If you have a Netflix subscription, you’ve probably seen the ad for Ted Bundy tapes. The 30 year anniversary of his execution means there is a spark of interest in his wicked mind but also a long enough time frame between the crimes and now to really talk about the atrocities that occurred in a documentary form.
If you love documentaries and true crime, I suggest you check out Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. However, I caution you, it is nightmare fuel.
Bundy was born to a woman out of wedlock, something that was a big deal at the time. He never knew his father and was essentially raised by his grandparents. Some speculated that his grandfather was actually his father but it is unknown if that is true or not.
Despite his non-typical way of coming into the world, things seemed to be looking up when he got involved in education and politics.
He was on the way to a successful future and life, going back and forth between his majors and University of choice, he studied Psychology at University of Washington and then moved onto Law at UPS Law School.
He was already a prominent figure at this point, having joined Daniel J. Evans’ re-election campaign and being in the media for his political involvement.
He was very intelligent and charismatic with the public which played to his advantage later as it made him seem trustworthy and too good to be a criminal.
Bundy was studying Law at the time his crime spree began, missing many classes before eventually stopping attendance all together around the time women started to go missing within the area.
By the time Bundy was finished, he had murdered over 30 girls in cold blood. This led to him being given the title ‘serial killer’, making him the first killer in the United States to be labelled as such.
People were shocked when he was arrested for the crimes as no one would have guessed that this charismatic law student who seemingly got along with everyone would in fact be a serial killer.
He was labelled many things during this time. Serial killer. Sociopath. Necrophile.
Nightmare fuel right there.
The documentary goes into detail about the severity of his crimes and the condition he left the bodies in once he was finished. To echo something that was said in the documentary, you often find yourself looking at his hands and thinking about what those hands did and were capable of doing to human beings.
One of the most intense parts of the documentary features a woman, Carol DaRonch, who actually escaped Bundy and lived to tell the tale (and also testify against him in court).
DaRonch talked about how he pretended to be a police officer and flashed his badge. She had no reason to believe anything was wrong because she trusted him and his badge.
She then talked about how he stopped the car and managed to get handcuffs on one wrist but failed to get the other. Her fear is very much evident. She was convinced that this will be how she dies and that her family will never know what actually happened to her.
She managed to get out of the car and a struggle ensued with Bundy pursuing her.
She is the only known person to have escaped and survived Ted Bundy and was a key witness against him at his trial.
The trial itself made me feel frustrated.
Bundy had every right to represent himself in court, however, the magnitude of the crimes and the serious charges they were trying him for did not sit well with me. Letting someone as violent as him stand up in court, question medical personnel, and try to disprove everything he is being accused of, it made for uncomfortable viewing.
It was also the first time a high profile court case such as this was being aired and reported on television. The scale of it was beyond anything else witnessed at the time.
The trial period was spectacular, in the worst possible way. Bundy managed to escape incarceration not once but twice due to simple negligence.
Police officers were under the impression that it was okay to leave Bundy in a room alone in the courthouse. That is when he famously escaped the courthouse by jumping from the second story window. Camera crews rushed to the scene to report what had just happened and no one knew where he had gone. He had basically vanished.
He was found nearly a week later when the cold and hunger overtook him and forced him to return.
He escaped again by shimmying out of a panel in the ceiling of his jail cell and stealing an officer’s uniform. He was gone for much longer this time. A month and a half later he was captured but refused to give up his name. Officers did not realise who he was at the time but they knew he had been on a killing spree, including a sorority house. They then realised that he was Ted Bundy and that he was one of the most wanted men in the US.
During the sentencing, he was found guilty and sentenced to death for his crimes. But even then, despite everything he had done, people were sympathetic towards him. The judge himself expressed his sympathies to Bundy despite him being a heinous criminal who killed many young women, some even children.
The sympathy and celebrity status that surrounded him was disturbing.
One of the most horrifying things about Ted Bundy is how big of a superstar he became.
Everyone had heard the stories of what he had done. They saw the trial. They knew every gory detail. Yet, he was idolized.
Yes. Idolized.
Women flocked to the courtroom for a glimpse of Bundy. Despite everything he somehow managed to charm women. Even when he was defending himself in court, women were mystified by him. Worse, they were attracted to him.
During his trial, he even had a girlfriend who stood by him. She was caught up in the fantasy that he was innocent. He even proposed to her in the courtroom when she was being questioned as a character witness.
The couple even went on to have a family despite Bundy being on death row for his crimes at the time his partner got pregnant and had their child. Bundy talks about his positive relationship with the guards on death row and how they were easily bribed to allow him visits with his wife.
This does not mean the whole world was in love with Bundy.
Dozens gathered on his execution day to celebrate the fact that he was being executed for his crimes. Many held signs and sold t-shirts with “Burn Bundy Burn” printed on them.
Bundy had been accused and labelled as crazy. Bundy turns this around in the tapes and calls the people celebrating his death crazy and sick.
Whether or not you agree with death row and punishment by death is a personal matter. I personally think it was over the top to be selling t-shirts and making a business out of a death row prisoner. I also personally believe that prison is a far better punishment than death.
How you react to this segment is all up to you.
The Ted Bundy Tapes ends with his execution and final words from a specialist about if he really was an evil genius or if there was something seriously wrong with him mentally that made him not in control of his actions, questioning his mental health.
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