Bundy Miscellaneous.

The State of Utah v. Bundy, 589 P.2d 760, December 28, 1978.

~ Another Bundy Blog.

589 P.2d 760 (1978): STATE of Utah, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Theodore Robert BUNDY, Defendant and Appellant.
Nos. 14741, 15534. Supreme Court of Utah, December 28, 1978.
*761 Bruce C. Lubeck, John D. O’Connell, Salt Lake City, for defendant and appellant.
Robert B. Hansen, Atty. Gen., Earl F. Dorius, Asst. Atty. Gen., R. Paul VanDam, Salt Lake County Atty., Salt Lake City, for plaintiff and respondent.
ELLETT, Chief Justice:
The defendant was charged with, and convicted of, the crime of aggravated kidnapping. The trial was to the court sitting without a jury. An appeal was taken to this court; however, before the appeal was heard, counsel for the defendant claimed that he had newly discovered evidence which would warrant a new trial. This court, having confidence in the integrity of counsel, remanded the case on his motion to the district court where a hearing was had on the motion for a new trial and for extraordinary relief. The district court judge took evidence and heard arguments and finding the motion to be without merit denied it. An appeal was taken from that ruling to this court and the two appeals are now consolidated for our consideration.
The matter of granting or refusing to grant a new trial lies within the sound discretion of the trial judge and we will reverse his decision thereon only where he has abused that discretion.[1] In this case there was no abuse of discretion.
As to the facts of the case as revealed at the trial, the judge, as a trier of those facts, could readily have found beyond a reasonable doubt, and did so find, that an 18 year old girl was in a Shopping Mall where she was approached by a man who told her that someone had been trying to break into her automobile. She thought that he was a police officer. The area was well lighted and she stood face to face with him while they talked. The man asked her to accompany him to the car to see if anything was missing.
Upon reaching the car the girl looked in, determined nothing was missing, and so advised the man. He then told her that the alleged burglar was being held inside the mall, and once inside, the appellant told the girl that “they” must have taken the suspect down to the substation. He and the girl then walked straight across from where they had just entered the mall and walked around the building by a clothing store. Appellant asked her how old she was, if she was doing anything later that night, and why she would not be able to “go over there” and sign a complaint against the person who had allegedly tried to break into her car. This conversation occurred while the two were walking, with the girl slightly behind the man. The girl noticed the way he walked and that he was wearing green pants. Later at a lineup, she identified the appellant as her assailant immediately upon his entering the room because of, among other things, his manner of walking. She also observed that at the time of the offense he was wearing dark patent leather shoes, and that he was slim, weighing about 160 pounds, had greased back hair, and had a dark mustache which did not extend past the corners of his mouth.
She and the man walked to a nearby laundromat. The man tried to open the front door, found it to be locked, walked halfway down an alley between the laundromat and an adjoining building, turned around and came back. During this period of time, the girl again observed appellant’s facial features as he was standing “right in front” of her in very good lighting conditions. She became suspicious of the situation and asked appellant if she could see his badge or some form of identification. He produced a wallet with a badge inside. She *762 described the badge as “thinking it was silver, kind of oval shaped.”
The man then asked her to accompany him to the police station and fill out a complaint since “they probably had him (the alleged burglar) down there.” They walked to his car, described by her as a Volkswagen with a rip on the top of the backseat, rust spots on the front, no license plate, and of light color, either white or beige. The rip was described as going “almost all the way across” the top of the backseat.
They drove a couple of blocks to a school where appellant abruptly stopped, parking the car partially onto the curb. The girl nervously asked him what he was doing and why he was stopping because this was not a police station. The man grabbed her left arm and forcefully placed a pair of handcuffs on it. She grabbed the door on her side, managed to open it and get one foot out. The man grabbed her by the arm and around the neck. She kept screaming, “asking” him what he was doing. He then pulled out a gun, pointed it at her, and said he was “going to blow her head off.” She managed to get out of the car but the man pursued her. They struggled outside the vehicle as she tried to free herself. She grabbed his arm and right hand and then felt an iron he was holding in his hand. She described it as having four or six sides, about one-half inch thick. Her impression was that the object was a crowbar since her father had one which she had felt before. To keep the assailant from striking her with the crowbar, she held it with her left hand.
She continued to scream “as loud as I could.” She then testified that she turned away “pulling and scratching.” Her fingernails, long at the time of the trial, were even longer the night of the incident and were broken in the scuffle. She recalled scratching the assailant during the fighting because she remembered noticing that all her fingernails were broken.
She finally succeeded in breaking away from her assailant. She ran into the street, the handcuffs still dangling from her arm. She managed to get a car to stop for her. She jumped into the car, related briefly what had occurred, and requested them to take her to a police station. They drove her directly to the Murray Police Station.
At trial, the State and appellant’s counsel stipulated that up to this point, the amount of time during which the girl had been with her assailant was between ten to fifteen minutes.
At the police station the victim was questioned by three police officers, one of whom removed the handcuffs which were both on the same wrist.
There is no contention made that no crime was committed. The defendant simply claims that he did not do it.
Two witnesses who lived in the same apartment with the defendant testified that he wore patent leather shoes on occasion.
There was human blood on the sleeve of the victim’s coat which was type O. The defendant’s blood type is O; that of the victim is type A.
Approximately nine months after the assault, at 2:30 a.m. on August 16, 1975, appellant was driving his Volkswagen in a residential area in Granger. Sgt. Robert Hayward of the Utah Highway Patrol, sitting in his patrol car, observed the Volkswagen pass him. Approximately five to eight minutes later, Sgt. Hayward started his car and while rounding a nearby corner, again observed the Volkswagen at the side of the street. As the patrol car approached, the appellant took off at a high rate of speed with his headlights off. Officer Hayward gave chase. Appellant subsequently ran a stop sign in an attempt to evade the officer. Finally appellant brought his Volkswagen to a stop.
Sgt. Hayward exited his car, approached the Volkswagen, and observed a “jimmy type pinch bar” (crowbar) behind the front seat on the back floor. He asked the appellant what he was doing in the area and then inquired, “Can I look in your car?” Appellant’s response was, “go ahead.” Sgt. Hayward stated that at no time did the appellant object to the search. The appellant was then placed under arrest for evading a police officer.
*763 Moments later, Deputy Sheriff Twitchell and Sgt. Fife of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene and were advised of the situation. Deputy Twitchell then asked the appellant “if he would mind if we looked through his vehicle.” Appellant responded that “it was okay with him.” Officer Twitchell further testified that to the best of his recollection, he did not remember appellant objecting to the search of his vehicle at any time. Appellant, a law student, denied giving his consent and testified that he passively stood by because he was intimidated.
A search of appellant’s vehicle by Deputy Twitchell and Deputy Ondrak, who arrived subsequent to Deputy Twitchell and Sgt. Fife, produced a pair of handcuffs and the crowbar located on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat. Deputy Ondrak testified that he remembered appellant’s Volkswagen as being tan in color.
The victim had described the Volkswagen driven by her assailant as being a light color (white or biege); at one time she had said the car possibly could have been light blue but later eliminated that possibility. In connection with this, it should be noted that Mary Walsh, the first person to talk with the victim following her assault and kidnapping, testified that any confusion regarding the color of the Volkswagen driven by the assailant could be due to the type of lighting in the parking lot at the Mall which makes a car seem to be a different color than it really is. Also, a lady who lived downstairs from appellant in the same apartment building at the time of the kidnapping, testified that she had been in the appellant’s car two or three times during the months of October and November of 1974, and that the color of appellant’s Volkswagen was cream-color. James Dunn, a neighbor of appellant’s, testified on his behalf, and although he admittedly may have been “kind of” color blind, he believed the appellant’s Volkswagen to be “beige, light-colored.”
After Sgt. Hayward was joined by the other deputies and officers at the scene, they asked the appellant what he was doing in that neighborhood. The appellant told the officers that he had attended a movie and then had gone for a drive. Appellant admitted at trial that this was a lie and further testified that he had also lied to one of his attorneys concerning the events of the evening of August 16, 1975.
When questioned at trial about the evening of August 16, 1975, appellant said the reason that he sped away from Sgt. Hayward was because he was “smoking dope” and did not want to be caught doing something illegal.
His final version of the events of that evening was that he was eating dinner and watching television until 12:00 midnight or 12:30 a.m., at which time he decided to visit a friend. Upon arriving at his friend’s house, he noticed the lights were out. He decided not to awaken her and proceeded to drive around for a while, ending up in the Granger area where he decided to smoke some dope. He said he fled from the patrol officer in order to dispose of the marijuana and to open the car window in order to air out the interior of the automobile. The arresting officer testified that he saw nothing thrown from the fleeing car and that there was no smell of marijuana on the defendant or inside the car; and that he was well acquainted with the odor of marijuana. Two other officers at the scene of the arrest testified to the same effect as did the arresting officer.
At a pretrial hearing on a motion to suppress the evidence relating to the crowbar and handcuffs taken from the defendant’s car, the trial judge found by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant had consented to the search of his car and denied the motion to suppress. An acquaintance of the defendant testified that the defendant told her that he let the officers search his car when he was arrested.
The defendant, some five days after his arrest, gave the police permission to search his apartment. The search revealed several pairs of patent leather shoes. The officers also took several pictures of defendant’s Volkswagen. The victim recognized the rips on the back seat as being like those she *764 had observed while being held captive in defendant’s car. She testified at trial to the same effect. She further testified as to dents and rust spots on the Volkswagen as being the same as those observed at the time of the crime.
Other evidence given at trial clearly connected the defendant with the crime charged. It is not necessary to detail the incriminating evidence any further. The evidence already set out was sufficient to justify the judgment of the court.
Counsel for appellant complains because the court permitted the prosecution to discuss the probabilities of defendant’s guilt by referring to various aspects of the evidence. The prosecutor’s argument was proper for while any one circumstance might not convince the trier of the facts beyond a reasonable doubt, a great number of circumstances, taken together, could do so.
The claims of error have been carefully examined and we find no merit to any of them. The judgment is therefore affirmed.
It is to be noted that Mr. Bundy has fled from Utah and is now in the State of Florida where he is awaiting trial on charges of murder.
CROCKETT, WILKINS, and HALL, JJ., and F. HENRI HENRIOD, Retired J., concur.
MAUGHAN, J., having disqualified himself, does not participate herein.
NOTES
Kettner v. Snow, 13 Utah 2d 382, 375 P.2d 28 (1962); Haslam v. Paulsen, 15 Utah 2d 185, 389 P.2d 736 (1964).

Theodore Bundy, Fugitive Alert.

~ Another Bundy Blog.

This document provides an update on the investigation of Ted Bundy that was sent from SLC to Denver, Butte, and Seattle that references earlier teletypes sent between these offices on January 4th and 5th, 1978 regarding the killer, who was wanted for murder in Denver. The update notes that additional information has been developed identifying Bundy’s use of an alias and vehicle in connection with the crimes under investigation.

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‘The Roots of Evil,’ Published in Vanity Fair in May 1989.

~ Another Bundy Blog.

This article provides background information about Ted Bundy and his family history. It summarizes that Bundy came from a family with a history of mental illness and domestic violence. Specifically, his maternal grandfather Sam Cowell was described as an extremely violent and frightening man who would physically and verbally abuse his wife and children. Cowell’s behavior caused lasting psychological trauma in the family. This family history helps provide context for Bundy’s own violent criminal acts later in life.

656494934-1989-5-Vanity-Fair-The-Roots-of-EvilDownload

Ted Bundy’s Execution, Short Story.

~ Another Bundy Blog.

It’s quite an unusual event, something most people have never even seen at all let alone experienced: I was in my final moments of life in Florida State Prison, sitting in my cell on death watch, waiting to be taken to Ol’ Sparky, the three-legged oak chair that was crudely constructed by other inmates. At only forty-two I had not fully accepted my fate, and dying was the very last thing I wanted to do. I should have had a lot of life left: I was technically middle-aged but thanks to an active, healthy lifestyle it was a young 42. A small part of me was holding onto hope that something would happen to delay the inevitable; a phone call would from Governor Martinez would be the only thing that would do it, but considering it was an election year and he was trying his hardest to appear “tough on crime,” I already knew that call wasn’t coming.

                Despite obsessing over the thought of dying every single minute of every single day since July 1979, the past ten years didn’t do much to prepare me for this moment. In fact, I spent most of that time in denial, and I never thought it would ever happen and I was largely confidant I would live out the rest of my days incarcerated until I was a feeble old man.  

The interview I did earlier with Dr. James Dobson with ‘Focus on the Family’ was absolute bullshit. It was my final ‘Hail Mary” attempt to save my life, and I could tell about halfway through that it wasn’t going to work.

                I wonder what the future holds for my sweet daughter, and her mother. Carole was a fighter and had a deep passion for standing up for the things she believed in, that’s what attracted her to me in the first place. Will Rosa be a doctor, like Sue Rancourt dreamed about becoming one day? Or maybe she’ll find a good man and get married young but still be an educated career woman, like Jan Ott. Or maybe she’ll have a job in the arts, like Donna Manson was working towards. The mere thought of someone doing to my six-year-old little girl what I have done to so many young women across multiple states made me weak in the knees, and almost physically ill.

                I still have so many things that I wanted to do with my life: graduate from law school, have a family with a dog and white picket fence that overlooks Puget Sound. Because of my criminal history I wouldn’t have been able to work as a lawyer, but there were other things I could do with a law degree, like teach at a university or be a compliance officer.

I won’t be able to take care of my parents when they grow old and drive them to Doctors appointments or sit with them in the hospital after they have surgery. I won’t see Rosa grow up, help her through her first heartbreak and teach her how to drive.

                I also think about what I took from the world: the little girl I picked up in Idaho in early September 1974 (I never did catch her name).  Even though she was a transient she still had people that miss her, who will never know what happened to her because her body has been long lost, picked apart by turkey vultures and wolves. I threw away her items slowly across the rest of my journey to SLC: her backpack went in a dumpster in Pocatello, her clothing in some brush in Logan, her body in the Snake River…

Carol and Rosa didn’t come to visit with me in my final few days of life, neither did Mom or Johnnie, or any of my brothers and sisters. I mean, when you finally admit to all of the dastardly deeds you’ve just spent the last almost fifteen years swearing up and down that you didn’t do… people seem to want to stay away.

I called my mother twice in the last few hours and spoke with her briefly each time; I told her how sorry I was that I caused her so much grief and it was as if there was a part of me that was hidden from the world all the time. She told me she would love me until the end, and that I will ”always be her precious son.

But, there was no goodbye between Daddy and Rosa. When I started confessing Carole got angry, FAR angrier than I’ve ever seen her before, and I was not allowed to speak to my little girl one last time.

                The world was robbed of so many bright young women because of the things I did, and my sickness: because of my actions, Georgann Hawkins will never graduate from The University of Washington (which I was able to do two years before I killed her). Her dad will never get to walk her down the aisle and tearfully give her a kiss as he gives her away. She won’t grow old with her husband, and welcome grandchildren into the world with him.

Lynda Healy will never be a special-ed teacher or go on to marry her boyfriend and start a family. She has always stuck out to me because of how much time I spent with her before I took her life that last day of January 1974: I was with her while she shopped at Safeway, buying ingredients for a family dinner she planned on making that her mom called ‘company casserole,’ and I was behind her while she cashed a check shortly after; she had no idea I was there, watching her. She caught my attention after I saw her around the psychology department a few times, and I always made a point of listening to her early morning ski report.

I was offered a final meal, which would have consisted of whatever food I wanted, but nothing sounded appealing, so I refused, and as a result I was served a standard, traditional “last meal:” steak (medium-rare), eggs (over-easy), hash browns, and toast.

All food tasted gritty, and despite being hungry I couldn’t eat; everything tastes like sand, and I can’t force it down. The meal sits untouched in the corner of my cell. My stomach rumbles. My head has been shaved along with my right leg (this was so the electrode attachments would have someplace to stick to), and so many people have come and gone I lost track of who I talked to. 

I cry.

I think about Liz, and Molly, and I mourn the life we once had together. Those lazy summer afternoons we spent rafting were some of my favorite memories. We were a family, or the closet thing I’ll ever have to one of my own. And yes, Carole was my wife (even though she divorced me in 1986), and Rosa is my daughter… but the time I spent with Liz was different. I loved her so much at times it was destabilizing, and it hurt to breathe.

I also think of my mother. She did the best she could with me with the resources she had at the time. It wasn’t her fault that I turned out the way I did: there was something wrong with me.

Liz and Molly were such a huge part of my world for a long time until suddenly they weren’t. Many years ago, shortly after my final arrest in 1978, she made it very clear that she moved on from “us” and our relationship. I was hoping I would get to speak to her one last time, and I’m not going to lie, it did hurt that she never replied to the most recent letter I sent asking for forgiveness.

I’ve been praying a lot with a Methodist Pastor named Fred Lawrence, talking about what is waiting for me on the other side after my date with destiny. We talked about faith and he read some Bible passages…. it was refreshing in a way to finally be myself and let my guard down a bit. We talked about the concept of death, and divine forgiveness, and if it would apply to someone like me, and he assured that all Gods creatures are “eligible” to receive this type of love, and that brought me some peace.

I pause for a moment and think back to the dozens of conversations I’ve had over the past few days; names I hadn’t thought about in many years were brought up, like Susan Curtis from Brigham Young University and Laura Ann Aime from Lehi. But I had to stop and pause at some of the ones that I didn’t recognize: in 1971 a young schoolteacher in Vermont named Rita Curran was killed in her bedroom after her roommates decided to go out for a bite to eat. Considering I wasn’t in that area at the time I can say for certain that wasn’t me. Then another one: Janice Louise Taylor from NH. Sometimes the booze, Valium, and weed made things a little fuzzy, but considering I only stopped to get gas in New Hampshire one time around 1969, I knew I was in the clear.

And suddenly, Warden Dugger was standing in front of my cell, and it was time. I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was a little after 7 AM. I got up, and two corrections officers escorted me into the “Q Wing” death chamber.

As we made our way down the hall it suddenly hit me where we were going, and it was as if I had the wind knocked out of me and I sunk down to my knees. But I wasn’t down for long, and the guards stood next to me on both sides, helping me stand back up so we can continue to make our way to my final destination.

An entire life’s worth of memories began to flood my brain… suddenly I was a little boy again, helping my Grandpa Cowell plant flowers for his nursery business, digging in the dirt without a care in the world. Then I was at my mom and Johnnie’s wedding, stuffing my hands in the cake then eating the frosting off my fingers. I also remember the babies, my two little brothers and two little sisters. Then, I was transported to the first time I saw Liz at The Sandpiper that cool September evening in 1969… she was so young, and beautiful.  

Reality broke through my memory filled haze as I was being led to the chair, and as I was being strapped in someone asked if I had any last words I’d like to share; I thought only briefly and said, looking at my lawyer, “Jim [Coleman] and Fred, I’d like you to give my love to my family and friends.’ As the cap was tightened onto my skull, and the hood was slipped over my head, I glanced at my executioner: their face was completely covered by a hood of their own, except for two holes to look out of, and I was shocked at what I saw looking back at me: soft blue eyes framed by mascara coated lashes and bright green eyeshadow. A woman?

I couldn’t help but be slightly amused by the irony of this: I took the lives of countless women, so many in fact that I lost count of them all. And now, it will be a woman that will be ending my life.

The Story of Ted Bundy, as told by Larry Simpson.

~ Another Bundy Blog.

According to Kevin Sullivan, Larry Simposn was the lead prosecuting attorney for the Chi Omega murders, and he was the one that offered Ted the best deal he was going to get: life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bundy accepted the deal at first but later rejected it in open court, as a result ensuring his death in Ol’ Sparky in January 1989.

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Mysteries that I would love to have Resolved (one day), as Related to Ted Bundy/Murders from the Pacific Northwest.

~ Another Bundy Blog.

What happened to Jan Ott’s Bicycle?: I know this question bothered Bob Keppel as well.

How exactly did Ted’s Lake Sammamish murders ‘work?’ Did he incapacitate Jan Ott and keep her alive somewhere until he brought Denise Naslund back, and kill one in front of the other? Or, did he kill Ottb too quickly (because of how small she was), and his urge wasn’t satisfied so he had to go back and get a second victim (this is just a theory I’ve heard over the years).

The cluster of murders from the summer/fall of 1973: are they all related? Will their remains ever be found one day in the same area (like a Taylor Mountain/Issaquah DS situation)? I’m specifically referring to Rita Jolly/Vicki Hollar/Sue Justis.

Were there other burial grounds?: I think the term ‘dump site’ is so crude, by the way… most of his confirmed Washington victims were accounted for… but did they exist in other states?

What happened to Vicki Lynn Hollar’s black VW Bug?: I have aa theory: its under a sheet in some elderly mans garage (most likely the killer, or an accomplice), and it won’t be until after he’s dead that the truth will come to light. He probably keeps it in a barn in his backyard… his grandkids try to play around with it once in a while, and he has to yell at them not to.

Lynette Culver: I know he confessed to killing her, and I know he knew details about her life and her family that only the killer would be privy to, but when I was writing about the missing Idaho hitchhiker from September 2, 1974 I learned an interesting theory that Lynette isn’t a Bundy victim but is actually the victim of a different serial killer that operated in Pocatello around the same time, as Culver was the first of several young girls to be murdered/go missing in the area between 1978 and 1983.

Why are there so many missing and murdered young women in Oregon during the 1970’s?: why are their identities scattered all over the internet, like there’s not one complete resources of names out there?

Just a comment, I’ve always been curious about Ted’s collection of Polaroids that he held onto before he burned them after his first arrest. Just how horrific were they? Also, I want to know more about the random bowl of key’s Liz found in his apartment one day after snooping.

To what extent did Ted stalk his victims? I know there’s evidence he stalked Lynda Ann Healy before he killed her, and Karen Sparks said she remembered a man watching her while she was in the laundromat…

Exactly how many other girlfriends/lovers did Ted have while he was dating Liz?

When was his first kill? I’ve heard multiple stories over the years, that he started in 1973, or 1972, then 1969… then there’s the theory he killed eight-year-old Ann Marie Burr in late August of 1961.

There have been a lot of new supposed living Ted Bundy victims (or at the very least women who have claimed to have run into him at one point)… the odd part is, when I’m researching one of them, and watching a video on them, there are always women chiming in on the comments about their supposed run-ins with him… For example, the most recent ‘surviving victim’ of Ted Bundy is Connie Geldreich, who recently came forward and has done multiple podcasts and videos regarding her experience with the killer in 1967. When I was looking into her story I read through the comments, and they were filled with stories of other women who also had run-ins with him as well. I wonder how many of them are telling the truth?

Correspondence to Ted Bundy from Some of his Female Admirers.

~ Another Bundy Blog. ~ Leave a comment

In Bundy’s time on death row before his January 1989 execution, he received a great number of letters from individuals all over the world, including a great deal of female admirers.

On November 15, 1986 Ted wrote a three-page letter to a friend whilst on deathwatch. The letter talks about Carole’s return to Seattle with Rosa as well as Ted’s views on the states determination to carry out the death sentences that he received for the murders of Lisa Levy, Margaret Bowman, and twelve-year-old Kimberly Dianne Leach.

The letter of an envelope Ted wrote to one of his pen pals.
Page one of a letter that Ted wrote to a friend whilst on deathwatch dated November 15, 1986.
Page two of a letter that Ted wrote to a friend whilst on deathwatch dated November 15, 1986.
Page three of a letter that Ted wrote to a friend whilst on deathwatch dated November 15, 1986.

Dear X,
Thank you for your August 12 letter. Since you wrote things have improved dramatically for Margot and Rosi, family and Carole have transplanted themselves and are now thriving in our native land.
I couldn’t be happier about how life is going in the Carson household. Well, winning a lottery would help, btu they’re all going pretty good as it is. Moving back to Seattle was the best thing to happen to Carole in years. It’s a vast improvement over the dreary scene in Florida. The move seems to have invigorated them. There’s no question in my mind that they should stay in Seattle. I’ll miss them but I’ll not much, knowing they are back home where they should be in our beloved Pacific Northwest.
I’m fine. I’ve become accustomed to people trying to kill me, though I’m looking for a way to convince them they shouldn’t. This is life. I expect to make it past the next date, November 18, that they’d planned to kill me. If I don’t, adios.
Please keep in touch with Margot, Carole, etal. I know that you are very special to them.
peace
ted

One letter dated January 17, 1989 is from Dawn, and reads as follows:

The envelope from a letter Ted received from a female admirer named Dawn dated January 17, 1989.
A front of a card sent to Ted from a female admirer named Dawn dated January 17, 1989.
A letter from Ted to Dawn dated January 17, 1989.

January 17, 1989
Dearest Ted,
I just heard the worst possible news a few hours ago (about the warrant being signed). I was totally shocked because I hadn’t expected this until next week- the governors office gave me the wrong date.
I am extremely distraught right now.
I don’t know how I am going to live with this.
I’m far too upset to say too much at the moment, but I wanted to make sure you get this in time.
Ted, I want you to remember that I’ll be there right beside you when you go to meet your destiny.
I love you and just want you to know how much you men to me and have changed my life,
Dawn.

A second letter to Ted from Dawn dated January 18, 1989.

January 18, 1989
Dearest Ted,
I’m sending this to you just in case they don’t get you the telegram I sent.
I don’t know exactly what to say except that I am in a total state of shock and beyond consolation. I really feel as if I am going to die on Tuesday, too.
I guess I kind of expected this, but I’m still not prepared. There’s so much I wanted to sy to you if this time ever came.
Now, it is here and there isn’t enough time to say or do much.
I feel guilty in a way because I never even got to meet you, and I can’t imagine what your wife and family must be going through right now.
Ted, I would very much like to talk to you. I know this is a very hectic time right now but PLEASE can you call me? – COLLECT at 416.249.47** this Friday after 3 PM or Saturday after 10 AM.
I really need to speak to you. Please!
Dawn

When I first read this following letter, written by a female admirer named Shani Moore shortly before Ted’s execution, I couldn’t help comparting it to Liz after first meeting him, already dreaming of weddings and picking out baby names from day one. Ted really did have a way of drawing women in. Whether they truly believed in his innocence, or whether they were craven by that desperate urge to ‘fix him,’ I honestly don’t know. Either way, it’s still incredible to read.

Page one of a letter to Ted from one of his female admirers named Shani Moore dated January 18, 1989.
Page two of a letter to Ted from one of his female admirers named Shani Moore dated January 18, 1989.
Page three of a letter to Ted from one of his female admirers named Shani Moore dated January 18, 1989.

Jan 18
Dear Ted,
I was very sorry to hear the date has been set for your execution. I have followed your date for nearly ten years now, since the ‘sorority trial’ was shown on out local PBS station. I’ve read all the books, watched all the movies, and read any other article remotely connected with you.
I am now 28, and was myself a young college student at the time you began gaining national ‘attention.’ I have to admit the attraction and fascination towards you has not diminished. So, after reading about you this morning, I felt compelled to write.
My own theory is that part of you, a totally removed Ted, actually did commit these crimes. Unfortunately, the rest of you, the handsome and intelligent Ted, is also paying. It’s such a shame. As a single woman, I see so many of the same traits in you that I have been holding out for in a husband. Ironic, huh? I guess all the good ones really are taken (HA! HA!).
I don’t want you to misunderstand- I’m not one of those pathetic creatures that fantasize about criminals because they are so unhappy with their own lives. I am attractive and bright and my life is a good one, but I admit something about you touched as chord in me. I suppose there is something exciting about dangerous people. I’m not going to try and analyze it any further. I’ll just leave it at that.
Anyway, I wanted to implore you to fight to extend your time here. Perhaps if you offer to give a full account of a few of the crimes, tell them where some of the bodies could be found, or just imply you would be willing to. The families themselves would likely plead a stay if it meant finding the remains of their loved ones (also, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn you have had crimes attributed to you that were actually committed by the Green River Killer).
Ted, everyone already believes you did these things, and you’re certainly no threat to anyone on death row, so, do anything, say anything, but fight harder now than revery to stay alive! Your name will live on after you in connection with all this, but you have an opportunity to tell your own side.
With your knowledge of psychology, you could benefit a great many people by telling them not only your story but also your possible motives. However, if in fact you really don’t remember doing any of these things, I can only imagine the horror you have suffered all these years. If a secret part of you had to be protected by your conscious self. If that is the case, you are a victim as well and certainly don’t deserve death as a punishment.
I know this is very forward of me, but I just had to let you know that no matter what, there are people out there that care for you and wish you well. I have enclosed a few things: some paper, a stamped envelope, and a poem I wrote for you this morning. Words from you would mean a lot to me, but I understand the difficulties you face in the next few days, so let me just say that I sincerely hope prayers are answers and you will be around a lot longer to tell your story in your own words.
God Bless You, Ted.
Shani Moore

A GIANT thank you to the blog ‘Ted Bundy: I was Trying to Think Like an Elk’ for their translation of these letters.