Ted Bundy's Volkswagen Bug is currently on display in the museum lobby.

Ted Bundy Time Line:

On August 15, 1975 Bundy fled police attempting to pull him over, and they searched his VW Beetle. The suspicious objects they found included: a crowbar behind the driver's seat, a box of large green plastic garbage bags, an ice pick, flashlight, gloves, torn strips of sheeting, knit ski mask, handcuffs, and a strange mask made from panty hose. They noticed that the passenger seat had been removed and placed in the back seat. Bundy was arrested for evading an officer and taken to jail before being released on his own recognizance.

His documented killing spree began in January 1974 with the violent assault and rape of Joni Lenz, an 18 year old UW freshman. He continued to kidnap, assault, and kill women in Washington at the rate of one a month until he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the University of Utah's law school.

August 22, 1975, he hired Utah's premier defense attorney, John O'Connell. After thoroughly cleaning his Volkswagen Beetle, he sold it to a teenager in Sandy, Utah.

Bundy was arrested on August 21, 1975 for possession of burglary tools. A police search found documents connecting Bundy to missing women in Snowmass, Colorado and Bountiful, Utah. The police took several photos of the interior and exterior of Bundy's car. Bundy was released on bail.

Utah authorities seized the 1968 Volkswagen examined it inch by inch. They found hairs that were matched to three victims. On February 23, 1976 Bundy was tried for kidnapping. On March 1, 1976 Bundy was found guilty of aggravated kidnapping. In June he was sentenced to one to 15 years in prison.

On October 2, 1975 three witnesses picked Bundy from a police lineup. He was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping with bail set at $100,000.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation found new hairs behind the backseat area as well as blood under the door panel. On October 22, 1976 the Colorado police filed charges against Bundy. On January 28, 1977 he was extradited to Colorado to stand trial.

On June 7th, 1977 Bundy escaped from the Pitkin County courthouse in Aspen by jumping through a window. Six days later he was recaptured.

Bundy escaped a second time on the night of December 30, 1977.

On Saturday, January 14, 1978 Bundy broke into Florida State University's Chi Omega sorority house where he killed two women and severely maimed two more. A few weeks later he attacked and killed 12-year-old Kimberly Leach. On February 15th, 1978 he was pulled over by Officer David Lee in West Pensacola, driving a stolen orange VW Beetle, for traffic violations and arrested.

Bundy was convicted on July 23, 1979 of the sorority murders and on February 7, 1980 for Leach's murder. Theodore Bundy was executed on January 24, 1989, in Florida's electric chair.

Suggested Reading

Purchase Museum Tickets
Visit our Crime Library
Join our Blog