Ted Bundy: The Boy Next Door
By Merlene Reynolds
He was 31 years old in 1978. He was a handsome man, by most people's
accounts. His physical characteristics would have read well in a personal
advertisement in the back of any local newspaper or on a website for singles.
He was tall, slender with his height and weight proportional to his slender,
athletic build. He attended law school and had also received a degree in
psychology. He played tennis at the local country clubs and wore white tennis
shoes. His name was Theodore Robert Bundy. His friends called him "Ted."
When referring to Ted, most people remarked that he was handsome, nicelooking, or attractive. "There was a special dapperness about him," writes
Richard W. Larsen, Bundy: the deliberate stranger. Even the men envied his
good looks and long brown hair, Larsen continues. Ted was often described
using words such as: "very sharp young chap" or "nice-looking young man" or
"quite handsome" or "terribly charismatic" or "rather debonair" or
"impeccable." Even Ted's fourth grade teacher remembered him as a "happy,
well-adjusted child... always eager to learn," explains Larsen.
In 1972, Ted received a bachelor's degree in psychology and had been active in
the Republican politics and campaign efforts. Then, the next year, in 1973, he
was an assistant for a few months to Ross Davis, chairman of the Washington
State Republican party who later recalled that "Ted was a super bright guy" and
an "effective worker," writes Larsen, in regards to what Davis said. Davis' wife,
Sarah, exclaimed during this same interview that, "We just all loved Ted."
Those who knew Ted him considered him intelligent, articulate, and selfconfident. "All the accolades, all the praise-filled remembrances of Ted fell into
place to form a portrait of a bright young man of accomplishment, warmth, and
sincerity," summarizes Larsen.
Then, three years later, in 1975, some news reporters had named the
Intermountain States Law Enforcement Conference, the "Ted Squad," because
thirty detectives and prosecutors had gathered in Aspen "to compare dozens of
similar unsolved cases of murdered girls and young women in several states California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado," explains Larsen. The focus
and interest on Ted Bundy had starting circulating among police officers and
detectives. Young women were disappearing under suspicious circumstances
and at alarming frequency.
The "Ted Squad" did not deter Ted; however, the publicity only seemed to have
encouraged him. Ted's grandiose view of himself and his narcissist tendencies
began to surface as he welcomed the attention and celebrity following his arrest
and during his trial. He was obviously "chipper" after his release from jail,
explains Larsen, and even boasted that he considered his time in jail as an
"eight-week course, paid for by the county, in the criminal-justice system."
Ted's confidence also was seen following some preliminary court hearings
when he told reporters in the corridor that he welcomed a trial, wanted to clear
his name, and wanted "it all out in the open," states Larsen.
The investigations into the deaths of so many victims with similar physical
appearances continued. Women who had known Ted were asked during police
interviews about Ted's sexual preferences. A former female friend described
sexual intercourse with Ted as more of a "slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am sex act,"
reports Larsen. Cas Richter, Ted's long-time girlfriend, reported in a separate
interview, how Ted started experimenting with various sex moves and methods.
He had once asked her if he could tie her up. She initially consented, but after
three or four times, decided she didn't like it and cut him off. She had later
recalled that while she was tied up, Ted strangled her.
Ted's sexual behavior began to develop into a profile. However, despite
thousands of interviews, detectives were never able to "discover any proof of
homosexual tendencies or activities in Bundy's life," explains Larsen, which,
according to most law enforcement agencies, would have been "an expectable
characteristic in a man suspected of violence against women."
The sexual behavior of a suspect is of critical importance to investigators.
Sexual deviance, specifically homosexuality and the preference for anal sex, is
a major clue into the underlying psychological symptoms or personality traits
that motivate certain behaviors; particularly when the suspect is a sexual sadist.
"Some examiners consider this behavior [anal sex] sadistic in any context
because it involved the infliction of pain to a victim associated with a sexual
act," writes Brent E. Turvey, author of Criminal Profiling: an introduction to
behavioral evidence analysis.
There were numerous accounts of Bundy's "necrophilia and other postmortem
fantasy-oriented behavior," continues Turvey. The psychosexual orientation of
the offender is a critical factor when evaluating offender motives and
behaviors. Considering that most of Ted's victims were no longer alive to
describe his sexual behaviors, law enforcement was reliant on the descriptions
given by former female friends during interviews which helped them uncover
the animalistic characteristics rooted in the psyche of a sadist. Victims of
sexual homicide do not have the luxury of testifying.
Psychologists and criminologists analyze behavioral characteristics from
separate and distinct perspectives. The psychologist specializes in the diagnosis
of specific, known individuals to determine if mental illness exists.
Criminologists develop typologies of offender behavior of unknown suspects
based on experience, crime statistics, and behavioral analysis of crime scenes
and potential suspects. Each group agrees, however, on general behavioral
assumptions regarding the complex composite of a sexual sadist. "Psychopathy
and sadism are offender classifications that are behaviorally determined,"
explains Turvey. This means that the offender's behavior largely determines the
diagnosis. Ted "is widely referred to as a psychopathic sexual sadist," states
Turvey.
The primary trait for sadism is "the intentional infliction of psychological or
physical suffering on a conscious victim, able to experience pain or humiliation
for the purpose of the offender's sexual gratification," continues Turvey. Sexual
sadism was the primary motive of Ted Bundy's criminal behavior and
subsequent murder of at least thirty-three young female victims during the early
1970s.
Ted did not live among the underbelly of society, as reported by everyone
involved with the Ted Bundy investigation; instead, he interacted with business
leaders and politicians while simultaneously concealing his weapons of choice
that he carried with him in his yellow, Volkswagen bug. Ted was the man who
could mingle with and blend into the fabric of society with intellectual
sophistication. He was socially adept and able to fluctuate from one murder to
the next for almost ten years without being caught. He was a handsome man, by
most people's accounts. He did not "look" like a criminal.
Ted's physical characteristics would have read well in a personal advertisement
in the back of any local newspaper or posted on any website for singles. He was
attractive, tall, and slender with his height and weight proportional. He wore a
fashionable hair cut. Most women would have responded to his personal
advertisement and been proud to display him in public. He was the type of man
who could influence men and persuade women. He always knew which clothes
to wear and always wore a smile. He was the type of man most people would
call "nice."
Then, on February 10, 1978, he was added to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's list of the ten most wanted fugitives. It took almost ten years
before he was convicted; and, a little more than ten years before he was
executed by the electric chair on January 24, 1989. He was 42-years-old. His
name was Theodore "Ted" Robert Bundy.
His name was Theodore Robert Bundy, but his friends called him "Ted." It
could have been any name or user name which he used to identify himself. This
"Ted" was a typical sociopath with sadistic tendencies. His sadistic nature is
demonstrated through the pleasure he derived from the physical pain and
torture he inflicted on women. The sociopathic tendencies are demonstrated
through Ted's total lack of conscience which allowed him to commit heinous
crimes without feelings of guilt or remorse. He knew what he wanted and what
to look for. His actions were premeditated and precise. He could work by day
and murder by night.
"Ted" also chose his victims well. He knew his "type." He preferred women
with long, auburn hair, which was typically long enough to reach their
shoulders and, thus, flow effortlessly in the breeze. He was attracted to
traditional beauty and was handsome enough to acquire it. His best weapon was
his charm and sophistication. He blended with upper-class society and, thus,
spent his time with the "in" crowds. He lured his victims with ploys and always
brought a prop.
He did not look like a criminal. He looked like the boy next door, the man
behind you, the man on the bus, or the one sitting next to you at the office. He
knew how to "blend-in" in almost any situation. He could blend with the best or
lurk unnoticed. He was the type of man people would defend and, even after
being shown multiple facts or courtroom evidence, there would always be
someone who would still remark to the police officer or comment to a news
reporters, that "he would never do that." He was the type of man everyone
loved and everyone loved to follow. He was the man everyone wanted to know
and get to know better. He was the man who brought a gift in one hand and a
knife in the other. He was the "glad hand" and the "candy man." He was the
type of man no one ever suspects.