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This is another interesting character that I've been reading about...

This charismatic character, the handsome man who preyed on young women�

What was also interesting to me about Ted Bundy was his trial, and what he said when he was in jail, awaiting execution. He said that they should kill him because if he ever got out he would go out and do it again� that’s pretty scary.
Another interesting thing is that he actually helped the police get some insight into the Green River Killer�

Share your views with me? I’d love to know!

Bundy always intrigued me as the one serial killer who really had a decent home life. His Mom loved him and was not abusive. I remember that Bundy held the stepfather in contempt because he wasn't as smart as he was.

Oh my word, can you believe that?

Bundy is a strange character to me, as he was such a handsome guy, he seemed so normal you know? Not the image you get in your mind of a serial killer...

Some serial killers have been known to be very charming, and have gained acceptance by that psychopathic ability to pretend to feelings you don't have.

It always intrigued me that he rose so fast in party politics. He volunteered a lot and became pretty well known in local Republican circles. He had to impress quite a few people to pull that off.

Wow thats amazing...
I heard someone talking about the difference there is between a serial killer and a psychopath the other day...
Seems that most of these guys were rather charasmatic.

What else do you know about him Jane?
I'm currently studying criminology but mostly on the South African side and the effect it has on the vitims

I've read probably 3 books about him. About to leave on a trip, so will hurry this out. He could not be detained for long and escaped many times from law enforcement, just an amazing story. He killed girls who resembled the girl who had rejected him. Ann Rule, the true crime author, sat next to him for a long time at a rape crisis volunteer center. Can you imagine that? He volunteered to counsel rape victims.

Another intriguing thing: the northwest US produces many more serial killers than anywhere in the US. This continues to puzzle criminologists.

Must go now.

Dont take this the wrong way.. but Bundy is my "favorite" serial killer. I first read The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule and I was hooked. The scariest thing about him is that he is the exact opposite of what we think of as serial killers. Its totally chilling.

Ann Rule has a unique perspective with her book- Like Jane said- she knew Ted years before any of this started happening. She was hearing things about the murders and when the first few clues came out (The killers first name was Ted, he drives a brown VW) She actually came forward and suggested that Ted be checked out. Even though she didn't believe he was capable of killing these girls, the similarities were there. The whole book she talks about the contact she had with Ted before and after the murders and conviction-And about how she would go back and forth on her beliefs of his innocence.

I couldn't imagine knowing someone that charming, successful and personable and then finding out he was responsible for so many murders. If you haven't read this book I highly suggest you read it. Best book about Ted in my opinion:)

Thanks Kelsey and Jane. I'm going to look for that book and start reading asap.

Kelsey, no worries, all serial killers facinate me... I dont find it strange that you have a favorite one at all :).

I know what you mean! He looks like the nice guy in the neighbourhood, the guy who'l wave at you or help you unload your car... that makes it very scary, because how many times dont we trust a person just like that!

I live in South Africa, and most serial killers in my country tend to prey on young girls. We have one serial killer Van Rooyen, he kidnapped a load of girls, and some of them have never been found. He committed suicide with his partner as the police were about to make an arrest.

I love stories about Ted Bundy, also good old Jack the Ripper. I also like reading about the BTK killer and the Manson Murders...

Niecole,

Here are some recommendations since your are interested in Ted Bundy.

Two of a Kind: The Hillsides Stranglers by Darcy O'Brien. He also wrote Murder in Little Egypt which I thought was really good.

By the author of Sybil, The Shoemaker :Anatomy of a Psychotic.

If you have not readColumbine by Dave Cullen. He really did his research. It took him 10 years and really gives you insite into how the two young men were thinking.

I forgot to mention
Killer Clown: John Wayne: The John Wayne Gacy Murders. John Gacy was not charming, but made promises of jobs to the young men he lured to their deaths.

Actually,
Ted Bundy did not have a normal home life. His mother had him when she was a teen and the family was very embarrassed. They sent her away to give birth. When she returned they pretended that his grandmother was his mother and his mother was his older sister. He didn't discover the truth until he was a teen and came upon it by accident. He said that he always had a suspicion growing up, but it was never discussed. He was close to his grandparents, but his mother moved him across the country when he was young and he rarely saw them. Investigators believe that he committed his first murder as a teen shortly after discovering the truth, but if I remember correctly, the little girls body was never found.

As for Gacy, I grew up in Chicago near his home during his killing spree. My father actually knew him and said he was a really nice guy.

The story about Gacy,thats scary Jennifer! Wow, its strange for us to accept that some of these guys live right next door,they go to church with us,go to the same stores...

Thanks for the insight...
I'm currently studying criminology and this semester we focus on the victims. Its scary what some people have to go through in their lives. In south africa we have a lot of family murders, like a father "punishing" his wife by killing the children, or even the other way around...

I think "The Stranger Beside Me" by Ann Rule is the best book on Bundy but for sheer chill factor, "Bundy, Conversations with a Serial Killer" by Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth made me almost sick. Not for the fainthearted.

For those of you who have read "The Stranger Besides Me" if you read it before 2009 you will want to pick up the 25th anniversary edition. She added quite a bit of new information and corrected information that was proven to be false.

Niecole,
That is so sad. It seems like those types of crimes are happening more in the United States also. I cannot fathom how anyone could hurt a child much less their own.

I wonder if it has something to do with the rainy weather in that part of the country or the fact that there are so many trees and brush that concealing a victim is easier.

Hi Jennifer...
Yes it is sad.
I'm currently reading a book about the murder of Baby Jordan Leigh Norton. She was killed in her house. Her fathers girlfriend organised the killing, the women was jelous of a 6 month old baby!!!!!!

I'm searching for The Killer Beside Me...

Bundy is an interesting bloke for sure! I haven't read any books on him yet but I have heard that "The Killer beside Me" is very good.

Bundy is especially interesting because he was such an atractive man you know? Who would have thought he'd be a serial killer! I think also that his mind should be interesting... bare with me, as a psychology student I think the minds of criminals are fasinating... He even once said that they should kill him because if he ever got out he would kill again

Attractive and intelligent, ideal for a sociopath right? I watched a movie on him simply titled "Bundy" has anyone else seen it?

Nope, havent seen it, how was it?
Yes, ideal for a sociopath...

It was very good IMO!

How can anyone be jealous of a 6 month old!! That is terrible!! Yet, here in the US we are still looking for Kyron Horman who was probably murdered by a jealous stepmother. So sad.

If you look on YouTube you can hear the recordings they made of Bundy describing some of the murders. Very chilling.

Hey Jennifer... I finished the book over the weekend, its a horrible story. This women (who was dating the father of the baby) told him that he should choose between her and the baby, so he chose her and had NO contact with his daughter. But in the end Dina (the women) hired 4 guys to stage a break in at the house where only the nanny and the uncle of 17 was at that moment, and they stabbed her to death. Its horrible, and worst of all is that now she wants early release!

Bundy creeps me out, I've watched a few crime shows where they profile him and he is so calm in a way about it all. Its also facinating how he helped the police in catching the green river killer

Niecole,

I truly hope she never gets out. I am amazed by people who commit these senseless crimes and think they are entitled to be free. This summer I read Murder in the Heartland by M. William Phelps. It is about a woman who pretended to be pregnant and befriended another pregnant woman online only to kill her and cut her baby from her and claim it as her own.

Hi Jennifer...
That is seriously sick. I know that some women get really crazy after losing their baby, and could end up doing stuff like that... I really think that any women who loses a baby should be sent for help. It does great damage to you. But that is still no excuse to do what she did. I cant imagine what it must be like.

Yes, she wants early release, and what makes me really mad is that she has been studying in jail! She's suppose to be there for life, so in my mind that says why should she get to study when she should never come out? It really blows my mind, when they get that opertunity in jail, yet there are millions of kids who cant afford an education

I read "Murder in the Heartland" by M. William Phelps too. It was really disturbing that this sort of thing actually happens but he is a really good author. I just finished reading "Because You Loved Me" about a teenager who had her boyfriend kill her mom and I am reading "Pretty Poison" about Kristin Gilbert now.

Dero - I read "Perfect Poison" earlier this summer and loved it. Kristen Gilbert is one twisted woman. I just started reading "Because You Loved Me." Phelps is an excellent author. Have you read anything by Gregg Olsen? They are good friends and Olsen's books are excellent also.

Niecole,

The really disturbing thing about "Murder in the Heartland" is that Lisa Montgomery hadn't lost a baby. In fact, she had had her tubes tied after her last child was born. She was a pathological liar who needed a baby to prove that she wasn't a liar. So she became a murderer.

It really bothers me that some prisoners have it better than the children in my classroom. I think once you commit a crime you should lose certain rights. I just finished a book that stated that the woman who killed her husband now writes to other men from prison that she meets on-line. Why is a woman who is prison for the rest of her life able to meet men on-line!?! I can't believe that my tax dollars are funding this craziness.

Hi Jennifer...
That makes this Lisa even more sick. But we see these types of behaviour on the soaps every day. Its really a sick world we live in when one women cuts open a pregnant women to steal her baby. Its really scary.

I know what you mean, personally I think they should sit in a small cell for the rest of their lives, on an island with only food and water and maybe a book to read, no studying, no freaking internet (Most free people dont even have that luxury!), no cigarettes, no tv, no luxuries at all! Your a criminal for heavens sake!!!!! Sometimes they have it better than most people who are free

Jennifer,
I have read several books by Gregg Olson. He has a website that he and Phelps do together that tells about both of their books. I can't remember the name of the website but it has updates on the people they write about too.

I figured the Bundy thread would be the proper place to ask.. So here goes:) Has anyone seen the movie? The one that was BASED on the book by Ann Rule? I just got a DVD of a Helter Skelter (not sure which version) Ted and The Boneyard as a set. I was just wondering if anyone else had seen them.

I saw the Ted Bundy film with Mark Harmon as ted--believe that was the original film. I've been writing about serial killers for years and he was really the first one who totally intrigued me. In the end he actually asked his friend (a journalist) which state would one have to go to get executed. He realized there were several sides to him/the law student,charming man involved in local politics etc and then the "monster within".His friend's answer was Florida which is where he committed his final murder and finally executed.

The movie on Bundy is the same title as the book:
The Stranger Beside Me.

Dero wrote: "The movie on Bundy is the same title as the book:
The Stranger Beside Me."

Yep, Thats the one I have. Does anyone know if it is any good? The other Ted movie I watched I really didn't care for.

The reason I'm asking is that its a Christmas gift so its wrapped and under the tree. So I haven't been able to watch it just yet, haha:)

I have seen the movie several times. It is very good. Mark Harmon makes a good Ted. It is on TV often.

Thank you very much!

Oh I don't know that I can handle that conversations with Bundy book - I just don't have the grit for that these days. I saw that Harmon Bundy film; Harmon was believable and creepy. I only remember a few bios/docs on the Manson murders but not a movie although I gather one (and soon to be another?) was made. That was another book that I couldn't put down but totally creeped me out. I think it is hilarious that people get serial killer movies for xmas.

Niecole wrote: "Hi Jennifer...
That makes this Lisa even more sick. But we see these types of behaviour on the soaps every day. Its really a sick world we live in when one women cuts open a pregnant women to stea..."

what gets my goat is the way transplants are handled in this country is based on a system of need / geography and there are always way too many people who die because they can't get the organ they need. i'm going on about this because prisoners in california (i don't know about elsewhere) are eligible and get liver transplants BEFORE other people who are at the same or higher level. the state pays for them (this is not an inexpensive thing). this is very concerning because hep c which is leading cause of liver failure is rampant in jails because of addicts using non-sterile items to inject illegal drugs. there is some scary statistic about the percentage of inmates with the disease. i'm all for equality and i applaud the efforts of people I personally know who go into jails to support people with hcv, but please, give me my liver and pay for it all since i don't have $200,000.

Okay for anyone that cared about the movies, I wanted to clear it up.. The movie I had seen previously was "Bundy" with Michael Reilly Burke playing Ted which came out in 2002.
The one with Mark Harmon is called "The Deliberate Stranger" from 1986. It looks really good but unfortunately it is not the one I have.
I have really been wanting to see the version based on the book so I'm excited. The one I have is "Ann Rule Presents: The Stranger Beside Me" which was originally on TV(?) and came out in 2003. Its rated a little lower than the version with Mark Harmon though:(

Its the same with Helter Skelter. I know of two versions and I have heard that one is better than the other. I haven't seen any yet. I loved the book and I'm now reading "The Family" by Ed Sanders and its just brining back all of the creepiness that surrounds Manson and the family. The books always get me really fired up though. I get so irate at particular members of the family... but that is for another thread. Anywho...My mom had me pick it out in the store and then wrap it myself when I got home... I know.

I've read all the books about him and seen all the movies. I'd have to say that "The Deliberate Stranger" is the best of the movies. It sticks to the facts which is what is most important. It was made in 1986 so it doesn't get into the final chapter of his life... but it's a great and accurate telling of events about Bundy through 1986.
The "Ted Bundy" movie that came out in 2002 starring Michael Reilly Burke was decent but it lacks scope. Bundy's story was just too huge to cram into a 99 minute movie. It also isn't completely accurate which is a bummer. If I want to watch a true crime story, I only want facts- the true story. I don't like when filmmakers make things up to add untrue elements.
"The Stranger Beside Me" movie was decent. I think this one was the worst casting of Ted. Also the movie just felt too low budget.
So, if you're looking for facts AND the best portrayal of Bundy, check out "The Deliberate Stranger." Of course, no movie can divulge all the info you can read in a book.

Wow, Thank you very much! My thoughts exactly on the "Ted Bundy" film from 2002. I would like to watch all of them eventually along with both versions of Helter Skelter. I'm sure I will soon.. This is just the one version of each thats under the Christmas tree:) Thanks again!

Happy to help out! I actually have both versions of HELTER SKELTER too. Those movies are actually hard to pick between which one is better because they both have some really great attributes. For instance, in the original 70's version, Steve Railsback plays Charles Manson as a creepy little dude and gives an amazing performance... and in the new version, Jeremey Davies plays Manson as if he learned all Manson's demeanors...he moves like him, even talks just like him! So both performances are equally teriffic. Facts are mostly accurate on both versions. I recommend both of them equally to be honest. With Bundy, "Deliberate" is clearly the best BUT with HELTER, they are both great. In fact, you may want to watch both of them back to back.

I have heard a lot of people say to watch them back to back because (I think) The newest one is more about the murders and the older is more about the trial? Or its the other way around.

The DVD I picked out for Christmas has the "Stranger Beside Me" version on Ted Bundy. The "Six Degrees of Helter Skelter" which is the Newer one I believe. It also has a movie called "The Boneyard" that I have heard about but never seen.

I think ted bundy was a very sick man

For some really good insights into what Bundy was like on a daily basis, read his fiancée's book, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. It backs up his right-before-execution statements that he was an alcoholic who had to get himself likkered up to even talk to a girl, and eventually moved from there to killing them and having sex with their bodies. Very interesting because Jeff Dahmer was another painfully shy alcoholic necrophile, and there's a third one -- Des Nilsen in England. Serial killers are so rare and yet these guys are three peas in a pod. The main difference being that Jeff Dahmer was the only one with mild autism.

Fishface wrote: "For some really good insights into what Bundy was like on a daily basis, read his fiancée's book, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. It backs up his right-before-execution st..."

I've wanted to read that book for years but have never come across it at a reasonable price

lee g wrote: "Fishface wrote: "For some really good insights into what Bundy was like on a daily basis, read his fiancée's book, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. It backs up his right-be..."

My suggestion is going the inter-library-loan route.

If you don't mind reading a scanned copy of the book, it is available around the internet. Below is a link to someone's upload of the PDF. The link may be old if you are reading this in the future. I found it by Googling "scanned Phantom Prince".

The very best book factual book about the crimes that I have read is The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History by Kevin M. Sullivan

Shelley wrote: "The very best book factual book about the crimes that I have read is The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History by Kevin M. Sullivan"

That was a good one.

Honestly, I think the Tedster was far from charismatic. He's better looking than the average serial killer, but the gkamor stops right there. He's a windy, self-important speaker, a self-important blowhard and obviously not that great a person.