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PURE EVIL

How many people did Ted Bundy kill?

TED Bundy was one of the most notorious killers in US history after committing a series of horrific murders during a four-year period in the 1970s

He was responsible for murdering more than 30 young women - here's what you need to know about the twisted killer and his evil spree.

 Ted Bundy was one of the most notorious serial killers in US history
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Ted Bundy was one of the most notorious serial killers in US historyCredit: Alamy

Who was Ted Bundy?

Born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1946, Ted Bundy was one of the most notorious US serial killers of all time.

Eleanor Louise Cowell gave birth to Bundy at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers, before Bundy was raised by his grandparents due to the stigma of being a "bastard".

He would later tell attorneys that his grandfather Samuel Cowell was a bully who would beat his wife, torture their dog and swing neighbourhood cats by their tails.

Ted displayed deeply disturbing behaviour - his aunt Julia once awoke surrounded by knives and Bundy, three, standing by the bed smiling.

On February 9, 1980, during his murder trial, Bundy asked his girlfriend Carole Ann Boone to marry him.

She accepted and Bundy declared they were legally married as it had been witnessed by a judge.

In 1982 Carole Ann named Bundy as the father of her daughter, Rose.

 Ted Bundy's childhood home in Vermont
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Ted Bundy's childhood home in Vermont

When did Ted Bundy start killing and why did he revisit crime scenes?

The date Ted Bundy started killing is subject to some debate,  although most agree it was in 1974, around the time several women went missing in Seattle and nearby Oregon.

Locals started telling stories of how the women were being lured into cars by a young, dark-haired man named "Ted" who faked injuries.

Soon after, Bundy moved to Utah to attend law school in 1974 - and people started disappearing from there too.

He was known to revisit some of his crime scenes to sexually violate the corpses of his victims.

 Ted Bundy decapitated at least 12 of his victims and kept some of their heads as mementos of his vile acts
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Ted Bundy decapitated at least 12 of his victims and kept some of their heads as mementos of his vile actsCredit: AP:Associated Press

How was Bundy arrested and how did he escape custody?

Bundy decapitated at least 12 of his victims and kept some of their heads as mementos of his vile acts.

In 1975, the maniac was arrested for kidnapping Carol DaRonch, one of the few who survived his attacks, and sentenced to up to 15 years behind bars.

Two years later in 1977 while acting as his own lawyer after being indicted over the death of a Colorado woman, Bundy jumped out of the jailhouse library window and disappeared.

He was caught eight days later but in December the same year he climbed out of a hole in the ceiling of his cell and fled to Florida.

In January 1978, Bundy broke into the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University, and killed two women and bludgeoned three others.

He was convicted of those crimes in July 1979 after bite marks on one of the bodies were found to be his.

His final victim was a 12-year-old girl in Florida.

 Sixteen of Ted Bundy's victims
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Sixteen of Ted Bundy's victims

Who were Ted Bundy's victims?

Bundy confessed to more than 30 murders across several states in the 70s but experts estimate the real number could exceed 100.

Here are some of the victims we know about...

1974

Washington, Oregon

February 1: Lynda Ann Healy (21)

March 12: Donna Gail Manson (19)

April 17: Susan Elaine Rancourt (18)

May 6: Roberta Kathleen Parks (22)

June 1: Brenda Carol Ball (22)

June 11: Georgann Hawkins (18)

July 14: Janice Ann Ott (23)

July 14: Denise Marie Naslund (19)

Utah, Colorado, Idaho

October 2: Nancy Wilcox (16)

October 18: Melissa Anne Smith (17)

October 31: Laura Ann Aime (17)

November 8: Debra Jean Kent (17)

1975

January 12: Caryn Eileen Campbell (23)

March 15: Julie Cunningham (26)

April 6: Denise Lynn Oliverson (25)

May 6: Lynette Dawn Culver (12)

June 28: Susan Curtis (15)

1978

Florida

January 15: Margaret Elizabeth Bowman (21)

January 15: Lisa Levy (20)

February 9: Kimberly Diane Leach (12)

Survivors include...

January 4, 1974: Karen Sparks (18)

November 8, 1974: Carol DaRonch (18)

January 15, 1978: Karen Chandler (21)

January 15, 1978: Kathy Kleiner (21)

January 15, 1978: Cheryl Thomas (21)

How was Ted Bundy executed?

Ted Bundy was executed by electric chair on January 24, 1989, when he was 42 years old.

According to reports at the time, there was a "circus atmosphere" outside the prison, according to journalist Jon Word who witnessed the final moments of dozens of death row killers.

Hundreds of people - including 20 off-duty police officers - sang, danced and set off fireworks across the street from the prison as the execution was carried out.

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