Great Reads from Exceptional Authors
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Due to Sullivan’s extensive writing about Ted Bundy (which has produced six books), he’s become a sort of magnet over the years, drawing out many people who were part of the Bundy story, but have otherwise kept a low profile over the decades; and … [More...]
Volume One The Early Years In 1944 Brooklyn, newborn Michael J. Hardy is rejected by his mother so she can run with gangster Bugsy Siegel, Hardy’s godfather. Shirley Rook rose to the top of the criminal ranks. As the Queen of New York City … [More...]
This is the true story of Carmine Imbriale – a gambler, a brawler, a bandit, a bookie, an enforcer. For two decades, Imbriale was a street-level operative in one of the most violent crews in the Colombo Family, and he endeared himself to some of the … [More...]
Ten must track down and stop rogue scientists behind the development of criminal technology in THE HUMANZEEE EXPERIMENTS, the next installment of The 'Ten' Mystery Series! The International Security for Technological Innovations, a federal … [More...]
A 1986 family tragedy propels this gripping true crime debut as a mother searches for answers in the shocking murder of her husband—and conviction of her son. For years, Cherie struggles to overcome the consuming grief she suffers from the loss of … [More...]
It was a dreary winter afternoon in Ayer, Massachusetts, a quintessential New England town, the type which is romanticized in Robert Frost's poems. But on January 30, 1979, a woman’s scream was heard piercing the northeast tempest wind. In an … [More...]
I read the first four books and learned so many new details I never knew even though I grew up in Tallahassee. One thing I wondered is that while I don’t think Linda healey was the first murder of Ted she does resemble Diane Edwards the most they could be twins. No one seems to mention that. It does seem to appear he stalked her awhile. I also have a lot of curiosity about other possible victims still not atributed to Ted.
Hi APH,
First, thanks for the good words about my Bundy books!
You’re correct, Healy was not his first murder, but it was the first after he launched himself into unabated murder at the dawn of 1974, knowing he was never going to stop until he was either captured or killed. And yes, both Healy and Edwards were dark haired and quite striking to look at. And one could easily say that the similarity in looks could have contributed to Lynda’s disappearance; that is, Bundy chose her because of her looks. Unfortunately that is something we’ll never know. From all of my years of experience studying and writing about this case, I am of two minds when it comes to the abduction of Lynda Healy: On the one hand, it may be that he knew Lynda and was stalking her. This is something I’ve considered. However, I’ve also considered that the attack on the home that night/early morning, may have been totally random (after he spotted a group of women at Dante’s and followed them home), and that Bundy had no idea who was actually in that room when he entered it? We will never know conclusively one way or another. My personal feeling is that he knew of Healy (rather than “knowing” her), and he may have recognized her in Dante’s Tavern earlier in the evening. That said, he may have had his eyes on the other two women with her too (there was a guy with them as well), and perhaps he wanted one of them that night? Again, these are things we will never know. There were one or two odd calls to the house later that night around, I believe, 8:00 p.m. on that Feb. 1st – some 16 or 17 hours after Lynda vanished. After one of the women answered it, they could only hear breathing over the line, and they caller refused to talk. I can’t prove it, but I believe that was Bundy. Anyway, i hope this helps.
Thanks for the contact. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this, Kevin. Your Encyclopaedia is on my wish list.
You’re most welcome, Fiz. And thanks! 🙂
Hi Kevin, I am a psychiatric Nurse Practitioner intrigued by the psychosocial development of TB. Am starting to devour your writings on TB.
Questions:
The Elizabeth Lund home only released some of their records on Louise and Ted saying Louise would not sign for all of them. Are they obtainable now that both of them are deceased?
Did Ted grow up calling her Louise or Mom? How disorienting and frustrating to have never been given an explanation.
Being left at the home for some months and then taken home by an ambivalent mother, and having to sense his birth having been a misfortune that must be hidden and never talked about, all the while the family presenting as healthy had a poisonous impact on his psyche.
Also the grandfather, if he was indeed sadistic and Ted was close to him he would have wanted to emulate his grandfather. Apparently he had access to the grandfather’s sadistic magazines. No one intervened, instead it was unaddressed. Then being taken away from his grandfather and moving in with strangers with his much older sister…
His early years were dreadful but had to be presented as stellar, not to mention genetic loading. A breeding ground for unbonded rage And it’s asked “what went wrong?”
Hi Carol, and thanks for the contact…
I’ll be happy to answer your questions and give you the facts that always “bust” the myths. And there are a number of myths about Bundy’s childhood. One recently put to rest (thank God!) was the myth that Bundy’s grandfather was actually his father. Although incest is a problem in society, the story never seemed valid to me. And recently, a fellow I know obtained Bundy’s DNA from a source once close to Ted, had it tested, and grandfather Sam Cowell is not the father. So glad that one is now dead.
As far as the Lund home and their records, I have no idea how you can obtain them or even if they’re still available. Sorry.
I don’t know the exact time or days Louise left him at Lund, and frankly, it’s hard to tell myth from the truth for that one. When I was writing The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, I stayed away from it because we do know Louise brought the child to her parents’ home in Philadelphia, and little teddy spent the first four plus years of his life there. Now, it wouldn’t surprise me if I found out she never left the child at Lund, and instead, took her baby immediately back to PA, but I can’t be dogmatic about it.
Now, the myth (and this is a BIG ONE) that Ted grew up believing his mother was his sister, and his grandparents were his mother and father, has become a mantra among the less-informed students and readers of the Bundy case. So what’s the truth of the matter? Well, if there ever was a mix up in Bundy’s head, it was completely cured by the time he moved with Louise to Brown’s Point, WA (close to Tacoma) when he was either 4 or no later than 5-years-old. When Bundy was asked about this (as someone recently told me) he shrugged it off and called it BS. Here are the facts: after Louise married Johnnie Bundy, Johnnie adopted Ted and gave him his last name. From their union came four additional children. As those children grew up, they all knew Ted was their elder brother, and Ted would always refer to Louise as mom. Bundy’s two best friends when he was young (Terry Storwick and Warren Dodge) knew Louise was his mother and that Johnnie was his adoptive father. In the end, Bundy always knew who his real mother was. If there ever was any truth to this, it was cleared up when he was a very small boy.
As to Sam Cowell and the Cowell home in Philadelphia, and whether or not it was filled with moral depravity (to the degree people talk about today); such as to warp little Teddy, I have my doubts, and here’s why: While it may be true that Sam Cowell had a problem with anger, and there may have been an incident or two in the home (again, lot’s of things have been said and determining the truth can often be difficult), Bundy said he had nothing but fond memories of the man. Bundy also spoke to Dr. Al Carlisle about how much he liked living with the family in Philadelphia. So there is no record of Bundy stating anything was wrong or weird about the family. Also, I know a fellow who Interviewed Bundy’s aunt Audrey twice and it was clear to him she didn’t agree with these assessments at all. Could she be lying? Of course, but to what end? One more myth: They say Bundy got into Same Cowell’s porno collection, and that’s what got Ted on the wrong course; and because this rumor has persisted, I did include it in The Bundy Murders. However, if Sam Cowell had a collection of skin magazines, just how much pleasure could a 3, 4, or 5-year-old get out a bunch of pictures of naked women? Not much I suspect. However, when Bundy was interviewed by the late Louisville criminologist, Ronald M. Holmes, Bundy said when he was a teenager (and you can read this in my latest book, The Enigma of Ted Bundy) he discovered true detective magazines (there were 5 or 6 at that time and I remember them well) in the garbage cans in his neighborhood, and Bundy made a mental note of which houses purchased them. And these publications, with their outrageous violent and sexual covers, fascinated Ted Bundy far more than even soft pornography, because they contained images of not just scantly clad women, but women in the grip of fear who were bound and ready to be killed. Bundy would later confess to Bill Hagmaier that not only were these his favorite magazines, but that he would sometimes duplicate with his victims the scenes he’d seen on the covers of the detective magazines.
I hope this helps.
take care,
Kevin