Ted Bundy was a very bad person who hurt many women and girls.
Over four years, this man traveled around America, attacking young women. He admitted to killing at least 30 people, but some think he might have killed as many as 100.
Bundy was caught and sent to prison. He even escaped twice, but they caught him again. Finally, he was found guilty and died in an electric chair in 1989.
One woman who lived through Bundy’s attack said that he seemed like a good person, but he was really a monster. He would hunt for women at night and hurt them in their homes.
Ted Bundy was born in 1946. He grew up in a family with his mom, dad, and four siblings. His mom said they tried to raise their kids right.
As a kid, Bundy was in Boy Scouts and had a paper route. He went to college but didn’t finish. He had different jobs, like working on a campaign and at a suicide hotline. Later, he went back to school and got a degree in psychology.
While he was working in Seattle, he was also hurting people. In 1974, he moved to Salt Lake City and went to law school, but he didn’t graduate.
In 1975, police stopped him for speeding and found strange things in his car. A woman named Carol DaRonch, who had escaped from Bundy, said he looked like the man who attacked her. Bundy’s girlfriend also told the police that he looked like the person they were looking for.
Bundy was charged with kidnapping and trying to hurt DaRonch. He was found guilty and sent to prison. After he escaped twice, he was caught again and sentenced to death in 1979.
Bundy said he killed at least 30 women and girls between 1974 and 1978.
He also hinted that he might have killed others in 1972 and 1973. One investigator thinks Bundy might have killed between 50 and 75 people. Some say the number could be even higher, maybe around 100.
Bundy’s first known victim was Lynda Ann Healy in 1974. Other victims included Donna Gail Manson, Susan Elaine Rancourt, and Roberta Kathleen Parks. He also killed Georgann Hawkins, Janice Ann Ott, and Denise Marie Naslund.
After these killings, Bundy moved to Salt Lake City and killed more people, including Nancy Wilcox and Melissa Anne Smith. He also killed Laura Ann Aime.
He tried to kill DaRonch, but she got away. Later that night, he killed Debra Jean Kent. He also killed Caryn Eileen Campbell, Julie Lyle Cunningham, Denise Lynn Oliverson, and Lynette Dawn Culver.
Before he died, Bundy admitted to killing Susan Curtis around this time. After escaping from prison, he killed Margaret Elizabeth Bowman and Lisa Janet Levy. His last known victim was Kimberly Dianne Leach.
Many of Bundy’s victims were young women with brown hair. They were between 12 and 26 years old. He would trick them into getting into his car by pretending to be hurt or a police officer. Then, he would hurt them, tie them up, and take them somewhere else to kill them.
Bundy said that he hurt people because he felt empty inside and thought that killing would make him feel better.
He also admitted to doing bad things to the bodies of his victims.
One FBI agent said that Bundy told him he liked to do things to the bodies that he had never talked about before.
Bundy’s first known victim was Healy, who went missing in 1974. Her body was found months later.
Some people think Bundy might have started killing even earlier than he admitted. One lawyer said that Bundy told her he killed his first victim in 1971. Some even think he might have been involved in the death of a young girl in 1961.
Five women are known to have survived Bundy’s attacks.
Karen Sparks was attacked in her bed and suffered brain damage. She thinks her roommate talking in his sleep scared Bundy away.
DaRonch was tricked into getting into Bundy’s car when he pretended to be a police officer. She fought back and escaped.
After Bundy killed two women at a Chi Omega house, he attacked Kathy Kleiner Rubin and Karen Chandler. They were badly hurt, but they lived because someone came home late and scared Bundy away.
Bundy also attacked Cheryl Thomas in her apartment. She was badly hurt, but her neighbors heard the attack and called the police, which saved her life.
Bundy was caught in 1978 while driving a stolen car. He was charged with the Chi Omega murders but didn’t want to admit he was guilty.
In 1979, he was found guilty of murdering Bowman and Levy, as well as other crimes. He was sentenced to death.
Six months later, he was found guilty of murdering Leach and received another death sentence.
Bundy tried to appeal his sentences, but he failed.
Many people celebrated when Bundy was going to be executed.
He was killed in an electric chair in 1989. His last words were, “I’d like you to give my love to my family and friends.”
