February 3, 1985 letter Bundy sent to Keppel

In Bundy’s February 3, 1985 letter to Keppel, he mentioned the importance of checking out the persons arrested for violent crimes against women. And he was definitely intrigued by how the Green River Killer had become a proficient and elusive killer. He thought the Green River Killer could have been displaying gradually more violent non-lethal behavior long before he became a killer. As if the murders were part of a chain of increasing violent behavior.

Keppel had sent Bundy lists in which there was no mention of persons arrested for violent crimes against women. This puzzled Ted. He wrote:

“Obviously the vast majority of men who are arrested for rape, assault, or some other violent crimes against a woman, are not serial murderers or on the way to becoming serial murderers. In the Green River case, for example, there is a very good chance that the Riverman has no criminal record of violence against women at all, but there is an equally good chance he does.

A criminal record of violence short of murder in the case of a serial killer like the Riverman could be indicative of a number of things:

a. Prior to committing his first murder, an act of violence may represent a link in a chain of

increasing violent behavior ultimately resulting in murder. As I think I’ve mentioned to you before, there is no doubt in my mind that the Riverman didn’t just wake up some morning in early July 1982 and decide for the first time to go out and harm a young prostitute, which turned out to be Wendy Coffield. In my opinion, and that is all it is, the Riverman could have been killing people for six months to a year at least prior to July 1982 and could have been displaying gradually more violent non-lethal behavior long before that.

b. It may be that before he killed his first victim, the Riverman may have intended to kill

someone but his lack of skill and experience resulted in him committing acts of violence for which he may have been arrested, which fell short of his goal. In this context, acts of violence can be seen a part of a trial and error learning experience that helped him become a proficient and elusive killer.

c. Once the Riverman had begun killing, an act of violence short of murder could represent any of three things:

1. Something happened that prevented him from killing his intended victim as he had planned

2. He made a conscious decision to spare his victim, or

3. He may be the type of individual who exhibits non-lethal violent behavior towards some

victims but when it comes to prostitutes he kills.

This is all guess work, I admit. A criminal record of violence for a serial killer like the Riverman could represent any combination of the above factors. Anyway, when compiling this list of men arrested for some act or acts of violence against women, you would certainly want to focus on and flag those cases where the victim was a hooker.”

Bundy's entire letter was transcribed and published in the book "Reflections on Green River: The Letters of, and Conversations with, Ted Bundy" by "Sara: A Survivor"