Introduction to The Case

About Ted Bundy

Courtesy of Jerry Gay (1977). Ted Bundy photograph. Licensed under CNN on thedailyworld.com

Theodore Robert Bundy, infamously known as Ted Bundy, is an American serial killer, rapist and necrophiliac from the 20th century. He confessed to murdering 36 young women in seven states between 1974 and 1978. Since there’s no evidence for the exact number of victims, experts believe that the actual tally may outnumber 100. Bundy was known to be an intellectual with a charming personality but had an unemotional demeanor that lacked empathy. He lured victims by appealing to their emotions or impersonating authority, then kidnapped them to secluded locations. He used to groom, decapitate and perform sexual acts with the corpses until putrefaction. After getting caught, he escaped prison twice until he was put to death on the electric chair in 1989. He was a psychopathic predator and it was depicted by his indifference and objectification towards women.

Childhood

Theodore Bundy started his life as his mother's secret shame, as his birth humiliated her deeply religious parents and he had to live with his grandparents as their adopted son to hide the fact that he was an illegitimate child, and was told that his mother was his sister. However, from all appearances, he grew up in a content working-class family and showed an unusual interest in the macabre at a young age. Around the age of 3, he became fascinated by knives and he was a socially awkward child who sometimes crossed the lines of propriety, morality, and legality. He initially thought that his own mother was his sister, this led to him acting out and did not get along with his step-father as he was jealous of her new relationship with another man, and had deliberate tantrums. He resented his mother out because he was "illegitimate", and was teased a lot because of this. 

Home Environment

Born out of wedlock, Theodore Bundy was left at the Elizabeth Lund Home “for three months” by his mother 22-year-old Eleanor Louise Cowell (Vronsky, 2004) while she decided whether she should give him up for adoption. After having decided against it this did not however mean a better environment for Bundy. Louise as a mother was absent. Bundy was a frequent observer and victim of several domestic disputes that manifested in the Cowell household.  Bundy’s grandfather was often described as “an extremely frightening individual” (Michaud & Aynesworth, 1999), physically violent and aggressive at the slightest of provocations. Bundy’s grandmother suffered from depressive psychosis, experienced intense panic attacks, and had a long history of agoraphobia (Michaud & Aynesworth, 2000), this made her emotionally unavailable to Bundy. Louise’s marriage to John Culpepper Bundy however was the last straw. John’s presence in his life was certainly not welcomed by him. To him, he was an intruder that was interfering in their lives.

References

Examining serial killer Ted Bundy. (2019, December 30). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201912/examining-serial-killer-ted-bundy

Michaud S.G., & Aynesworth, H. (1999). The only living witness: The true story of serial sex killer Ted Bundy. Irving, TX: Authorlink.

Michaud, S.G., & Aynesworth, H. (2000). Ted Bundy: Conversations with a killer – The death row interviews. Irving, TX: Authorlink Press.

Vronsky, P. (2004). Serial killers: The methods and madness of monsters. New York, NY: The Berkley Publishing Group

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