24 November: Ted Bundy

1946 Ted Bundy, American serial killer who confessed to killing over 30 women between 1974 and 1978. There could have been any number more that he didn't confess to.

1. He had a troubled childhood. He was brought up by his grandparents, believing that his mother Louise was his sister. Although a man is named on his birth certificate as his father, Lloyd Marshall, was a salesman and Air Force Veteran, Louise claimed she was seduced by a sailor called Jack Worthington. However, there is no record of anyone by that name in the Navy. It's even possible that he was fathered by his grandfather, Samuel Cowell, a violent, abusive man who was obsessed with pornography, although there is no evidence to prove or refute that particular claim.
2. His name at birth was Theodore Robert Cowell. In 1950, Louise was persuaded by her cousins to leave home and live with them. She went to a singles night at their local church, where she met Johnny Culpepper Bundy, a hospital cook, and married him. He formally adopted the young Ted, and did his best to include his adopted son in family activities with little success. Ted later summed Johnny up as "not very bright" and "didn't make much money."
3. As far as the records are concerned, Ted started killing in 1974, at the age of 27. It's possible, though, that he was killing way before that. There is some evidence to suggest he killed an eight year old girl when he was 14, but Ted always denied killing Ann Marie Burr of Tacoma in 1961.
4. He was, however, known to the police during his high school years with a record for petty theft (which was written off, according to the law, when he reached 18). He stole credit cards and money. He was a keen skier, indulging in the sport using equipment and lift tickets that he had stolen.
5. At university in 1967, he became romantically involved with Stephanie Brooks, and the couple got engaged in 1973. However, when Ted dropped out of college and took on menial jobs, Stephanie dumped him citing his “lack of ambition” and “immaturity". Soon after that the murders started - and all his victims resembled Stephanie - they were all white, middle-class students with long dark hair parted in the middle.
6. Typically, he would use his good looks and charm to attract women. He'd pretend to be injured or pose as an authority figure in order to lure them to his car and kidnap them. He decapitated 12 of them and kept their heads in his apartment. Others he dumped in the woods and would return to the scene repeatedly and desecrate their corpses.
7. A defence attourney at his trial described him as “the very definition of heartless evil”. Bundy described himself “the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you’ll ever meet”. Yet even he did good things occasionally. According to one story he once jumped into a lake to save a three year old boy who had fallen in. He even worked for a suicide helpline for a time, and according to co-workers, was actually rather good at it. In prison, he co-operated with the authorities to help catch Gary Ridgeway, The Green River Killer.
8. He got married during his trial in Florida. In Florida, there is an obscure law which says that a marriage declaration in court, in the presence of a judge, is a legal marriage. He made such a declaration to Carole Boone, his character witness, while she was on the witness stand and she became his wife on the spot. He'd first met her while they were both working at the Department of Emergency Services in Washington State in the early 1970s. At the time, she believed he was innocent. Ted persuaded the guards at the prison to allow him some private time with his new wife, even though it wasn't usually allowed. Legend has it that Bundy and Boone consummated their marriage on the floor behind a water cooler. Nine months later, Carole had a daughter. In due course, Carole realised Ted was actually guilty, divorced him and moved away, changing her name and that of her daughter. Nobody knows where the daughter is now.
9. He insisted on representing himself in court, despite having no law degree. As such, he was excused from being cuffed and shackled. Bundy took advantage of that by asking to be allowed to do some research in the courthouse law library, then jumping out of the window. He was on the run for six days, eventually caught by a traffic cop who noticed his car weaving in and out of its lane, due to the ankle injury he'd sustained jumping out of the window. He also escaped from prison by sawing a small hole in the ceiling of his cell, losing weight and squeezing through. This time, he was on the run for over two months and committed at least one more murder.
10. He was brought up as a methodist but in 1975, was baptised into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) but never attended services or kept any of the Mormon rules. The church would later excommunicate him when he was convicted of kidnapping.

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