You think you know Ted Bundy? Think again. The man known as the “Angel Of Decay” and the “Co-Ed Killer” led an exceptionally dark life, never ceasing to confound the public. These little-known facts about the prolific serial killer will leave you perplexed, bewildered and naturally, terrified…
1) Bundy’s Father Was His Grandfather
Ted Bundy, born Theodore Robert Cowell, grew up living a lie. Ted’s mother, Louise Cowell, was single when she gave birth to him and in the 1940’s that was a serious no-no. Ted’s grandparents took their daughter in, telling young Ted that his grandparents were his parents and his mother was his sister.
As if that wasn’t messed up enough, Ted’s grandfather, Samuel Cowell, is rumored to be his biological father. Although it was never confirmed, if the rumor is true, that would make Ted Bundy the product of incest.
2) Bundy Kept An Especially Creepy Glove Compartment
When Ted Bundy’s longtime girlfriend Liz Kloepfer turned him in to the police, she told authorities about the bizarre items Ted kept in his car. Inside his infamous VW Beetle, Ted stored a lug wrench, crutches, an orient knife in a wood case, and a meat cleaver. Those were just a few of Ted’s “tools of the trade” and not surprisingly, his excuse that he needed them for protection, was not fooling anyone.
3) Bundy Had A Lovechild In Jail
While on trial in Florida, Ted Bundy proposed marriage to Carole Ann Boone. And even more shocking: she accepted. The couple’s twisted love affair was one of many Bundy trial antics. In the end, he was unable to convince the jury of his innocence and was sentenced to death row.
But while awaiting capital punishment, Bundy claimed to have impregnated Boone. Many question the validity of his claims, but it’s possible that there is a young female Bundy out there…scary!
4) Bundy Helped Take Down “The Green River Killer”
It’s surprising to see the words “help” and “Bundy” in the same sentence. In a surprising move, Bundy contacted the detective that helped put him behind bars, Robert D. Keppel, while he was on death row. Keppel was working on the “Green River Killer” investigation, desperately seeking to stop the infamous killer. Bundy was able to help Keppel understand the inner workings of a serial killer’s mind, ultimately helping the detective identify Gary Ridgway and bring him to justice.
5) Bundy Escaped Police Custody Twice
Few people know that Bundy was able to escape police custody twice before his eventual capture in Florida. In his first escape, Bundy was allowed to roam around the court room library unattended (see master manipulator). While roaming free, he jumped from a second story window and ran for it. For his second escape,
Bundy got more crafty and many believe employed the help of his girlfriend, Carole Ann Boone. On Christmas Eve, the notorious killer escaped through his prison cell ceiling, exiting from a hole he had slowly been sawing for weeks. He then stole the chief jailor’s clothes and calmly walked out of the prison unnoticed. It’s heartbreaking to think that so many lives would have been saved if Bundy had been kept behind bars — where he belonged.
6) Bundy Worked For A Suicide Hotline
In the early 1970s, Bundy worked for a suicide hotline in Seattle. His co-workers, including author Ann Rule, remember him as a skilled volunteer who helped ease troubled callers and saved lives. Talk about irony.
Rule and Bundy became close and his manipulation of her proved stellar. Rule doubted Bundy’s guilt, but did contact police when she recognized a police composite sketch that eerily resembled her fellow suicide hotline volunteer. Rule’s friendship with Bundy served as in the inspiration for her true crime classic, “The Stranger Beside Me”.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons