photographed long before the first bodies were found in 1974.
Vanity Fair
When Truman Capote’s bestselling book In Cold Blood was first published in 1966, it defined what was to become the modern true crime genre. Regarding the murders of 4 family members in rural Kansas, Capote examined the viewpoints of the victims, killers and investigators. This made for a thoughtful report, and provided insight into how and why the murders were committed.
Now examine this. Ann Rule (1931–2015) was born in Michigan. Her grandfather and uncle were sheriffs, and she spent her school holidays with her grandparents doing volunteer work in prisons. This fostered her interest in crime, especially asking who the prisoners were and what had led them there. Rule studied creative writing, criminology and abnormal psychology at University, and worked in the Seattle police.
In 1971, when Rule met Ted Bundy (1946-89), she was a struggling 40 year old mother. Rule was building a career as a freelance writer, writing true crime stories for True Detective Magazine. She volunteered 2 nights/week on crisis hotlines at Seattle’s Crisis Clinic, where 25 year old psychology student Bundy was gaining work experience. They formed an instant rapport! They lost contact in late 1973 after he stopped working at the clinic, but Bundy remained the epitome of decent American men: handsome, charming, intelligent, ambitious and in the Republican Party.
In 1971, when Rule met Ted Bundy (1946-89), she was a struggling 40 year old mother. Rule was building a career as a freelance writer, writing true crime stories for True Detective Magazine. She volunteered 2 nights/week on crisis hotlines at Seattle’s Crisis Clinic, where 25 year old psychology student Bundy was gaining work experience. They formed an instant rapport! They lost contact in late 1973 after he stopped working at the clinic, but Bundy remained the epitome of decent American men: handsome, charming, intelligent, ambitious and in the Republican Party.
The publisher said Rule was commissioned to write the book that became The Stranger Beside Me as the spate of murders of young, attractive girls mounted. Paid a small advance, Rule was told her book would only be published if the murderer was caught. But note that in the 2000 update Rule wrote: Ted Bundy called me to ask for my help and to say that he was a suspect in women’s disappearance.
In early 1974 a series of brutal murders of young women in Seattle shocked the city, all beautiful young female students with long centre-parted hair. Many were attacked as they slept in their university beds; others were lured into a beige VW by a man struggling with his limb in a cast. Eye witness descriptions pointed to Bundy, but authorities were flooded with leads and because of his respectable persona, he was not seriously followed up.
Florida court room 1979
In late 1974, Bundy moved to Salt Lake City. The killings in Seattle stopped and a series of murders of young women in Utah, Colorado and Idaho began with a similar modus operandi to those in Seattle. Police in these states began honing in on Bundy as their main suspect.
Rule refused to believe in Bundy’s culpability, even when he was extradited to Colorado to face murder charges. Bundy escaped from custody in 1977 and made his way to Florida, where he killed 3 women, and raped and killed a schoolgirl. Finally people saw that Bundy was neither attractive nor the folk hero others had proposed.
With his capture and trial in Florida in 1978, Rule accepted that the man she thought she knew was indeed a serial killer and the perpetrator of the crimes she’d been writing about, and with. Bundy was sentenced to death for the Florida murders, but staved off death for 11 years of appeals. In time he confessed to 30+ murders across 7 states, to delay his execution. Still, he was executed in Jan 1989 at 43.
Rule’s wrote the book from Bundy’s perspective, beginning with his arrival in Florida and working back in time. She researched and published every detail of his life, from his complicated childhood to the media circus of his trials. Rule had a keen eye, police experience and intelligence. NB her ability to put together a graphic detailed account of Bundy’s personal life, personality, mental status, criminal behaviour & activity. No one, except his longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall, had a more personal insight into Ted Bundy.
How did his childhood contribute to the killings? Rule analysed Bundy’s IQ; the mental makeup of Bundy’s personality; other murders he may have committed; his wife and daughter; the complicated relationship with his mother; the autopsies and the victims and his behaviour during the trial.
Rule admitted her naivety in being unwilling to see the truth for ages, despite the evidence. Even after she acknowledged Bundy’s guilt, she continued out of a sense of loyalty to visit and write to him in prison for the rest of his life. The reader could clearly feel the emotional trauma her friendship with Bundy caused her, at least until she conceded that she had been manipulated.
A true crime classic, The Stranger Beside Me was first published in 1980 (WW Norton). Rule revised the book, with updates published in 1986, 1989, 2000 and 2008. The 1989 update of the book featured Bundy’s execution, and the 2000 update included the experiences of many women who met Bundy in the 1970s. The 2008 update featured more near-miss stories from potential victims. Rule told the story of each of Bundy’s victims, who they were and who they might have been, with great compassion.
Why would people read this lengthy book? The main reason was that it delved deeply into Ted Bundy’s planning, stalking and methods of killing. But the evidence was very personally written and Rule was criticised for being way too close to her old mate. See Too Close to Ted Bundy in which Victoria Beale accused Rule of making very poor ethical choices. I agreed 100% with Beale.
Some of Ann Rule's best sellers
After the huge success of The Stranger Beside Me in 1980, the queen of true crime died at 83. She’d written 30+ true crime books, many hitting #1 on the bestseller list, but fans were still asking questions about her Ted Bundy story.