Ted Bundy: A Killer in the Archives

Interview Notes with Lee and Chapman, 1978

He said if he left Washington and went to Utah, he hoped a change of climate would help him get rid of his problem. Fell in love in Utah, wanted to change his life-- but couldn't, started it all over again.
Two years in prison, thought he'd cured himself.
Said he couldn't control it-- he had to do it all the time now
"Some of the things I've done, I've had to build a barrier within myself to live with myself"
"What people don't realize is I can handle confinement, but when I get ...

Utah Police Interview, November 1975

An early police interview with Detective Jerry Thompson and Captain Hayward from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. Ted was in the Salt Lake County Jail at the time, pending trial for the DaRonch kidnapping. He'd be released on bail a couple weeks later-- his parents took out a second mortgage to pay for it.
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Capt. Hayward: Well don't you have your degree in Psychology, is it, Psychology or Sociology?

Bundy: Psychology… I don't try to, I'm not a, I, I don't try to f...

The Ted and Kenny Show

The 1978 version of a meme. I'm not totally sure of the origin, but my educated guess is that it was made by people in the Leon County District Attorney's office. 

Dental Impressions, 1978

Bundy: I'm not voluntarily consenting to this.

Souviron: Right, I understand that. You're not gonna bite me now are you?

Bundy: Oh, hell no. I'm a pretty non-violent person.

Crime Commission, 1973

By request, crime commission publications written while Bundy was working for the Seattle Crime Prevention Commission in 1973. 

Contrary to what was reported in the media, Ted never actually wrote the rape study report. It was the work of Donna Schram and Philip Sherburne, other members of the commission. He appears to have taken credit for their work. 

University District Sightings, 1974

"I KEPT HEARING this noise... and saw this guy with a cast on his leg and on crutches, carrying a briefcase," she said.  "I swear, he dropped that briefcase every five seconds."
Although suspicious, she offered to help. "It looks like you're having problems, could I help you across the street?" He readily accepted.
She said she figured with other people in the street, he wouldn't try anything. "He didn't say much, but smiled strangely and always looked at me with his wide eyes," sh...

Ed Harvey's Affidavit, 1987

Ed Harvey was one of Bundy's court-appointed public defenders in 1979. Along with Bundy's other defense attorneys Mike Minerva and Millard Farmer, Harvey assisted in negotiating his client's aborted plea agreement. He was quickly convinced of both Bundy's mental instability and incompetency to stand trial, much less his ability to successfully act as his own counsel. In this affidavit from 1987, Harvey describes his difficult experience of working with Bundy and provides evidence from 1979 fo...

Messages to Governor Martinez, 1989

A letter Frank Fender wrote to Governor Martinez, asking to be present at the execution. He was Kimberly Leach's uncle, her mother's brother.

Also a list of phone calls to the governor's office overwhelmingly voicing support for the execution.

Holiday Inn Receipts

Checks from Ted's meals at the Holiday Inn of Tallahassee in the week following the Chi Omega murders. All purchased with stolen credit cards. He had a hearty appetite.

Competency Hearing, 1979

Defense attorney Mike Minerva doubted Bundy's mental competency to stand trial from the start. Judge Cowart ordered a hearing with two well renowned psychiatrists to address the issue. The expert for the prosecution was Dr. Hervey Cleckley, who wrote the seminal book on the phenomenon of psychopathy, "The Mask of Sanity."  For the defense was Dr. Emmanuel Tanay, whose testimony is excerpted here:

A: I’m of the opinion that he does suffer from a mental disorder. Although, at the s...

Deseret News

During my trip to Salt Lake City in October, I paid a visit to the Mormon Church Archives for Bundy research.

Why would the Mormon Church have archives about Ted Bundy, you may ask?

Well, the Deseret News paper is actually owned by the LDS Church, and so their archives are technically Church property. Seems strange to me, but whatever.

I thought y’all might be interested in these clippings, which aren’t available on newspapers.com.

2023-12-06 21:10:48 +0000 UTC View Post

Chi Omega Suspect

Nita Neary's description of the man she saw leaving through the front door of her sorority house on the night of the Chi Omega attack, rendered by a police sketch artist. 

I've also uploaded a transcript of Nita's hypnosis session, and an interesting piece of expert analysis hired by Bundy's defense lawyers, arguing that Nita's eyewitness testimony was falliable, and likely tainted. 

An Interaction with Deputy Daws, 1978

With no reason to stay any longer, and plenty of reasons to leave, a rational Ted Bundy would have left the state immediately — and probably still could have escaped detection if he had. Instead, Bundy could not stir himself for three days. He did steal a green Toyota on Friday, February 10, and told himself he'd leave no later than eleven that night for Houston, Texas. Instead, Bundy took a girl from the Oaks to dinner and then went back to the rooming house to watch The Rockford Files on ...

American Fork, Utah

My friend Dave who lives in Salt Lake City made us a video last week exploring the Laura Aime dumpsite. We were able to identify the exact location from her case file. The site, near Timpanogas Cave National Monument, would have been about the same in 1974, and even the time of year is close to how it would have looked when Laura's body was discovered.

Carl Egan's Gas Station

Ted bought a full tank of gas from Carl Egan's gas station in Bountiful, Utah- a suburb about 20 minutes north of Salt Lake City- on October 28, 1974. The gas station is about a mile from Viewmont High School, within easy walking distance. Ted was undoubtedly scouting for victims there, because Debra Kent was abducted from Viewmont ten days later. 

Egan's Lifetime Automotive, as it's called today, in October 2023 probably looks very similar to how it looked in 1974.

Fashion Place Mall, 2023

Murray Police Dept Victim Interview, Nov. 9, 1974:

Detective Riet: Would you give me your name please?

DaRonch: Carol DaRonch.

Riet: Approx. what time were you over at the Fashion Place Mall last night? Do you remember?

DaRonch: About a little after 7:00.

Riet: Where did you park your car?

DaRonch: In the Sears parking lot on the west side.

Riet: How long were you in the mall before you were approached by the suspect?

DaRonch: About 10 or 15 min...

Viewmont High, 2023

Excerpt from the written statement of Raelynn Shepherd, drama teacher at Viewmont High School in Bountiful, Utah; November 10, 1974:

"I got to school for the musical at 7:30 p.m., seated my husband in the auditorium, and started around the corner to the dressing rooms. I think it was about 7:45 at the time. The hall was dark, but I could see fairly well. A man who was standing alone halfway down the hall approached me as I walked toward the dressing rooms. He said, “Excuse me, but cou...

Fairview Canyon, 2023

Ted Bundy accurately described Debra Kent's burial site as Fairview Canyon, a rural area about 2 hours' drive from Salt Lake City. A single patella, found in a wash in 1989 and DNA verified as Debra's in 2015, proved that Bundy was telling the truth about where he'd buried her. His verbal description allowed searchers to find that small piece of bone, although the rest of her remains are still somewhere in the canyon.

I visited the location last week and took a lot of pictures. I've cap...

Dept of Emergency Services Baseball, 1974

Just a little tidbit- the interagency baseball schedule for the Dept of Emergency Services, where Ted worked in the summer of 1974. Carole Boone makes an appearance as well.

Tallahassee Photos, 2023

A few more of my photographs from the Florida State Archives, Leon County Jail, and FSU campus. 

The Oak

The Oak at 409 W. College Ave in Tallahassee as it appeared in 1978, news articles about its demise, and my photographs from September 2023. The rooming house, which burned in 2001 and again in 2002, was finally torn down in 2003. Today the location is a parking lot, and only the massive oak tree in front remains.

Tallahassee Perp Walk, 1978

By request, re-uploading this video of Ted's police escort in Tallahassee.

Letters from Dr. Dobson, 1988

August-December 1988 letters from Dr. James Dobson to Bundy on death row. 

"...John tells me that your spiritual conversion is real, and that you are motivated now to serve the Lord even at great personal risk. I understand the situation with which you are confronted and admire your desire to help in the fight against hard-core and violent pornography. I believe you are in an incredible position to influence the nation regarding the dangers of obscenity, Ted. Most Americans are tot...

Clemency Hearing, 1985

The transcript of Bundy's clemency hearing before Governor Graham on December 19, 1985. In a clemency hearing, usually, the governor listens to testimony from the state in favor of the death penalty, and testimony from a defense attorney in favor of commuting the death sentence to life in prison. However, Bundy's attorney was not present at this hearing. At the time of the Chi Omega murders, Jack Poitinger was a deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office, but by 1985 he was also an assistan...

Chi Omega, 1978 and 2023

Photos from my trip to Tallahassee last week. Here's the Chi Omega sorority house as it looks now, and as it looked then in crime scene photos. They were having some kind of rush event, and girls were lining up outside to get in. I got in line, because I'll do anything for my followers lol, but it was ticketed and I didn’t have a QR code, so they kicked me out. But hey, I tried.

Which door do y'all think he came in through? The first door in the series was on the east side of the buil...

Tallahassee

Sorry I’ve been a little MIA recently y’all. I’ve got a goldmine coming down the pipeline, though. I took a special research trip to Tallahassee and I’ll be here for the rest of the week, elbow deep in archives.

Here’s a small sneak peak. More to come, stay tuned.

Mike Fisher Interrogation, March 1976

Colorado investigator Mike Fisher arranged to interview Ted Bundy in March 1976, shortly after his conviction for the Carol DaRonch kidnapping. Bundy was still being held at the Salt Lake County Jail when Fisher, Pitkin County Sheriff's Detective Bill Baldridge, and Ted's defense attorney John O'Connell convened for the interview. Ted is as vague and evasive as ever, but I think there are nuggets of truth throughout this.
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Fisher: Yes, we're talking about January the 12th now, ...

Cooper Point Journal, 1974-1975

A collection of Evergreen State College student newspapers related to the disappearance of Donna Manson and the other missing and murdered girls throughout the Northwest.