As easy as this question may seem, it lacks a definitive answer. That’s because serial killers are not only judged by the number of murders they commit. Factors such as the amount of suffering the serial killers inflict upon their victims before killing them, the level of remorse they portray, and the overall impact they have on society. Over the years, various people in different fields, including law enforcement officers and psychologists, have had conflicting opinions on who is the worst serial killer of all time. But, after conducting in-depth research and analysis, we believe that Ted Bundy was the worst serial killer who ever lived. Here is why.
Ted Bundy’s Early Life
Ted Bundy started showing signs of sadism when he was very young. Frequently, he would roam the streets searching for adult materials and would spy on women through open windows. Unlike most serial killers, Ted Bundy attended college and graduated. All was set for him to have a successful career despite his terrible juvenile record. Unfortunately, two years after graduating, in 1974, Ted made his first step into the dark world of serial killing.
How Ted Bundy Got His Victims
Most victims of Ted Bundy were young and attractive women. He first targeted women in his neighborhood in Washington before moving to Utah, Colorado, and Florida. To show how cunning Ted Bundy was, he approached some of these young ladies wearing fake casts on his legs or arms.
Sometimes, he even used fake crutches to gain sympathy. Then, he would use his fake disability to lure them into his car. In other instances, he would get crafty and pretend to be a firefighter or police officer. This made his victims trust him more.
After getting them in his car, Ted Bundy would hit them in the back of the head with a blunt object, rendering the victims unconscious. In his 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, which is available for viewing at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum, the serial killer had removed the co-driver’s seat to create room for his victim’s body.
He did not always kill them immediately but would tie them up with rope or handcuffs. After taking them home, Ted would take advantage of these women before ending their lives. He strangled most of his victims and then mutilated their bodies. He would keep the corpses and sexually abuse them until he was satisfied, or the smell of the decaying bodies would be too much to endure. Sometimes, Ted Bundy would hang the heads of his victims in his apartment.
Why Was Ted Bundy Able to Get Away with So Many Murders?
According to an associate professor from Chatham University, Christine Sarteschi, Ted Bundy was a textbook psychopath. While the authorities were only able to confirm 36 murders, Ted Bundy claimed to have killed more than 100 women. This ticks the first check in our serial killer checklist – lots of murders.
The body count issue aside, Ted Bundy had a persona many would consider normal. He knew this and leveraged it to gain entry into the lives of his victims. The majority of those who knew the man described him as charming, good-looking, and intelligent.
Ted Bundy was able to get away with his atrocities for the longest time because Ted Bundy appeared “normal.” By portraying the character of an upstanding citizen, law enforcement didn’t suspect him. Plus, he was very good at hiding evidence.
Ted Bundy’s Arrest, Prosecution, and Electrocution
Fortunately, Ted Bundy was arrested on August 16, 1975, when his tools of murder and abduction were discovered. He escaped custody twice. The second time, in 1977, he managed to flee to Florida, where he continued his heinous crimes. While in Florida, it is alleged that Ted Bundy raped and killed at least six women. He was caught again in 1978, and on January 24, 1989, Ted Bundy was executed by the electric chair after confessing to the murder of 30 people.
One of the acts that pushed Ted Bundy to the end of the serial killer scoreboard was his last victim, a 12-year-old girl called Kimberly Leach. He abducted the young girl in the middle of the school day and took her life. Society is very harsh on crimes committed against children; John Wayne Gacy’s case is a perfect example. He killed at least 33 young men, and even though he pleaded innocent by insanity, the authorities sentenced him to death by lethal injection. With Kimberly Leach’s case, Ted Bundy had crossed a line.
In the interview Ted had with James Dobson before his execution in 1989, he showed an overall lack of empathy for his crimes. The serial killer avoided talking about anything emotional and spoke about himself in the third person, which scared most viewers watching that interview. He chose his words very carefully, which didn’t give any of the victim’s families the closure they needed.
Why We Think Ted Bundy Is the Worst Serial Killer of All Time
While he may not be the serial killer with the highest body count, Ted Bundy was one of the most brutal and showed no remorse for his actions, even when sentenced to death. What he did with the deceased bodies is also nauseating.
That said, the title for the worst serial killer is nothing to be proud of. The world has seen plenty of them, including Sam Little, Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz, Richard Cottingham, Gary Ridgway, and Belle Gunness, amongst many others. They all have one thing in common: they are the worst representation of humanity.