The Monstrous Acts of Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert Bundy, more commonly known as Ted Bundy was a serial killer, rapist, and abductor from the twentieth century. He is one of the most notorious criminals in U.S history. He attended the University of Washington and graduated in 1972 with a degree in psychology. His psychological disorders led him to commit plenty of gruesome crimes which resulted in his death sentence.
Ted Bundy is known for his clever way of committing his crimes. He would fake his injuries, to get women to feel sympathy for him. He would take advantage of their generosity, hit them in the back of their heads, and when they were unconscious put handcuffs on them, and proceeded to shove them in his car (Criminal Minds Fandom). At the time he had his trial he confessed to 36 killings; however, experts believe the actual number is one hundred or more (Biography.com). By looking at all of his victims, it is easy to deduce that he targeted brunette and petite women, who were teenagers and young adults. He looked for women who were in a good economic status or pursuing higher education, therefore one of his Alias was “The Campus Killer.” His signature was bite marks and apparent physical abuse. He would have sex with the corpses of his victims, apply makeup and nail polish on them, and proceeded to lay down with them. In addition to that, he collected their heads as “trophies” and kept pictures of them, to reminisce his crimes (Criminal Minds Fandom)
This map shows the life of Ted Bundy. In green is shown the places where he resided, in red and pink the places where the bodies were found and where he murdered the victims, in blue the trials he had.
His psychological state is intricate and definitely proves that his mental state led him to commit these crimes. Some of the psychological disorders that he was diagnosed with were antisocial personality disorder, narcissist and bipolar personality disorder, psychopathy, and others (Gainsburg). When studies were done on his case, psychiatrists were fascinated with his ability to carry a double life. He had a relationship with Elizabeth Koepfler while committing these crimes. When Elizabeth had the opportunity to talk to him after being sentenced, she asked if he ever thought about hurting her, and he confessed that one time the desire of killing her came to him, but he was not able to execute it. However, as time passed by, Ted started being verbally abusive and would threaten to hurt her.
Bundy was extremely clever and intelligent. He managed to escape prison twice before his ultimate arrest. The first time he escaped from a window in the library of the building where he was going to have his trial. The second time he escaped from his cell through a hole in the ceiling. He went to three trials in different states, prior to receiving his death penalty. He acted as his own lawyer in some cases and was extremely involved in proving that he was not guilty. In the past, many people had reported him as a suspect for the many killings that he committed; however, due to his appearance and character, police often ruled him out. On the last trial, when he was sentenced to death, Judge Edward Cowart expressed his disappointment towards Bundy. He said: “You’re a bright young man. You would have made a good lawyer and I would have loved to have you practice in front of me — but you went another way, partner.” (Cowart) At 7:06 a.m. on January 24, 1989, Bundy was executed by an electric chair (Criminal Minds Fandom)
The story of this serial killer impacted the lives of many, taking the lives of victims, and affecting the relatives of victims. These events also created a feeling of fear among communities. The crimes committed by Ted Bundy could be directly connected with his psychological disorders, which led to his death sentence. Bundy is considered one of the most famous serial killers, for his modus operandi and the extensive number of crimes he committed.
Works Cited
Gainsburg Marissa Gainsburg is the Features Director at Women’s Health, M. (2019, October 22). This list OF Ted BUNDY’S potential mental health disorders is BIZARRELY FASCINATING. Retrieved February 03, 2021, from
Ted Bundy. (n.d.). Retrieved February 03, 2021, from
https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Ted_Bundy#Modus_Operandi
Ted Bundy. (2020, April 06). Retrieved February 03, 2021, from