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The Ted Bundy Murders: 10 Chilling Facts About the Notorious Serial Killer

Theodore Robert Bundy or Ted Bundy was born on 24th November 1946, an American serial killer. He used to kidnap, rape and murder young women and girls. His atrocities took place in the 1970s but authorities believe that he might have begun killing people early than the 1970s. It took more than a decade for Ted to confess to thirty murders he had committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978.

Ted was born to Eleanor Louise Cowell at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Vermont, but he was raised by his grandparents. At an early age, Ted began exhibiting some disturbing behaviour. Julia, his aunt, revealed that there was a time she awoke from a nap and found herself surrounded by knives while 3-year-old Ted stood there smiling.

His neighbours described him as a bullying who liked to terrify people, act like he was in charge, and loved inflicting pain, suffering and fear on other children. There is no clear specification of when and where Ted began his killing spree as he gave multiple stories about these details. However, he used to use his good looks to approach ladies and convince them to accompany him.

This is when he bludgeoned them, took them to an isolated place where he sexually assaulted them and then killed them. Ted was arrested but he managed to escape twice before he was caught. He was given three death sentences in Florida and was electrocuted to death.

Here are the 10 Chilling Facts About the Notorious Serial Killer:

1. Ted Began Exhibiting Unusual Behaviour at a Young Age

Ted Bundy never grew up with his mother as they wanted to keep him away from the stigma of being born out of wedlock. While growing up at his grandparents’ home, Ted was observed to be having some unusual behaviours. His aunt, Julia revealed that there was a time that she experienced the weird behaviour of Ted.

When he was 3 years old, Ted surprised his aunt as she woke up and found that knives surrounded her and he was there smiling. His childhood neighbour revealed that he was a bully. He was described to being seen as being in charge, terrifying people, inflicting pain, suffering and fear to others.

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2. Bundy Used His Extensive Knowledge of Law Enforcement to Elude Capture

 / State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

Ted Bundy was a very educated person who had studied at University. This was one of the greatest influences that helped him elude arrest. Another thing that helped him elude arrest was his extensive knowledge of law enforcement methodologies that helped him hide his identification.

Ted’s crime scenes were well distributed over huge geographic areas. This proved to be difficult for authorities to put pieces together and link one man to the murders.

3. He Used His Looks, Pretence to be in Need of Help or an Authority Figure to Lure his Victims

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Ted Bundy was appreciated for his good looks that he used as a weapon for luring his victims. He could approach unsuspecting women and pretend to be in need of help or an authority figure then lure them into the trap.

Ted could wear slings or walk using clutches, approach women and request them to put his items in his Volkswagen Beetle. Other times he presented to be an authority figure or fireman who then lured the women to their traps.

4. Ted Used Silent Techniques to Assault & Kidnap His Victims

, , via Wikimedia Commons

His unique trickery was making sure that he kidnapped his victims silently without raising any suspicion. Ted avoided using firearms as they could produce noise which could attract people and also leave ballistic evidence.

His tactic was assaulting his victims using blunt objects making them go unconscious. He sometimes strangulation his victims before making his way with them. He was armed with a crowbar in his vehicle which was his weapon of choice then he handcuffed the victims before driving away.

5. Ted Investigated the Surroundings before Disposing of His Victims

Ted was also a meticulous researcher who could investigate his surroundings in quest of secure locations to dispose of his victims. He had a remarkable talent for discrediting tangible evidence. Bundy frequently insisted during the years he tried to prove his innocence that neither his fingerprints nor any other unmistakable proof of his guilt were ever discovered at a murder scene.

Also, read 10 Bone-chilling Facts About The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders.

6. He Would Remove & Burn His Victims’ Clothing as Part of a Ritual

Mark T. Foley / State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

Another thing that helped Ted not get caught was how he eradicated any evidence. At the secondary sites of his crimes, he could remove and burn the victim’s clothing.

Sometimes, he could deposit the victims’ clothes in a Goodwill Industries collection bin. He revealed that the clothing removal was ritualistic and a way of minimising chances of living evidence that could implicate him.

7. Ted took Polaroid Photos of His Victims

Key pieces of evidence that Ted Bundy had in his apartment were Polaroid photos of his victims. He could undress his victims and take Polaroid photos which he could keep for himself.

The authorities failed to get these pieces of evidence when he was arrested but later released. They had searched his house but couldn’t locate the photos which he burned after he was released for lack of evidence.

8. He Revisited Secondary Crime Scenes to Engage in Acts of Necrophilia

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Ted Bundy depicted some weird behaviour with the bodies of his victims after disposing of them. When he was confessing to the authorities, he made a claim that shocked many people.

Ted Bundy confessed that he used to revisit the secondary crime scenes. At the crime scenes, he could engage in acts of necrophilia with the dead bodies. The fact that his victims were young women and University girls made him engage in these acts.

9. Ted Used to Redress His Victims in Clothing or Nail Polish they Never Had

Another chilling thing that Ted Bundy did with the bodies of his victims is how he redressed them. After taking off the clothing they wore and burning them, he had to redress them in a manner that pleased him.

He could dress them in articles of clothing they never wore before. Ted could also apply nail polish on the bodies of the victims which their families revealed that they never wore or had.

10. Bundy Targeted White Females with Most being from Middle-class Backgrounds

 / State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

Ted Bundy had his preference when it came to who he picked as his victims. His known victims were white females who were of middle-class backgrounds.

Most of them were college students and were between 15 and 25 years old. This criteria was so unique and he could not approach anyone he might have met with before.

After his two escapes from police custody, Ted Bundy was a fugitive who changed his target area to Florida. In Florida, he changed his tactics as he attacked women when they were asleep. He was later arrested and handed three death sentences after being charged with multiple atrocities. Ted Bundy was electrocuted at the Florida State Prison on 24^th January 1989.

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