Last Updated on July 4, 2026
Theodore Robert Bundy aka Ted Bundy was a serial killer who murdered 30 young women in the 1970s in the USA.
He was famed for his charm and charisma and he would use the ruse of an injury to lure women to his vehicle.
Ted Bundy drove a Volkswagen Beetle or a station wagon and would hit women from behind and put them into his car to kill at another location.
Ted Bundy returned to the crime scene on many occasions to engage in sexual activity with them as he was a necrophile.
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How Many People Did Ted Bundy Kill?
The number of murders Bundy confessed to was 30.
Most of these were identified but the exact number of women he may have murdered and Ted Bundy’s body count is unknown due to unsolved cases in the areas he operated in.
Ted Bundy had an IQ of 124 and was said to be very intelligent.
The execution of Ted Bundy was by the electric chair and he died on January 24th 1989.
Ted Bundy doesn’t have a grave, he was cremated and scattered at Cascade Range, Washington.
Ted Bundy Victims – Washington & Oregon
Ted Bundy assaulted Karen Sparks at the University of Washington in January 1974.
He broke into her apartment and assaulted her with a metal bar, leaving her in a coma for 10 days.
She survived the attack by Bundy.
The Ted Bundy murders took place across a number of states from 1974 to 1978.
Lynda Ann Healy was murdered in January 1974, the police discovered blood stained bedding and clothing in her dorm room.
She was dressed by Bundy and he carried her from her room to her burial site.
Her skull was discovered on Taylor Mountain, close to Issaquah in March 1975 by Forestry students, who were surveying the area.
She had been been beaten to death.
Donna Gail Manson was murdered by Ted Bundy in March 1974 after she left to meet with friends at a local concert but was never seen again.
Bundy confessed to her murder and he claimed he took her body to his Taylor Mountain burial but her remains were never found.
Susan Elaine Rancourt was murdered in April 1974 after she left a meeting to meet a friend.
Her fractured skull was discovered on Taylor Mountain, close to Issaquah in March 1975 by Forestry students, who were surveying the area.
Roberta Kathleen Parks was murdered in May 1974 after she left her University dorm to meet friends but never arrived.
Her skull and lower jaw were discovered on Taylor Mountain, close to Issaquah in March 1975 by Forestry students, who were surveying the area.
Brenda Carol Ball was murdered in May 1974 after leaving a local bar.
She was last seen talking to a man with his arm in a sling in a tavern car park.
Her skull and lower jaw were discovered on Taylor Mountain, close to Issaquah in March 1975 by Forestry students, who were surveying the area.
Georgann Hawkins was murdered in June 1974 after leaving her boyfriends dorm room.
Bundy claimed her remains were at a burial site close to Lake Sammamish State Park .
Janice Ann Ott was murdered in July 1974, she disappeared from Lake Sammamish State Park after helping a man with his arm in a sling.
Her remains were found in September 1974 at a burial site close to Lake Sammamish State Park
Denise Marie Naslund was murdered in July 1974, she disappeared just four hours after he took Janice Ott.
She was taken from the Lake Sammamish State Park after leaving her friends to use a bathroom.
Her remains were found in September 1974 at a burial site close to Lake Sammamish State Park.
Ted Bundy Victims – Utah, Colorado & Idaho
1974
Nancy Wilcox was murdered in October 1974 after last being seen in Ted Bundy’s car.
Bundy confessed to assaulting and strangling her.
He gave a vague description of where he buried her but her remains have never been located.
Melissa Anne Smith was murdered in October 1974 after going missing when walking home after meeting a friend.
Her body was found 9 days later in the Wasatch Mountains.
She had been severely beaten and sexually assaulted.
Laura Ann Aime was murdered in October 1974 after leaving a Halloween party early to walk to a local park.
Her body was found a month later by hikers in the Wasatch Mountains outside a cave that would become known as Ted Bundy’s Cave.
She had been severely beaten and sexually assaulted.
Ted later confessed that he had kept her in the cave for a number of days and had revisited the scene.
Carol DaRonch was approached by Ted Bundy in a shopping mall in November 1974.
He told her that her car had been broken into and that she needed to go with him to the police station.
She was able to escape to a nearby road where she ran into the path of a local couple who took her to a police station.
Carol DaRonch was the first survivor of a Ted Bundy abduction.
1975
Debra Kent was murdered by Ted Bundy in November 1975 after leaving a high school play to pick up her younger brother.
Screams were heard and a Volkswagen Bug was seen racing from the scene.
A key was found at the crime scene that matched the handcuffs from Carol’s failed abduction.
Debra’s her body was never found.
Caryn Campbell was murdered in January 1976.
She disappeared from an Inn on vacation in Colorado.
Her body was found 36 years later in the snow along a dirt road nearby.
She had been beaten and slashed.
Julie Cunningham was murdered in March 1975 after leaving her home to meet a friend.
Her body was never found at the location Bundy told the police he had left it.
Bundy told investigators that he had approached her on crutches before beating and strangling her.
Denise Lynn Oliverson was murdered in April 1975 after cycling to her parents house following an argument with her husband.
Her body was never found but her bike and shoes were found under a bridge.
Bundy claims he threw her body into the Colorado River, off the same bridge.
Lynette Culver was murdered in May 1975.
Bundy confessed to her murder and throwing her body into the Snake River but her remains were never found.
Susan Curtis disappeared during a conference at Brigham Young University in June 1975.
Bundy confessed to her murder and claims her buried her in Utah but her remains were never found.
Ted Bundy Victims – Florida
Margaret Elizabeth Bowman was murdered in her Chi Omega dorm room in January 1978.
She had been beaten and strangled whilst she slept.
Lisa Levy was murdered in her Chi Omega dorm room in January 1978.
She had been strangled and sexually assaulted.
Ted Bundy left behind evidence in this murder, a bite mark, which led to his murder conviction and eventual execution.
Karen Chandler was assaulted in her dorm room in January 1978.
She had a fractured skull and jaw, broken teeth and a number of other wounds.
Karen Chandler survived the attack by Bundy.
Kathy Kleiner was assaulted in her Chi Omega sorority dorm room in January 1978.
She was asleep at the time of the attack and had a broken jaw, teeth and had been stabbed to the face.
Kathy Kleiner survived the attack by Bundy.
Cheryl Thomas was assaulted in her bedroom in January 1978.
She had been severely beaten and spent a month in hospital.
Cheryl Thomas survived the attack by Bundy and has lasting injuries from the attack
Kimberly Diane Leach was murdered in February 1978 after being seen leaving school with a man.
Her remains were later found near Suwannee River State Park.
Confessions and Conjecture
The night before his execution, Ted Bundy finally confessed to the murder of more than 30 women.
Ted Bundy’s crime scene photos showed bloody scenes and led to suspicions that he may have committed some of the murders below.
Melanie Cooley was murdered in April 1975 and her body was discovered two weeks later.
She had been beaten and strangled. Bundy was in the local area when she disappeared.
The local authorities don’t have enough conclusive evidence and the case is listed as a cold case.
Shelly Robertson was murdered in July 1975 and her body was found in August.
Bundy was in the local area when she disappeared.
However, the local authorities don’t have enough conclusive evidence and the case is listed as a cold case.
Susan Davis and Elizabeth Perry were stabbed in May 1969.
Bundy was in the local area and had confessed to killing two women in the area.
However, the case remains open.
Ted Bundy is suspected of a number of other crimes.
The murder of Ann Marie Burr in 1961, when he was just 14 years old.
However, Bundy refuted the claims many times and there is no scientific evidence to link him to the crime.
Rita Curran was murdered in her home and was strangled, beaten and sexually assaulted.
Furthermore, he knew the area and at that time nobody knows where he was.
The case is unsolved but a FBI detective believes he is responsible.
Lisa Wick and Lonnie Turnball were flight attendants who were beaten with a length of wood whilst they slept in June 1966.
Lonnie died and Lisa has no memory of the event.
Bundy is tied with the case due to the similarities to the sorority house attack.
In addition to the above, Bundy remains a suspect in the murders of Joyce LePage, Rita Jolly, Vicki Hollar, Katherine Merry Devine and Sandra Jean Weaver.
Arrests, Escapes and Trials
When he was first arrested there was a lot a lot of thought from friends and family that Ted Bundy was innocent and it was a case of mistaken identity.
Ted Bundy was jailed for 15 years in July 1975 for the kidnapping and attempted assault of Carol DaRonch.
He was initially pulled over for a traffic violation.
Upon checking the vehicle police discovered Ted Bundy had a murder kit containing a hacksaw, crowbar and handcuffs.
Police linked the use of handcuffs to Carols’ attempted kidnapping.
Carol later picked him out of the police lineup.
This arrest made him the suspect in a number of murders because credit card statements had placed him in the area.
He was charged with Caryn Campbell’s murder in October 1976 and transferred to a jail in Aspen.
Bruce Lubeck was Ted Bundy’s defense lawyer and initially believed him innocent and that it was a case of mistaken identity.
Ted served as his own lawyer during the Bundy trial, which gave him the opportunity to escape.
Escapes
Ted Bundy’s first escape was jailed was achieved by jumping out of the Pitkin County jailhouse law library in June 1977.
Bundy was recaptured a week later after being spotted by two police offers.
Ted Bundy under went weight loss to help him escape a second time in December 1977.
He had lost enough weight to slip through a light fitting in the ceiling.
He changed into plain clothes and walked out of the front door of the prison and down to the train station.
Ted was immediately placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List.
Ted Bundy fled to Florida state where he used a fake name to rent an apartment funded by stolen credit cards.
After the sorority house murders, he went on the run and was arrested for driving a stolen car and possessing a stolen driving license.
Ted Bundy was charged with the attack on the Chi Omega house due to a bite mark he had left on one of the bodies.
Following his arrest, Bundy called his girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer aka Elizabeth Kendall and confessed his crimes to her.
Trials
Ted Bundy went on trial for the sorority murders in June 25 1979.
He was found guilty due to the bite mark evidence and witness testimony.
Bundy was given two death sentences.
Later in January 1980 he was given a third death sentence after being found guilty of Kimberly Leach’s murder.
The issue has been raised many times and the question has been asked – was Ted Bundy a psychopath?
He was interviewed by Hervey Cleckley as part of the prosecution.
Hervey gave Ted Bundy the diagnosis of a psychopath, as did Bundy’s defense.
During his Florida trials in 1986, his defence attorney Polly Nelson asked for the death penalty to be reconsidered as he was not mentally competent.
Ted was examined by Dorothy Lewis, despite his insistence that he was competent.
The judge in the case ruled that he was the most competent serial killer in the country at this time.
During the initial trials Ted Bundy acted as his own lawyer and would refer to himself in the third person.
Bundy would use any opportunity to speak to the press.
He famously addressed the press as his indictment was read out and said “My chance to talk to the press. I’ll plead not guilty right now.”
Bundy spent years appealing his death sentences and offered further information on other crimes to cause delays.
Execution of Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy was executed in the electric chair on January 24th 1989.
He had exhausted all of the available appeals.
Ted Bundy’s execution brought a huge crowd chanting, holding banners and selling merchandise including the famous Burn Bundy Burn t-shirts.
Ted Bundy’s last words were “Jim and Fred, I’d like you to give my love to my family and friends.”
Ted Bundy’s final meal was steak, eggs, hash browns, eggs, toast, milk and juice.
He was served a standard last meal after he declined to choose a special meal and he also declined to eat the above.
In his will, Ted Bundy asked not to be buried.
He asked for his body to be cremated and for his remains to be scattered over Cascade Mountains in Washington.
The location that many of his victims remains were discovered.
Personal Life
Ted Bundy had a good level of education having studied Chinese and Sociology before graduating with a degree in Psychology from the University of Washington.
Ted Bundy worked alongside Ann Rule on a suicide hotline in Seattle when Bundy was training to be a social worker.
Anne would later write a biography on Bundy called The Stranger Beside Me (AD*).
Ted Bundy led a normal life.
He was in committed relationships throughout his killing spree.
Elizabeth Kloepfer became suspicious when he would go out at night.
She reported him to the police multiple times during 1974 but her reports were not taken seriously until two years later.
She wrote a book about their relationship called The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy (AD*).
Ted Bundy married Carol Ann Boone, who Ted started dating in 1974.
They married in 1980 during his trial after Ted proposed to her whilst she was under oath as a witness for his defence.
Carol Boone later divorced Ted in 1986 when she no longer believed he was innocent.
Ted Bundy has a daughter named Rose, who was conceived whilst he was on death row.
Rose was born on 24th October 1981.
Rose is often referred to as Rosa and web sleuths have come up with a number of possible women who could be Ted Bundy’s child including a Rosa Johnson, Abigail Griffin and more.
Ted Bundy did not have a son but was said to be very close to Carol’s son.
Bundy had a poor upbringing and a troubled childhood.
Ted Bundy blamed porn, his addiction to hardcore pornography and his childhood for his crimes.
But Ted Bundy’s mother Eleanor Louise Cowell supported him and claimed his innocence throughout his trial.
Ted Bundy and Diane Edwards aka Stephanie Brooks met and dated in college.
She broke his heart and it is believed a number of her victims bear her resemblance as he never got over the failed relationship.
Media
Netflix released a Ted Bundy documentary called Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes in January 2019.
The Ted Bundy Tapes is a four part docuseries covering the trial and features interview footage.
This includes the James Dobson interview with Ted Bundy, the final interview before execution.
Some of the footage of Ted Bundy in court is truly chilling and I highly recommend watching.
Netflix also released Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile will see Ted Bundy played by Zac Efron.
The feature length Ted Bundy movie and dramatization was released in May 2019.
The Ted Bundy car was the famous Volkswagen Beetle that he owned whilst at College in Utah.
The Ted Bundy car is on display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN.
Occasionally memorabilia such as original Ted Bundy letter’s will come up for sale and they often sell for thousands of dollars.
There have been numerous books and articles published including Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer: The Death Row Interviews (AD*).
Some of the research is worth a read including many of the research papers and the analysis of Ted Bundy’s handwriting.
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