If Ted Bundy had taken the deal he was offered in Florida for the Chi Omega murders, he might still be alive to see his 69th birthday today. However, the offer would require him to admit guilt in the death of two sorority women in January of 1978. If you’re keeping score, one of the only things Bundy couldn’t bring himself to do was to admit his guilt (at least until the very end of his life). Bundy absolutely refused to admit he’d killed the young women in the university house, thereby nullifying the plea agreement and was given the death penalty. That said, Ted had no way of knowing he’d be convicted of Kimberly Leach’s murder and sentenced to death.
Despite what could have been for Ted, today is hardly a day to “celebrate” the birth of one of America’s most violent 20th century serial killers. Instead, it should be a time of reflection and remembrance of the young women murdered in this country every day. Bundy’s victims had barely reached an age of independence to seek out their futures and experience life as an adult. Instead, their lives were snuffed out to fulfill the desires of a psychopath’s lust, then discarded as if they were trash.
Though I am growing less comfortable with capital punishment in the United States, I have to say, I’m glad Bundy’s life was ended on January 24, 1989. There are those who feel he should have been allowed to live to assist psychiatrists and sociologists better understand the psychopathic brain. While some dangerous men like Ted would be forthcoming about their true intentions and guilt, I doubt Bundy would have done so. It was only the promise of death that pressured him to give more information, and that was only done with the hope he would be given another stay of execution by the governor of Florida.
Therefore, don’t give another thought to Ted Bundy’s birth today. Rather, imagine what the lives of the women whose lives he took would have been like. They would have been mothers and wives, lawyers and teachers, radio hosts and actors. The families they left behind will always wonder, but for the birth of Theodore Robert Cowell Nelson Bundy, they will never know.
Confessions of a Bundyphile 
I have recently been on a Ted Bundy kick and I just got done reading The Stranger Beside Me and most recently The Phantom Prince. It’s eery to me that yesterday was his birthday. I have always had a fascination with SKs simply because it boggles my mind as to what is truly going on inside of their heads. What makes them tick. Where do these demonic thoughts stem from. My husband on the other hand is not thrilled with my weird obsession.
I recently went to Milwaukee where Jeffrey Dahmer was finally caught. I just had to stop by where his apartment building once stood, since it was knocked down many years ago with no chance of anything other than a parking lot being built on top of it. So creepy, yet so enticing.
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I’m friends with the guy who lives in Ted’s old house here in Seattle. Gotta admit, that bedroom was WAY creepy, but the sheer thrill of it was amazing. Before moving to Seattle, I read everything Ted that was possible to find. I got to know the area pretty well, but I never expected in my life to get into Ted’s home. 😀
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Wow Amanda! Can you get any pictures? That’s really exciting!
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Thanks for this birthday post. Insightful as always. I oppose the death penalty, but I don’t think prolonging Bundy’s life would have brought many insights into his behavior. His final interview was a deliberate fabrication.
Bundy enjoyed playing psychological games with the people who interviewed him. He once scoffed at the idea that pornography prompts anti-social behavior; he said it had no effect on him. Interviewed by James Dobson, vocal opponent of pornography, the day before his execution, Bundy reversed his stance. He reinforced Dobson’s position and blamed his murders on the addiction to pornography. Where does the truth lie? With Bundy, I think, his “truth” was always lies. He would say what you wanted to hear, whatever he thought would sway you to his side. He was always looking for feelings to exploit – vulnerability – so that he could enjoy power. He liked to appear charming and helpless, playing on the victim’s humanity. In truth he had no empathy or remorse. There was no truth in Ted Bundy and he took his secrets to the grave.
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