The Development of the Violent Mind
The Case of Ted Bundy
Im Not Guilty
Second Edition
Al Carlisle, Ph.D.
The Development of The Violent Mind
Im Not Guilty: The Case of Ted Bundy
Copyright 2013, 2014 Dr. Al Carlisle, Ph.D.
Edited by Dr. Michael R. Collings and Leya S. Booth
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the author or publisher, except for short passages used in critical reviews.
Cover Design: Cyrus Wraith Walker
www.CyrusFictionProductions.com
Published By:
Genius Book Publishing
PO Box 17752
Encino, CA 91416
www.GeniusBookPublishing.com
Follow us on Twitter: @GeniusBooks
Like us on Facebook: GeniusPublishing
Table of Contents
IM NOT GUILTY
The Case of Ted Bundy
Preface
From what we now know about Ted Bundy, its puzzling how he could have walked among us, killing so many innocent victims without being detected for as long as he did. Even those who knew him best, such as co-workers in political campaigns, his girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall, and his family, didnt see him as he really was. Outwardly, he was articulate, friendly, intelligent, and had a winning smile. He expressed his concern for the poor and for minorities. He seemed to be an energetic, dedicated up-and-coming politician.
Ted Bundy was able to hide his destructive impulses from most people, but not from everyone.
During one of my first conversations with Ted, he asked me if I thought he had a multiple personality disorder. This question surprised me because it was completely out of context to what we had been discussing. I believe that Ted wanted to explore this question more fully, but couldnt. At the time, he was declaring his innocence of any crime and couldnt allow me to see the truth.
Ted was a very complex person. For the most part, people saw in him what Carl Jung referred to as a persona: a socially appropriate faade, a mask which obscured the sinister side of him. While Ted couldnt explain his dark sideJung would have called it his Shadowor where it originated, Ted knew it was a part of him. When this dark side was triggered into life, it took command of Teds emotions and behavior. He argued with this side of himwhatever it wasbut he couldnt stop it. And since he couldnt find a descriptive name for it, he gave it a sinister term, one which represented its mysterious nature and his fear of it. Ted called it the Entity.
My contact with Ted was at the Utah State Prison where I was employed as a psychologist working on the 90-Day evaluation unit. Ted had been convicted of the 1974 attempted abduction of Carol DaRonch. Judge Stewart Hanson, Jr., who had found Ted guilty of the crime, was left with the decision of how to sentence this promising University of Utah law student who appeared to have a bright future in politics. Would Judge Hanson give Ted prison time, or would he slap him on the wrist and put him on probation?
From what we know of Ted today, its inconceivable that the option of probation could ever have been considered. We had before us one of the most violent serial killers in history and the judge was honestly considering the possibility of probation. In hindsight, the very idea of probation for Ted is unbelievable, and it underscores Teds ability to present himself as a charming, respectable member of society.
Judge Hanson was a good judge, intelligent and fair. The consideration of probation was not due to inadequacy on his part. Instead, it was because of how Ted was viewed by those who knew him. Many felt that the police had caught the wrong man and that the court had mistakenly found him guilty of something he didnt do. Many felt that it would be an extreme travesty of justice to put this promising young man in prison. The judge had found him guilty, but due to the strong, conflicting opinions about Bundys character, he requested psychological and psychiatric assessments to help him make a more informed decision. While Ted was on the 90-Day program, a mental health team including a psychiatrist, a social worker, and a psychologistmyselfevaluated him.
The first time I met Ted was in the hallway at the prison before our initial appointment. He walked briskly toward me with a smile on his face, and as he got close to me he extended his hand and gave me a strong handshake. He said, Hi, Im Ted Bundy. You must be Dr. Carlisle. His demeanor was more of a political candidate who was after my vote than of a killer who was facing a prison sentence.
The psychological evaluation of Ted Bundy was not easy. I conducted a lengthy series of interviews with Tedover 20 hours all togetherand also made telephone calls to people who knew him, both in the northwest and in Salt Lake City. This extended assessment was necessary due to the conflicting attitudes toward Ted. The combination of some findings from the psychological tests, the interview with Ted himself, and information I obtained from people who were close to him all convinced me that he had a violent dark side to him.
June 30, 1976 was the date of Ted Bundys sentencing hearing. The psychiatric and psychological reports, along with the recommendations from the 90-Day program staff, had been sent to Judge Hanson and he had read them. Ted and his lawyer had also read the reports and they were poised to attack. I anticipated that I would be put on the stand to defend my report and I was very nervous about doing so because my conclusions were based on a combination of all of the findings I had obtained, and not from any one piece of evidence. The courtroom was crowded and it included Bundys family, his girlfriend, the news media, law enforcement, and other interested or involved spectators.
Prior to the hearing, Judge Hanson had used the reports findings to make his decision. He already knew what sentence he wanted to impose on Ted, so he chose not to allow Teds lawyer to put me on the stand. However, Ted was allowed to address the court.
Ted stood and faced the judge. Then he looked at me and began to angrily defend himself against conclusions from my report. He shook the report in the air and, with anger in his voice and tears in his eyes, declared that the report had been written to fit the crime and was totally inaccurate! He was so convincing that for a moment even I began to wonder if I had been too hard on him. Still, I had no doubt that my conclusions were correct.
Ted was sentenced to 1 to 15 years in the Utah State Prison. In spite of his bitterness in court, he contacted me at the prison and wanted to get together. Among other topics, he talked about his daily routine of exercising, reading inspirational books, and delving into his legal matters. He was quite friendly towards me. And when he escaped from jail the first time while in Colorado to face other charges, he called me just to chat.
Ted Bundy was, if nothing else, a study in contradictions. My intent in writing this book is to show Ted Bundy as he was: a conflicted, lonely, violent man who put so much effort into maintaining his persona that he lost track of himself altogether, allowing the Entity to grow within him. Over 30 women paid the price for Teds loss of himself. I feel it is important to examine and understand the process through which a relatively normal, though troubled and shy, child could become such a violent killer. If nothing else, this book was written to answer the question Why?
Im Not Guilty: The Case of Ted Bundy is the first of a series on the Development of the Violent Mind. The Bundy case is intriguing because it raised a number of questions regarding violence, and in particular serial killers.
