True Crime Book Watch!
Theodore Robert Bundy born November 24, 1946, Burlington, Vermont, U.S. died January 24, 1989, Starke, Florida Ted Bundy: Alias: Chris Hagen. Serial murderer and rapist, one of the most notorious criminals of the late 20th century in the US. Bundy was born out of wedlock and spent his early years ih Vermont living with his grandparents. After his mother took custody of him and remarried she raised him as her younger brother. He grew up in the north end residential area of Tacoma, WA where he was a Boy Scout. He had a difficult relationship with his stepfather; and his shyness made him a target of bullying. Bundy's killer instincts may have started when he was a 14-year-old paperboy. Ann Marie Burr, an 8-year-old girl, mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night and has never been found. After he graduated from the University of Washington he attended the University of Washington Law School while doing charity work and campaigning for the US Republican Party. He developed a series of normal relationships with women. Between 1974 and 1978 he raped and killed young women in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Florida. He confessed to 28 murders, but estimates make him responsible for hundreds of deaths. Bundy became a celebrity, following his escape from custody in Colorado in 1977. His charm and intelligence drew public attention. His case inspired a series of popular novels and films devoted to serial murder; which outraged feminist criminologists, who felt Bundy was romanticized by the media. Following a well-publicized trial, in 1979 he was sentenced to death for the murder of two college students; the following year he was sentenced to death, for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl. Bundy gave his only death row interview to founder of Focus on the Family, a California-based ministry that later moved to Colorado Springs. He was put to death in Florida's electric chair on Jan. 24, 1989, for the sex slaying of Kimberly Leach, 12, hours after he told Dr. James Dobson, that unless society deals with pornography that depicts violence "lots of kids . . . are going to be dead tomorrow." Bundy's known victims are as follows: Joni Lenz, severely beaten in her bed on January 4, 1974. She survived. Lynda Ann Healy, 21, disappeared from her basement bedroom in the University District on February 1, 1974. Healy worked at a radio station broadcasting ski reports. Donna Gail Manson, 19, disappeared from the campus of Evergreen State College on March 12, 1974. Susan Elaine Rancourt, 18, disappeared from the campus of Central Washington State University in Ellensburg on April 17, 1974. Roberta Kathleen Parks, 22, disappeared from the campus of Oregon State University on May 6, 1974. Brenda Carol Ball, 22, last seen in a tavern in Burien on June 1, 1974. Georgann Hawkins, 18, disappeared from behind her sorority near the University of Washington on June 11, 1974. Janice Ott, 23, and Denise Naslund, 19, both disappeared from Lake Samammish State Park on July 14, 1974. Carol Valenzuela, 20, disappeared near Vancouver, Washington, on August 2, 1974. Laura Aime, 17, disappeared from Lehi, Utah, on October 30, 1974. Nancy Wilcox, 16, a cheerleader, disappeared from Utah in October 1974. Melissa Smith, 17, disappeared from Midvale, Utah, on October 18, 1974. Carol LaRonch, 18, escaped as Bundy tried to kidnap her in Salt Lake City on November 8, 1974. Debby Kent, 17, disappeared from an ice skating rink in Bountiful, Utah, on November 8, 1975. Denise Oliverson, 25, a homemaker, disappeared from Grand Junction, Colorado, on April 6, 1975. Melanie Cooley, 18, disappeared from Nederland, Colorado, on April 15, 1975. Shelly Robertson, 24, disappeared from Golden, Colorado, on July 1, 1975. Nancy Baird, 23, disappeared from the gas station where she worked in Layton, Utah, in July 1975. Julie Cunningham, 26, a sporting goods employee, disappeared from Vail, Colorado, on March 15, 1975. Caryn Campbell, 23, a nurse, disappeared from the parking lot of her hotel in Utah on January 12, 1975. Margaret Bowman, 21, and Lisa Levy, 20, sorority sisters at Florida State University, clubbed and strangled on January 14, 1978. Karen Chandler, 21, Kathy Kleiner, 20, and Cheryl Thomas were also severely attacked that same night, but they survived. Kimberly Diane Leach, 12, disappeared from her junior high school in Lake City, Florida, on February 9, 1978. Fact: Bundy was accused of the murder of Kathleen Merry Devine, 15, who disappeared while hitchhiking to Oregon on November 15, 1973. While trying to avoid execution, he confessed to crimes, but swore he was innocent in the murder of Devine. In March of 2002, William E. Cosden, Jr. was arrested for the murder based on DNA evidence preserved from the Devine case. He has been tried and found guilty. Fact: In 1984, King County officials acknowledged losing the remains of Denise Naslund and Janice Ott, victims of serial killer Ted Bundy. In 1987, King County paid $224,000 to the victims’ families to settle lawsuits. Crime Fighters: Solved Ted Bundy. The "Green River Killer" was suspected in at least 49 homicides. Then authorities received a letter from Ted Bundy, on Florida's death row, offering to help catch the Green River Killer. He would only talk to one man: Robert Keppel, the former homicide detective. Bundy speculates about the motive and methods of the Green River Killer -- and reveals his own twisted secrets. He could have been responsible for murdering as many as 100 girls and women. Kari & Associates "Ted Bundy." Encyclopædia Britannica.
2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. Copyright Kari Sable 1994-2006 |
