40 Disturbing Facts About Ted Bundy (Part 1)

historycollection.com/18-facts-most-people-didnt-know-about-h-h-holmes/17/

Author: Trista

FEBRUARY 4, 2019- Ted Bundy is one of the most infamous serial killers to date. By now, you've seen the internet abuzz with the recent Netflix release and the upcoming movie, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. While there is debate surrounding these latest releases, it is fair to say: there aren't many other serial killers that can compare to how twisted Ted Bundy became and the details of his murders can send chills up anyone's spine. 

 

Other than his purely evil and manipulative nature, many believed Bundy was one of the nicest people they had ever met. He enrolled in law school and worked for a suicide prevention hotline. In fact, when the details started to emerge about his murders, people became shocked. Many who knew him said they never imagined he would become capable of such crimes

1. His Father's Identity Is Not Certain

No one really knows who Ted Bundy's father is. The name of his father on his birth certificate is Lloyd Marshall, an Air Force Veteran. However, later in Bundy's life, his mother, Eleanor Louise Cowell, stated that his birth father was a sailor by the name of Jack Worthington. However, many people feel that Cowell wasn't honest about who Bundy's father was because she wanted to hide one of the darkest secrets of her life, that her father, Samuel Cowell, raped and impregnated her. No evidence proves

that Samuel Cowell fathered his grandson.

2. He Spent A Few Years In College With His Girlfriend

In 1965, Ted Bundy graduated from high school and went off to college. He first went to the University of Puget Sound (UPS). The future killer stayed at UPS for about a year before he transferred to the University of Washington, where he began to study in an intensive Chinese language program, in 1996. It was around this time, he met a young lady whom we know by many pseudonyms from Bundy's biographies, but she is most commonly called Stephanie Brooks. In 1968, Bundy dropped out of the University of Washington and

started working minimum wage jobs. Around this time, Brooks ended their relationship, citing Bundy's immaturity. 

3. For Years He Thought His Mother Was His Sister

Ted Bundy came into this world on November 24, 1946. His mother gave birth to him at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers. From there, he went to go live with his maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. His grandparents raised him like he was their son and his birth mother was his older sister. The reason behind this was the family didn't want to deal with any social stigma. Some people believe Bundy found out the truth when a cousin showed him his birth certificate. Others say he found out himself around 1969 when he found his birth certificate

3. He Never Fully Got Over Stephanie Brooks

During and for a while after his college days, Ted Bundy dated a woman whom may know as Stephanie Brooks. Today, we know Stephanie's real name is Diane Edwards and that the couple was indeed in love, at least for a period. The couple became briefly engaged but separated when Stephanie couldn't handle Bundy's immature ways, crazy streaks and lack of ambition. People believe he never fully got over losing Stephanie as 

there is a resemblance between Stephanie and most of Bundy's victims. Similarities include long brown hair, white females, and college students between 15 to 25 years old

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 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 learn 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

7. 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 on reading "leave" in sawdust and the other "help me" in the dirt in the basement. 

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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 Ted 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

12. 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  Bundy is recorded saying that he didn't feel guilty 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

13. 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 told him that he killed one woman in 1972 and another in 1973. However, he never talked about these murders

14. 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, ad the question will probably remain a mystery. 

15. 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

16. 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 the 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

17. He Attacked Four Women In A Sorority House

Ted Bundy escaped a Florida jail in 1978 and then broke into a 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

18. 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

19. His Attorney Believes Bundy's First Victim Was a Man

John Henry Browne became one of Bundy's attorney 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 Brown 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 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

 

 

 

Article Source: historycollection.com/40-disturbing-facts-about-ted-bundy/22/

Author: Trista

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