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Ted Bundy's Ex Reveals The One Thing That He Was Ashamed Of

Ted Bundy's Ex Reveals The One Thing That He Was Ashamed Of

The killer is portrayed by Zac Efron in the new film about his life - Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

Despite all of the terrible things that notorious serial killer Ted Bundy did, he only felt shame for one thing, which he revealed to his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer.

A new film about Bundy's life stars Zac Efron in the lead role, and is based on Kloepfer's 1981 book The Phantom Prince. As we saw in the Netflix series Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, he came across as a charming and charismatic man, even when facing the death penalty during his trial.

But according to Kloepfer, Bundy broke down in tears to her when he talked about his childhood.

In her book, she wrote: "As sophisticated as Ted was, he had one hang up that surprised me.

"Not long after we started spending time together, he came over one night and said he had something very important to tell me, something that might change my opinion of him.

"Shaking with nervousness, he told me that he was illegitimate.

"His mother gave birth to him in a home for unwed mothers in the East, he said, and they moved to Tacoma to live with relatives when he was very small.

"Then she married Johnnie Bundy and had four more children. Johnnie Bundy had adopted him but Ted knew nothing about it until he was a teenager."

Ted Bundy was convicted of 12 murders.
PA

She went on to explain that Bundy was deeply affected by the news and the way he had been told about it.

She continued: "It had come as a terrible shock.

"A cousin had been had been teasing him about it, and Ted refused to believe it. The cousin had taken Ted up to the attic and showed him proof: his birth certificate."

Speaking about his shame towards his childhood, she wrote: "It bothers him that his family was middle class. He was ambitious and wanted to be better than that.

"He liked the fact that my father was a successful dentist.

"But to me, at least, his family's status didn't seem to be a major problem; Ted was very fond of them, and success would be all the more satisfying to him if he made it on his own."

The Netflix series depicted him as funny and charming, even through the trials.
Netflix

Initially unaware of Bundy's misdeeds, Kloepfer went to the police when she found a meat cleaver in his car and a box of knickers in his apartment. The police, unbelievably, dismissed her concerns, saying that it was not concrete evidence.

Bundy was eventually convicted after three trials, and was sentenced to death for 12 murders, although he admitted to up to 30. He was executed in 1989.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is out on Sky Cinema and in cinemas on 3 May.

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Topics: TV and Film