I believe it is only fitting to end off this blogging adventure with the most notorious serial killer of all time. None other than Ted Bundy. Bundy was probably the first ever serial killer I really delved into as a child. Hearing his story; and how he got away with multiple murders over the spam of his life. If you search, there are hundreds of different keen sources into the life of Ted Bundy. Whether that be through movies, docuserieses, magazine articles, recorded interviews, etc… Bundy had the most publicity surrounding his name. The one movie I was highly interested in when it premiered on Netflix was extremely wicked, shockingly evil, and vile. The documentary movie starred Zac Efron as Bundy and Lily Collins as his wife (Liz Kendall). I thought the movie overall was solid and had some great acting scenes. It foretold Bundy’s story as he lived in Utah with his then girlfriend (Liz) and his son. It elaborates on Bundy seducing, raping, and killing you teenage girls as he was perceived as harmless and charming. It then proceeds to dive into the countless murders Bundy has been a part of all over the country including Nevada and even Florida. Also his adventure of escaping prison and going out on another murder spree. The movie ends with Bundy in court defending himself as his own lawyer and even proposing to his former girlfriend, Carole Ann, in the court room before being sentenced to death by the electric chair.

The thing Bundy had going for him was his charm. Because he was so good looking, no one, especially younger women would show any fear towards him. Bundy has a confirmed victim count of 30 young females. However, in court he confessed to having killed over 40 females in total. There were 3 confirmed kills within the movie. Two were young college girls who were having a sleepover and the other was a young met Bundy met at the library. He lured her into his car them proceeded to rape her and kill her by hacksaw. Sawing off her limbs and placing them in unknown locations. This is crazy to think about as Bundy seemed to be a normal man who had a loving family along his side. So why would he commit these crimes?

There was nothing Bundy endured during his childhood. No abuse, molestation, disorientated family, nothing of that nature. The only source of data that was presentable was during his interview with a psychologist. The psychologist (Al Carisle) stated that Bundy was a very open and warm person to speak to. However, that was the catch. Bundy would often use his charisma to lure people in to murder them and often times he wouldn’t think twice about it. He suffers from a social disorder known as antisocial personality disorder, where the individual feels little to no remorse for any harm that may had inflicted. While this is a serious condition it does not justify his actions. Another interesting factor was that bundy never took a bite out of his “last meal”. He was given eggs, steak, toast, hash brown, juice and coffee, and proceeded to not take a single bit of it. One strange man i’ll say that.

Sources:

https://www.grunge.com/482585/heres-what-was-wrong-with-ted-bundy-according-to-a-psychologist/

https://www.9news.com.au/world/last-meals-what-serial-killers-ate-as-their-last-meal-on-death-row/ecfb2a5a-3ffc-4ab0-b4ed-fc55072d5108#9

I think researching new and unknown stories are far more fascinating to me as it gives me insight on lesser known murders. For example, everyone knows Ted Bundy, but who knew Dean Corll? So in reference to that, we have a story I have never heard of. The “Smiley Face” killer. However, this is not an accurate depiction because it is not just a singular killer, but a mob of men who committed some disturbing crimes.

The first reported incident of these smiley face killers was in the year of 1997, in the wonderful state of New York. Patrick McNeil was our victim’s name who unfortunately suffered a horrific fate when he was found dead in the east river. It took the police over a month to find his body. It was recorded that night that he stumbled out of the bar drunk and was never heard of again. Of course stumbling out of a bar drunk, especially, in New York is no biggie and committing a stupid act right after, is also nothing new to the city. However, to wash up dead, after being declared missing for over a month is not typical of a New York citizen. The police report came up as an “accidental” drowning. Soon enough, too many coincidences appeared, and that is how the smiley face killer origin began.

Another incident occurred in 2009, so a relatively new case. This time a man by the name of William Hurley was assaulted in Boston, Massachusetts, on the night of October 8th. According to this article explaining the weird string of drowning victims, “While on the phone with Mahoney (his girlfriend), Hurley warned that his cellphone battery was low; when she asked for his location, someone in the background yelled, “99 Nashua street” before the line went dead” (Rolling Stone). This is eery as someone who is a complete stranger shouts out that statement and the line just goes dead. About a week later, Hurley’s body was found in the Charles river and ultimately ruled as another accidental drowning.

However, there was evidence presented to steer the police in a different directions of an accidental drowning. The first clue was the blunt force trauma that Hurley had suffered. Second clue was the fact that was Hurley was drugged by GHB. Also known as the “first date” drug. These cases are so bizarre and fascinating that it even led to its own show called “Smiley Faced Killers: The hunt for Justice.”

I just wanted to bring light to this unbeknownst topic as I feel there are a lot of cases are murders that fly under the radar and are never brought into intention, even though some are very serious and have many casualties. For this blog, there will be analysis on the serial killer’s behavior or patterns as these killers are unknown and yet to be found. Also there are multiple so it’s very hard to decipher what each person may have psychologically wrong with them. Next blog, which may or may not be the final one, will be based on the most notorious serial killer of all time, Ted Bundy. I saved hum for last or near last, because he’s the one i know most about through movies, crime shows, and articles covering his case.

Sources

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/smiley-face-murder-serial-killer-drowning-death-882042/