2 – Escape Artist
Bundy’s innate desire to kill, along with a keen sense of self-preservation, opportunism, and intelligence, allowed him to escape custody on two separate occasions. In March 1976, Bundy was sentenced to between 1 and 15 years in prison for the kidnapping of Carol DaRonch. He was sent to Utah State Prison, and officials really should have known what to expect in future because, in October 1976, Bundy was caught carrying an ‘escape kit’ in the prison yard. At that time, he was already a suspect in several murders; that’s what makes his first escape all the more astonishing.
He was charged with the murder of Caryn Campbell and transferred to Aspen in January 1977. When the time came for his preliminary hearing, Bundy chose to act as his own attorney. Rather than using it as an excuse to show off his intelligence, Bundy did this because of a legal loophole. As Bundy was an attorney, the judge ordered the removal of his handcuffs and leg shackles.
During a recess, he asked for permission to research in the courthouse’s law library. Bundy hid behind a bookcase and escaped out of a window. He jumped from the second story, sprained his ankle on landing and hobbled to the Aspen Mountains. Bundy spent three days in the mountains before stealing a car. However, police saw his car weaving in and out of the lane, and the exhausted killer was back in custody.
His second escape plan was more successful but also unnecessary. Although he was still in prison for the kidnapping, it was increasingly likely that he would be acquitted in the murder trial. Nonetheless, Bundy hatched an escape plan which involved a hacksaw and a detailed floor plan of the prison. With $500 he had smuggled over the course of six months, Bundy launched his next great escape.
He used the blade to saw a gap of 30cm between the steel bars in his cell’s ceiling. He deliberately lost 35 pounds in weight while in prison to ensure he could squeeze through the gap. After multiple test runs, Bundy made his way through the crawl space in the ceiling after leaving a pile of books on his bed to simulate his body on December 31, 1977. Then he broke into the head jailer’s apartment, stole a set of clothes and made his way to freedom. It took 17 hours for the prison to realize he was gone. By then, Bundy was in Chicago and getting ready to kill again. He murdered at least four more women before being captured on February 12, 1978.