The factors that may have played a part in initiating and facilitating Bundy's serial killings

 

In this article, I focus on the feelings of isolation, loneliness and need for power/control, and low self-esteem, that Ted Bundy may have felt, and also the feeling of betrayal (by Elizabeth Kloepfer, as evidenced in the Walrus Tavern episode), as part of my attempt to gather the factors that initiated and facilitated Bundy’s killings.

Bundy felt completely isolated in his freshman year - "my social life was a big zero. I spent a great deal of time with myself. It was a lonely year for me, and it was worse because I didn't have my old neighborhood buddies around" (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 999, p. 67-69). Bundy also said that he never spoke about any of the issues he faced in school with his mother or a counselor because he thought there was nothing wrong (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 999, p. 64). Throughout Bundy's life, he questioned social interactions and relationships, and felt he would never be socially adept (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1999, p. 66-67; Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 989, p. 12; Michaud and Aynesworth, 1989, p. 14). Instead, he invested his time in academics in the school classroom (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 989, p. 1 4), and later in adulthood in Chinese studies, law, and urban planning - but he failed at all three (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 999, p. 69, p. 70, p. 72, p. 82).

Loneliness and the need for power/control have been common themes in the lives and crimes of serial killers. Loneliness experienced by most serial killers can be counted as a contributing factor to the motivation of controlling victims (Ramsland, 2006; Martens & Palermo, 2005). This suggestion serves as an important link between loneliness and power/control factors. Martens & Palermo (2005), also said that loneliness may be harmful for people who are at risk for antisocial behaviors, especially when other facilitators come into play, such as substance use, a violent, criminal or indifferent environment, and lack of self-esteem.

Low self-esteem may have been another factor. Both Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway experienced low selfesteem but there is no evidence of the same for Richard Ramirez.

Bundy counted low self-esteem as one of his stressors, saying:

“When people have - are - unable to cope with some part of their life – the feelings of discontent, loneliness, alienation, self-esteem, or whatever it is – they usually attribute their state of mind to one degree or another to society at large. And they finally choose some way of venting what they have inside.” (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 989, p. 203; see also Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 989, p. 1 94; Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 989, p. 250)

Bundy stated that he never found the support at home or in his family to help him out with sports (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 989, p. 1 1 -12). And when he was not selected for the school basketball and baseball teams, Bundy thought it was something personal (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 999, p. 61 -62; Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 989, p. 12). He said, "I always felt I was too small. This feeling began to emerge in junior high school. That I didn't have the weight or physique for sports. It wasn't true, hut I never pushed myself' (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1989, p. 1 1).

Bundy emphasized the fact that he did not find himself attractive and was insecure about this (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 999, p. 65). He said:

“I don't think people perceived me this way but I saw myself as meek. I perceived myself to be easily intimidated. And somewhat unsophisticated. Uninteresting . . . even unattractive. Not in a gross, accentuated way that would keep me shuddering in my apartment all day, but in a mild way that sort of took the edge off things. When people were genuinely interested in me, I seldom picked up on it. Simply, I just didn't appreciate my worth. It's strange, isn't it, that under these circumstances, today I probably have a stronger self-image that I ever did before?” (Michaud and Aynesworth, 1 989, p. 24)

Did his low self-esteem and hatred for himself for not standing up for himself played a role in his killings? Or perhaps Elizabeth Kloepfer’s betrayal played a part in it, as being one of the stressors?... I am referring to Elizabeth’s date with a man other than Bundy, around March of 1971, when she went to the Walrus Tavern with her date, and Bundy was enraged and followed them there and then confronted Elizabeth.

Bundy told Al Carlisle that in the spring of 1972 he had an emotional falling out. He couldn’t think of any event that precipitated it, but “Liz needed constant reinforcement, she needed love over and over again". So this was right before his affair with Gwinn (which took place between May and June 1972). And then Carlisle asked Bundy if there were other things Liz did that made him angry, and Bundy answered: "there was one occasion when she had somebody over to her apartment. She was drunk and they had sex. I felt terribly hurt. I went home and sulked. My world was destroyed". This according to Carlisle’s “Violent Mind”. Carlisle thought that what he saw was “a very hurt man”, who reported an “extremely emotional event”.

Elizabeth Kloepfer however, in her book “The Phantom Prince”, never mentioned having had sex with any man while she was Bundy’s lover. So who knows if what Bundy told Carlisle was true. Maybe it was true, and Elizabeth omitted it from her book intentionally. Or maybe it wasn't true. In her book, Elizabeth wrote that after she had been to Walrus, her date accompanied her home in the car and he was all over her, and then they pulled up in front of her place, and Bundy stood there, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, and then she stormed in with him at her heels.

Bundy may have genuinely cared about Elizabeth, otherwise why would he have asked Diana Weiner to send her a letter, in the late 80’s, telling her that he loved her and her daughter, Molly... So maybe he perceived her date as a betrayal, and even more so if she did indeed have sex with a man and let Bundy know about it.

Regarding childhood trauma, I did not find much evidence of it for Bundy. I only found evidence that Bundy experienced trauma and stress as a result of abandonment from his serious romantic relationships in adulthood. It is possible that these events triggered underlying feelings about past experiences of low self-esteem and confusion about social interactions from adolescence.

The abandonment experience for Bundy may have refueled his low self-esteem, possibly making it worse, and thus resulting in serial killing as a coping mechanism. It is debatable if Bundy's exposure to violence and aggression as portrayed in pornographic materials (magazines and films) resulted in him being triggered by women to the extent of wanting to possess and kill them. In 1989, Bundy did suggest to James Dobson that he had an early and continued exposure to pornography, and I can  accept that pornography might have played a role in his murders, but I wouldn’t know whether it was a fundamental factor or not.

Related reading: https://tedbundyarchive.blogspot.com/2022/02/bundys-hunting-paraphernalia-suggests.html