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VAMPIRE’S Sullivan Never Meant To Write About Bundy

 

Kevin SullivanSeveral days ago I wrote an article about real evidence, and how those personal items of murder can have an impact on the one holding and viewing such evidence. Mostly, the reaction will be positive, but there will be times when a sense of repulsion will surface based solely on what is confronting you. In the case of Richard Chase, there was one item that really turned me off. But most of it was interesting and contributed to my research and overall understanding of the case. But in 2005, real evidence would be the catalyst that would cause me to write a book I had no intention of writing.

What follows is from my book, The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History:

In March of 2005 I received a call from my friend, Jim Massie, who invited me to have dinner with him and retired detective Jerry Thompson, formerly of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office. I quickly accepted his offer for I was already aware of Thompson’s role in the Bundy case from the scant reading I had done about the murders and my conversations with Jim. Massie, a probation and parole officer with the state of Kentucky, had by this time been friends with Jerry for almost twenty years, so I knew the meeting would be quite interesting. What I didn’t know, but would soon find out, was how surreal our time together would be, and how the direction of my life, at least in a literary sense, would be altered by this crossing of paths with the retired homicide investigator from Utah. When the Thompsons arrived in Louisville in the afternoon of May 29, 2005, Jim called to tell me where we’d be having dinner and when. No sooner had I said, “Great” than he interrupted me by saying, “He brought the bag…”

The bag Jim was telling me about was none other than the actual murder kit of Ted Bundy. As lead detective in the Bundy case for Utah, Jerry has had the murder kit since Bundy’s arrest in 1975, and after the killer was put to death in 1989, he was allowed to keep it as teaching tools for law seminars. The kit, which is a brown leather satchel, contained a ski mask, ice pick, flash light, rope, electrical cord (this was used for choking his victims), and strips of cloth for the binding of hands and feet. Also in the kit was an opened box of Glad trash bags (several bags were missing), and Bundy used these to discard the clothes and other personal items of the women. At one time, the kit also contained a crowbar and handcuffs (now in the Utah court system) and a pantyhose mask, most likely now housed in the Florida State Archives.

Bundy's Murder Kit

Bundy’s Murder Kit

Seeing and handling these items was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Indeed, before Jerry returned to Utah I was allowed to bring the murder kit to my home to photograph everything, and the retired detective, just prior to leaving Louisville, gave Jim and me one of the Glad bags from Ted’s VW. I must admit, I was absolutely amazed at what had transpired during my time of meeting and getting to know Jerry Thompson and it was only natural that I would write an article about it for Snitch, a weekly print newspaper that at one time was published in five states, but was then running editions in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky only.

And yet, it just refused to end there.

Soon a hunger to know more about the case took over my life, and as that hunger grew, it wasn’t long before I knew without doubt I was supposed to write a book about Ted Bundy and his many victims. Sure, I knew other books had been written about the case, but sometimes you just need to do what you know internally you need to do, and the rest will fall into place. It’s almost like a sixth sense, and I had it big time. And despite the negative comments of some, I began gathering the all-important case files from the various states where Bundy had murdered, and the contacting of many of the important figures of the case: retired investigators, attorneys, psychologists, and those who knew and worked with Ted Bundy. And before I was halfway through the book, I was discovering new and previously unpublished information on several of the murders, as well as many new things about the case in general. I must admit, it was very gratifying to see the book come together in such a unique way, and, based on this as well as other aspects of the book, I was able to sell it to a publisher within three weeks of shopping it around.

And to think, all of this came about because I had Ted Bundy’s murder kit come into my personal little world for a very brief time.

 

Kevin Sullivan is the author of The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History and the new WildBlue Press release, Vampire: The Richard Chase Murders

Filed Under: Blog, Kevin Sullivan Bundy Trail, True Crime Tagged With: Kevin Sullivan, Murder, Non-Fiction, Richard Chase, Serial Killer, Serial Killers, Ted Bundy, True Crime, True Murder, Vampire, WildBlue Press
December 9, 2014 By Kevin Sullivan 1 Comment

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Kevin’s WildBlue Press Books

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

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...]

Bundy Expert Kevin Sullivan Adds To Series With THE ENIGMA OF TED BUNDY

In this 6th and final book on the Ted Bundy case, I wanted to tackle some questions and legitimate controversies that remain about Ted Bundy, the murders, and his victims. These questions and controversies cover such issues as Bundy’s hunting … [More...]

The Encyclopedia Of The Ted Bundy Murders

The Encyclopedia Of The Ted Bundy Murders

The Encyclopedia of the Ted Bundy Murders lists the names of hundreds of people involved in the case as well as dozens of locations where significant events occurred. Being the final installment in a five-volume series, this veritable “Who’s Who” of … [More...]

New From Bundy Expert Kevin Sullivan TED BUNDY’S MURDEROUS MYSTERIES

Ted Bundy's Murderous Mysteries is a deep-dive into the archival record of the America’s most notorious serial killer. It’s a veritable goldmine of information on Bundy, his victims, and this very voluminous case. Written by the foremost authority … [More...]

THE BUNDY SECRETS: Third Book In Bundy Trilogy Brings Readers The Unedited Case Files

'Hidden Files on America's Worst Serial Killer' Completes Sullivan's Opus Rare Revelations Of A Murderous Rampage Within the pages of THE BUNDY SECRETS: Hidden Files Of America's Worst Serial Killer is a unique, never-before-published look at the … [More...]

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In THE TRAIL OF TED BUNDY, Kevin Sullivan Compiles Never Before Published Interviews and Clues from this Historic Case

THE TRAIL OF TED BUNDY: Digging Up the Untold Stories A look into the life of serial killer Ted Bundy, from those who knew him, to those who chased him, and from those who mourned his many victims... The Trail of Ted Bundy: Digging … [More...]

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True Crime Author Kevin Sullivan Digs Up 10 Tales of Murder In KENTUCKY BLOODBATH

Ten Bizarre Murder Cases From The Bluegrass State That Will Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat KENTUCKY BLOODBATH: Ten Bizarre Tales of Murder From The Bluegrass State. Readers who find themselves turning the pages of this new work from the … [More...]

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Sullivan Recreates Historic True Crime Tale With VAMPIRE: The Richard Chase Murders

From The Bestselling Author Of THE BUNDY MURDERS Comes The Story Of 'The Vampire of Sacramento' VAMPIRE is the tale of a diabolical, homicidal madman running amok, mutilating and murdering the unsuspecting residents in the quiet neighborhoods of … [More...]

Kevin’s Latest Posts

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

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...]

Speculation, Avoid it Like The Plague

I’ve been writing books for 26 years.  I’m a nonfiction writer and my world has always been one of finding the truth where possible, and that drive for accuracy has been with me the whole time.  Getting to the truth should be the cardinal … [More...]

The Allure of Human Monsters

Have you ever considered why people read true crime? I am not surprised if you haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it, but if you enjoyed the tales of monsters as a child (Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman, etc), there's likely a connection. … [More...]

Audiobook Offer

Free Audiobooks!

It's always a good day for free audiobooks! That's right! Free audiobooks! Just a gift from us to you, our readers.   Browse by genre and select the cover to get more information and your free copy! Non-Fiction True Crime Business … [More...]

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We know how hard 2020 has been. To help you end the year on a better note, we wanted to give you the gift of free audiobooks! Hence, the Holiday 2020 Audiobook Giveaway! You're probably thinking of gifts for others right now, like we always do during … [More...]

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Kevin’s Other Books

Nonfiction

True Crime Classics

Buy Kevin Sullivan's The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive HistoryThe Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History
"Despite the multitude of books about Bundy, The Bundy Murders offers fresh material and ideas about Bundy's predatory movements. Well researched and highly recommended, for Bundy scholars and true crime fans alike."--Katherine Ramsland, author of The Human Predator and The Devil's Dozen.

Buy Kevin Sullivan's Death of a Cheerleader (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)Death of a Cheerleader (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)
In this Notorious USA collection, Death of a Cheerleader, New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen and true crime journalist Kevin M. Sullivan write about notorious crimes in the Bluegrass State. In a scene right out of Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” a young woman vanishes from a beach on a summer day and a neighbor views the abduction through his telescope. A newlywed disposes of his bride but doesn’t know what to do with her head. Selling tickets at a drive-in movie theater proves deadly. And a parent’s worst nightmare becomes reality – their young daughter disappears from a sleepover.

Buy Kevin Sullivan's Custer’s Road to Disaster: The Path to Little BighornCuster’s Road to Disaster: The Path to Little Bighorn
"He rose to the Army's pinnacles at age 23, earning him the endearing title "boy general". But Mr. Sullivan says there's more to it than high rank at young age. George Armstrong Custer's boyhood - impetuous, rash, carefree, even rebellious - never disappeared, molding the icon's battle successes and failures, most notably his last hurrah at the Little Big Horn. Was it all foreordained? A provocative read, this road to disaster invites you to be the judge."
Richard Allan Fox, author, Archaeology, History, and Custer's Last Battle

Buy Kevin Sullivan's The Amish Schoolhouse Murders (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)The Amish Schoolhouse Murders (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)
New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen and true crime journalist Kevin M. Sullivan travel down a bizarre trail of murder into notorious Pennsylvania. A seemingly normal husband father of two decides to kill young girls after storming an Amish schoolhouse, and sex many have been the prime motivator. A young high school student has a secret desire for murder, and decides a middle of the night visit to his best friend’s house will do nicely to satiate his hunger to kill. A seedy individual living in an even seedier part of Philadelphia decides to populate his basement with kidnapped women for sex and the bearing of children, and it is death to those who do not submit.

Buy Kevin Sullivan's Unnatural Causes (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)Unnatural Causes (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)
From the dark and bloody ground of Kentucky, to the peaceful Amish communities of Pennsylvania, to the cities and towns crisscrossing Ohio, murder and mayhem has been a part of it all. Within the pages of this latest volume in Notorious USA's New York Times bestselling series you'll discover how the unsuspecting succumbed to the evil that caught them by surprise, and what the authorities had to do to stop the madness.

Buy Kevin Sullivan's Angel of Death (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)Angel of Death (coauthored with Gregg Olsen)
New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen and true crime journalist Kevin M. Sullivan travel down a bizarre trail of murder into notorious Pennsylvania. A seemingly normal husband father of two decides to kill young girls after storming an Amish schoolhouse, and sex many have been the prime motivator. A young high school student has a secret desire for murder, and decides a middle of the night visit to his best friend’s house will do nicely to satiate his hunger to kill. A seedy individual living in an even seedier part of Philadelphia decides to populate his basement with kidnapped women for sex and the bearing of children, and it is death to those who do not submit.

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VAMPIRE’S Sullivan Never Meant To Write About Bundy