, Bundy was at a snowboarders' lodge called the Oaks, where he heard boarders discussing the previous day's murders. Chris Hagen, one of the boarders, remarked that the killer was clever for using a log as a weapon since it wouldn't leave behind DNA evidence. Hagen boasted to his friends that he could easily commit murder without getting caught due to his knowledge of loopholes in the law. However, Bundy's behavior had become abnormal as his impulses took control (35). Ultimately, Bundy's last victim was twelve-year-old Kimberly Leach.

Leach forgot her purse when she transitioned from her homeroom to her gym class. When she returned to retrieve it, it was raining heavily and she couldn't grab it. Two months later, her body was discovered by the police. Surprisingly, her clothes were found neatly folded right beside her (Serial Killers 35). The trial for the Chi Omega attacks was incredibly unusual and complex. At a certain point in the trial, Bundy took on three roles simultaneously: defendant, defense attorney, and witness for the defense (Serial Killers 37).

During the trial, Ted had a group of girls who referred to themselves as "Ted's Groupies". These Bundy enthusiasts filled the courthouse to show their support for the infamous serial killer. As the trial proceeded, Ted would sometimes turn towards them and give them his charming smile (39). Adding to the peculiarity of the trial, Bundy proposed to his girlfriend, Carole Ann Boone, while she was being questioned by him (42). On another occasion in court, he presented an envelope containing his confessions

to the murders of Chi Omega and Kimberly Leach.

Despite the agreement that stipulated he would be sentenced to life in prison and not be subject to the death penalty, Bundy did not simply accept the deal calmly. Instead, he caused chaos in the courthouse by launching an attack on his own lawyer, Mike Minerva. In front of the judge, Bundy accused Minerva of incompetence and being resigned to defeat. Meanwhile, the prosecutors discreetly informed the defense table that the previously agreed-upon bargain deal was now off. Their decision stemmed from a fear that Bundy's confessions could potentially be invalidated during an appeal due to concerns over his appointed attorney's ability. (Serial Killers 39)

After a mere six hours of deliberation, Bundy was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder relating to the Chi Omega Killings. The punishment handed down was death by electrocution. Another death sentence was imposed on him for the murder of Leach (42). During the initial stages of his incarceration, Carol Ann frequently visited Bundy and eventually became pregnant with his child. Bundy's daughter was born in October 1982 and had multiple encounters with her father.

Four years later, Carol and their daughter left the state to care for a sick relative, and Carol never saw Bundy again (Serial Killers 43). During his time in jail, he converted to Hinduism and developed a great fear of death, doing everything he could to prolong his life. Bundy shared the details of how his victims died, offering their families the opportunity to speak kindly about him in exchange for information on what had happened to their loved ones.

According to Serial Killers (44), not a single

person agreed to offer any assistance or support to prolong Bundy's life. In one of his confessions, he revealed that he had kept both Janice Ott and Denise Naslund alive after kidnapping them from Lake Sammamish, with one having to witness the other's death (43). He admitted to committing eleven murders in Washington, eight in Utah, three in Colorado, three in Florida, two in Oregon, two in Idaho, and one in California. Informally, he mentioned being responsible for two killings in Atlantic City, New Jersey, although this confession was not officially recognized (46). On January 4, 1989, Bundy was executed at 7:16 a.m. in Florida State Prison (Editors 89).

m. Carol DaRonch, aged thirty-three when Bundy died, expressed her willingness to have pulled the switch herself if asked (Serial Killers 46). The families of the victims found solace in the news of Ted Bundy's death.

Ted Bundy, a captivating figure in the realm of serial killers, intrigued the legal system with his fascinating manipulative abilities. He had the uncanny ability to charm not only his victims, but also individuals involved in law enforcement and investigations. Bundy derived pleasure from both teasing the police and enticing the media, being fixated on the attention he garnered (Editors 91).

Ted Bundy's methods of abduction and murder underwent significant changes throughout his criminal career. Initially, he executed his crimes with great precision and sophistication, but his later killings were characterized by a lack of skill and brutality. In a pre-death interview, Bundy attributed his murderous behavior to the influence of pornography he consumed during his youth. Operating as a psychopath, Bundy brought enormous devastation to countless families. In fact, he callously remarked,

"What's one less person on the face of the earth anyway?" (Serial Killers 43).