Ted Bundy (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile)

"While I certainly agree it is...always a tragedy...when any life is taken against one's will...it is this court's reasoned judgement you be adjudicated guilty of murder in the first degree...that the killings were indeed atrocious and cruel in that they were extremely wicked, shocking evil, vile...and with utter indifference to human life and that you shall be put to death by current of electricity that shall pass through your body until you are dead."

- Judge Edward Cowart to Ted Bundy as he announces his death sentence. Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy is the villain protagonist of the 2019 bio-pic film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile-itself based on Bundy's former girlfriend Elizabeth "Liz" Kendall's memoir, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. The movie circuits around the trial and personal life of Ted Bundy. Some scenes and quotes from the movie are identical to the clips taken of Ted Bundy's trial.

He was portrayed by Zac Efron.

Biography
Ted Bundy is a law student who first met Liz Kendall in the year 1969 in Seattle at a bar. They went to her house and she was immediately touched by the fact that he takes no offense to her being a single mother. The next day, after spending the night, he makes breakfast for her and her baby, Molly, wining them both over in the process.

However, unbeknownst to Liz, Ted was a deeply disturbed young man who over the course of their relationship, would use his charming status to trick women into helping him lift objects into his under the guise of a cripple man, wearing a cast and later murdering them once he got them where he wanted him-subjecting them to sever torture and rape before killing them and mutilating the bodies.

At some point, in 1974, Ted had kidnapped and murdered several young women, tricking them into helping him load a sailboat into a Volkswagen Bug. He was seen by several people and a sketch was made. Liz had seen the sketch and was suspicious from the start at the similarities-later reporting him to the police but making sure Ted would never know it was her who ratted him out. A year later, Ted was arrested.

Ted is later picked out of a police lineup by one of his victims who had escaped, Carol DaRonch, and is arrested. However, Ted is released on bail and goes back to Liz at her house, who slaps him in the face after reading the newspaper about him. However, he manages to calm her down and convince her that the woman simply made a mistake and that he’s being set up.

During his four day bench trial, Ted and Liz meet one of Ted’s old girlfriends, Carole Ann Boone, at an animal shelter where they attempt to get a dog-however the one they interested in immediately takes a disliking towards Ted. On the last day of the trial, Ted found guilty of aggravated kidnapping and is sentenced to serve a minimum of one to a maximum of 15 years in the Utah State Prison. During his stay in 1976, Ted makes the mistake of denying ever being in Colorado to a homicide detective-learning later from his first lawyer, John, that said detective had his gas slips from Colorado and learned that Ted was lying when he confronted him about it-thus being bale to connect Ted to other murders having taken place there. John is unable to help Ted due to not being licensed in Colorado, but is able to provide him with a public defender. Ted is later charged with the murder of Caryn Campbell, and is transferred to a prison in Aspen, Colorado one year later.

Ted’s arrests begin affecting Liz deeply, who resort to alcohol as a result-though she still denies his guilt all the same. Before Ted’s trial, he attempts several times to call Liz to comfort her and get her to come to said trial, but she does not want anything to do with him at this point. He is alarmed to discover that the court has charged him guilty and will even consider the death penalty. During his time in jail, he practices for when he will jump out the window of the office for his escape by jumping off the top bunk in his cell. After a recess during trial, Bundy makes his escape out the office window while the security guard is flirting with a young lady.

Ted is recaptured 6 days later and is eventually visited by Liz in prison during Christmas season. She tells him she wants to end their relationship and leaves, but not before giving him a drawing by Molly. At some point during his jail time, ted escapes again through the ceiling in his cell by saw a square in it.

He arrives in Florida 2 weeks later and murders two women at a sorority house (raping one of them), later brutally beating three more afterwards. Ted is pulled over by a cop, whom he manages to fight off but punching him in the stomach. However he is quickly recaptured afterwards. He tries to call Liz again, but she hangs up on him. Ted is later visited by the Sheriff in his cell, who rips Molly’s drawing in front of him and has two guards hold Ted against his will so they can take picture of his teeth (due to how often he bit into his victims).

Ted is later visited by Carole in prison, who has moved to Florida to get closer to him. Once his confronted by his new lawyer, he tells Ted that the court will agree to a 75 life sentence instead of the death penalty if he pleads guilty for killing the two sorority girls, as well as 12 year old Kimberly Leach-but Ted angrily refuses. Carole offers to help get Ted’s story heard, much to his appreciation.

In 1979, it is revealed during Ted’s days in court that he is large following of women who are attracted to him. He continues to try to call Liz, but her new boyfriend, Jerry Thompson, unplugs the phone while she was asleep. Due to his displeasure with his lawyer, Ted begins acting as his own attorney in court. Ted is angry to discover that Carole called his family over once they visit him in his cell. In court, when Ted’s opportunity to plead guilty and face a life sentence surfaces, he instead refuses to do so while insulting his lawyer, much to his dismay-causing him to quit immediately after. This prompts Ted to take over as lead counsel. He tries sending letters to Liz, as well as calling her once more, but Jerry continues to get in the way, insisting that Ted is “killing her”.

As Ted and Carol have sex in the prison, it’s implied he intends to use to to replace Liz, talking about the life they will have together once he’s freed, as well as the possibility of having a dog, despite her being allergic. After using her as a witness in court, he proposes to her on the spot. Carole later reveals that she is pregnant. As Ted’s attempts at acting as his own lawyer failed, he is sentenced to death through the electric chair.

10 years later, Liz visits Ted on death row after receiving a letter from him, she demands that he tell her the truth about himself, as well as admitting that she was the one who had him turned in in the first place. He admits that he plans to confess to the murders but only in an attempt to save himself-denying ever being capable of the crimes they accuse him of. She then shows Ted a picture given to her by a detective of one of his decapitated victims-asking what he did to her. He hangs up the phone but writes in the condensation of the glass between them HACK SAW, finally setting her free of all the anxiety and emotional abuse he put her through. Ted confesses to having murdered over 30 women and is executed on January, 1989. His last request before he died was that his ashes be scattered in the Cascade Mountains where he deposited the remains of his victims’ bodies.

Trivia

 * Despite it only being implied that Ted once contemplated killing Liz, in real life, Ted tried on several attempts to kill her.