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ABC10 Tampa Bay Ted Bundy's Final Interview - January 24th 1989 - SP Mode & Mono Linear Audio — Transcript

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0:01This is ABC.
0:04>> Good evening. Coming up next, a special
0:06edition of Action News [music] Tonight,
0:07a look back at the day of justice for
0:10many people as the body of Ted Bundy was
0:12removed [music] from Florida's death
0:14row.
0:15>> Good evening. This is John Wilson
0:17reporting from [music] the state prison
0:18stark, which is quiet now, unlike the
0:20atmosphere earlier today, which
0:22resembled a [music] kind of macabra
0:23martyra. Details coming up.
0:27and and and the issue is how this kind
0:30of literature contributed and helped
0:33mold and and shape the kinds of violent
0:36behaviors.
0:38>> And final thoughts from Ted Bundy in the
0:40final hours of his life. Join [music] us
0:42for this special hourong edition of
0:44Action News next.
0:48When your child has a fever, reach for
0:50me, Pandy, the children's panadol
0:52[music] panda. Children's Vanadol is
0:55recommended by more and more
0:57pediatricians. They know it's aspirin
1:00free and nothing beats children's
1:03panadol for reducing fever fast.
1:07Next time your child is [music]
1:08feverish, listen to your doctor and look
1:10for me. Pandy on aspirin-free children's
1:14[music] panadol. More than medicine,
1:16it's peace of mind.
1:19[music]
1:26Heat.
1:33[music] Heat.
1:38[music]
1:43>> [music]
1:48>> Ma'am, Wendy's is lowering the price on
1:50its delicious quarter pound single. What
1:52do you think?
1:52>> And I have to guess the price. Oh, so
1:54it's like a game show.
1:57>> Now, before I guess, tell me what's on
1:58it. Oh, no. No. I can see it's a hot and
2:00juicy burger right off the grill with
2:02fresh toppings. SO, UH, WAIT, HOW MUCH?
2:04OH, the price.
2:06>> Ma'am, we've got the price. It's 99.
2:08Gee, if you're not going to play along,
2:11fine, but it's not much of a game.
2:12[laughter]
2:13>> Now Wendy's single is 99 cents.
2:15Additional purchase may be required.
2:18>> Count on 10. This is WTSP TV.
2:26This is Action News Tonight with John
2:29Wilson, Cheryl Brown, Dick Fletcher's
2:32weather, Al Kek with sports, and the
2:35entire Action News team.
2:39tend to and I don't even expect them to
2:41forgive me and I'm not asking for it.
2:43That kind of forgiveness is of God and
2:45if they have it, they have it. If they
2:46don't, well, maybe they'll find it
2:48someday.
2:50>> They may never forgive Ted Bundy, but
2:52tonight, many people feel that justice
2:54has finally been carried out with his
2:56execution. Good evening, I'm Cheryl
2:59Brown. He was a man without precedent.
3:02His odyssey of broken lives spanned a
3:04continent and a decade. And even though
3:06he was the man behind bars, in a sense,
3:09he held this country hostage as he
3:11manipulated the legal system to avoid
3:13his fate. It is now over. And our own
3:16John Wilson was a witness to the
3:18execution. He joins us live with more.
3:20John.
3:21>> Cheryl, thank you. It was the 20th
3:23execution since Florida reinstated the
3:25death penalty in 1979. Now,
3:28investigators in half a dozen states
3:30will be sorting out what Ted Bundy has
3:32told them and the California
3:33psychologist who had the only real
3:35interview with Ted Bundy before he was
3:37executed this morning.
3:40He looked gaunt and much older than the
3:4242year-old former Yepy Law School
3:45dropout who manipulated the judicial
3:47system for 11 years. Two guards brought
3:49him into the death chamber and set him
3:51down on what's flippantly called Old
3:53Sparky. His last words, "Give my family
3:55and friends my love." Then a sudden jerk
3:58snapped his body back and it was over.
4:02The body will likely be buried in a
4:03popper's grave near the prison here at
4:05Stark. A few hours earlier, he had told
4:08an interviewer that pornography and
4:09alcohol had fueled a sexual frenzy that
4:12led him to commit more than 30 murders
4:14in half a dozen states.
4:16>> And and the issue is how this kind of
4:19literature contributed and helped mold
4:21and and shape the kinds of violent
4:24behavior.
4:24>> It fueled your fantasies, didn't it?
4:26For the record, he spoke only with
4:28California psychologist Dr. James
4:30Dobson, who described Bundy for us in an
4:33exclusive interview.
4:35>> It was too late for him to look for
4:37excuses. I think he was really trying to
4:39understand himself. And he was very
4:41clear on the on the videotape, if you've
4:43seen it, to say that pornography did not
4:46cause him to do the things that he did.
4:49It did not force him to do those things.
4:51He takes the responsibility for what he
4:54did.
4:55And in a kind of ironic twist of fate,
4:58many of us who are among the 50
5:00witnesses in the witness box watching
5:02Ted Bundy be executed have now come to
5:04the conclusion that the executioner was
5:06perhaps a woman. We will never know for
5:08sure. The identity will be kept secret
5:10forever. Action News reporter David Snip
5:12was outside. David, I saw a very strange
5:14scene when we came out here.
5:15>> It surely was, John. You know, you and I
5:17have talked about it already, but uh
5:19outside the prison fence this morning,
5:21Ted Bundy's execution took on the mood
5:23of a festive occasion. About 200
5:25spectators considered themselves invited
5:27guests and believe it or not at one
5:29point shot off fireworks. Unlike
5:32previous executions, there was no solemn
5:34candlelight vigil for Ted Bundy.
5:43>> The atmosphere of a carnival, a town
5:45fair with everyone welcome except Ted
5:47Bundy. Some spectators wore costumes.
5:50Some sold souvenir stick pins of the
5:53electric chair and still others waved
5:55placards.
5:56>> I think it's time he gets his uh just
5:58desserts and he's getting them this
6:00morning.
6:02>> A wave of cheers greeted a white flag
6:04signaling Bundy's death after his long
6:06legal battle to stay alive. Bundy lost a
6:09final appeal Monday night at 7:16 this
6:12morning. Bundy died from 2,000 volts in
6:15the state's electric chair.
6:17>> He made eye contact with people in the
6:18front row. You know, he spoke to them.
6:20He was cognizant of what was going on
6:21about him. Uh he made reference to his
6:23loved ones and to his family when he was
6:25saying his last words. 50 citizens
6:28witnessed Florida's 20th execution since
6:301979. But this was not just another
6:33death penalty case, but a headline
6:35gripping story. Convicted of three
6:37murders in Florida, but suspected in 36
6:39nationwide, Ted Bundy was to some here a
6:43symbol of an abused legal system.
6:45>> Too long.
6:47>> It cost the state too much money. But as
6:50a hearse carrying Bundy's body left the
6:52prison, others pointed to a legal system
6:54that finally delivered justice, no
6:56matter how late or how costly.
6:59>> And the system worked today and uh the
7:01system has been vindicated.
7:03>> My personal reaction was that I'm glad
7:04it's I'm glad it's done. I'm glad it's
7:06over.
7:08>> Now, that seemed to be the feeling of a
7:09lot of people here today. And again, uh
7:12most executions bring a lot of
7:14protesters out uh protesting the death
7:16penalty. That was not the case here with
7:18Ted Bundy. Even those groups uh seem
7:21that they could not embrace Ted Bundy.
7:23>> David, thank you. Well, the wheels of
7:25justice may turn slowly, but they do
7:27turn. There are now 296 inmates on
7:31Florida's death row. The next scheduled
7:33execution, February 1st. Cheryl
7:36>> John, what was Monday like when they
7:39brought him in to be executed?
7:42>> Well, he seemed to be angry. He seemed
7:44to be defiant but he seemed to be boyish
7:46in a way as he recognized his chief
7:48defense counsel James Coleman. Uh he was
7:51a broad range of emotions. It it was a
7:53study in personality. The mad maniac of
7:56Bundy and then the human being of Bundy.
7:59>> John, thank you very much.
8:02As John mentioned, Ted Bundy granted his
8:04last interview to a religious
8:05broadcaster from California. A man who
8:08Bundy got to know through a mutual
8:09friend. Dave Wagner joins us live now
8:12with details of that conversation.
8:14>> Cheryl, Dr. James Dobson is a Christian
8:16psychologist from California, a man who
8:18looks into the minds of people every
8:19day. And last night for 29 minutes, he
8:22looked into the mind of serial killer
8:24Ted Bundy.
8:26Each time
8:28I'd harm someone. Each time I'd kill
8:30someone, there'd be an enormous amount,
8:33especially at first, enormous amount of
8:36of horror, guilt, remorse afterwards.
8:39But then that impulse to do it again
8:42would come back even stronger.
8:43>> Bundy said he was about half drunk when
8:45he killed his victims and would wake up
8:47the next day absolutely horrified about
8:49what he had done. He says the horror of
8:52those murders still haunts him. In the
8:54interview, Bunny was articulate and in
8:56control until asked about killing his
8:58last victim, 12-year-old Kimberly Leech
9:01of Lake City.
9:03I [clears throat]
9:07I can't really talk about that right
9:10now. That's weird.
9:14It's too painful.
9:17I would like to uh
9:20I'd like to be able to convey to you
9:22what that
9:24that uh that experience is like, but I
9:28can't I won't be able to talk about
9:30that.
9:30>> Okay. While Bundy would not talk in
9:32detail about the murders he committed,
9:34for the first time, he apologized to the
9:36victim's families.
9:38>> I'm
9:41aware that I can't begin to understand
9:44the pain
9:46that the parents of these of these
9:50children that I have and these young
9:52women that I have harmed feel.
9:55And I can't restore
9:58really much to them if anything. I won't
10:02pretend to. And I don't even expect them
10:04to forgive me. And I'm not asking for
10:06it. That kind of forgiveness is of God.
10:08And if they have it, they have it. If
10:10they don't, well, maybe they'll find it
10:12someday.
10:12>> On the subject of execution, Bundy said
10:14he was lonely and afraid, but stopped
10:17short of saying he'd deserve to be
10:19killed.
10:20>> I don't want to die. I'm not going to
10:21kid you. I kid you not. Um,
10:26I deserve certainly the the most extreme
10:29punishment
10:31society has and I deserve
10:34I think society deserves to be protected
10:36from me and from others like me. That's
10:38for sure.
10:40>> During the interview, Bundy talked about
10:41his family, five brothers and sisters.
10:44Bundy said he grew up in a wonderful
10:46home with loving Christian parents.
10:48Today in Tacoma, Washington, Ted Bundy's
10:50mother, Louise, apologized by phone to
10:52the mother of one of Ted's victims.
10:55>> We don't know why it has happened, and
10:57we feel so desperately sorry for you. We
11:02didn't want our son to do these things.
11:07We have two beautiful daughters of our
11:09own, and we know how we would feel. I am
11:12sorry.
11:14>> I know you are.
11:18and we don't hold any resentment or
11:21hatred towards you or your family.
11:24>> Now, during Ted Bundy's interview, Bundy
11:25said people should not take the easy way
11:27out and blame his family for what kind
11:29of person he was. Mundy said he takes
11:32full responsibility for what he did.
11:34Cheryl,
11:34>> that is a remarkable interview. Hearing
11:37the mother talk, the two mothers talk.
11:39He sounded devastated, didn't she?
11:41>> Sure. The mother of Ted Bundy didn't
11:42know up until this Saturday, at least
11:43she didn't believe up until this
11:45Saturday that her son was guilty. And up
11:47until the moment he died, she said that
11:49she still loved her son.
11:51>> Everyone is a victim in this case.
11:53Absolutely. Thank you. In that final
11:54interview with Dr. James Dobson, Ted
11:57Bundy struggled to explain his monstrous
11:59behavior. He blamed pornography, violent
12:02pornography, for starting his violent
12:04obsession with sex. Action News reporter
12:06Carol Slark is standing by live at an
12:08adult bookstore with more on the
12:10potential damage of hardcore
12:11pornography. Carol, is there any
12:14scientific ex any scientific evidence to
12:16support Bundy's claim? Have the experts
12:19found a correlation between violent
12:20pornography and violent criminals?
12:22>> Well, Cheryl, most definitely they have
12:24found a very deadly connection. You
12:25know, in that interview, Bundy mentioned
12:27finding some pornographic magazines in a
12:30dumpster in a neighborhood near his home
12:31when he was just a boy. He said these
12:33early fantasies led him on to hardcore
12:36porn and then finally to violence.
12:42It's easily accessible. You can even
12:44find it in some convenience stores. But
12:46to some personality types, pornography
12:49can be addictive.
12:50>> The most damaging kinds of pornography
12:52are those that involve violence and
12:54sexual violence. Because the wedding of
12:57those two forces, as as I know only too
12:59well, brings about behavior that is just
13:03It's just too terrible to describe.
13:07>> Bundy described himself as being in an
13:09almost translike state when he beat and
13:12raped women. Signs, according to an
13:14expert, of a sexual addict.
13:16>> They're not at all in control. They have
13:18no power over this addiction any more
13:21than an alcoholic or a drug addict has
13:23power over his addiction.
13:25>> Dr. Bonnie Saxs believes Bundy would
13:27have continued his killing spree if he
13:29hadn't been captured. Yeah, I think he
13:31couldn't help himself. I think he was
13:34totally he probably was in an obsessive
13:36cycle and could not find an adequate
13:40substitution for that terrible need
13:43>> like an addiction. You keep craving
13:45something which is harder harder
13:47something which which gives you a
13:50greater uh sense of of excitement.
13:54>> Bundy wanted to warn society about
13:56pornography and he gave a grim prophecy.
13:59There are lots of other kids playing in
14:01streets around this country today who
14:03are going to be dead tomorrow and the
14:06next day and the next day and next month
14:08because other young people are reading
14:10the kinds of things and seeing the kinds
14:12of things that are available in the
14:14media today.
14:15>> A very scary prediction by Ted Bundy.
14:18And some of the people in law
14:19enforcement today that I spoke with,
14:20Cheryl, say that almost always if you go
14:22to the home of a violent sexual
14:24offender, nine times out of 10, you'll
14:27find a stack of pornographic magazines
14:29there. Carol, thank you very much. While
14:33many people tonight may feel that
14:34justice has been served with Bundy's
14:36execution, [music] for the victims and
14:38their families left behind in Bundy's
14:40gruesome crime trail, that horror will
14:42always be with them. And we will have
14:44their reaction coming up next.
14:47This man had just wreaked untold grief
14:49and ruined the lives of of dozens of
14:51dozens of families. And I think that
14:53when you do something like that, you
14:55forfeit your right to your right to
14:56live.
14:59Welcome to this the first edition of
15:00what we have decided to call [music]
15:02Murphy in the morning.
15:06[music]
15:11[music]
15:16>> [music]
15:22>> Join us as we celebrate our 1,000th
15:24[music] show Wednesday at 10 on channel
15:2610.
15:30[music] You wish upon a star
15:36who are [singing]
15:38[music]
15:39your heart desires will come to you.
15:44[music]
15:46Joe Montana, you and the San Francisco
15:4849ers just won the Super Bowl. What are
15:50you going TO DO NEXT? LET'S GO TO DISNEY
15:53WORLD. [music]
15:58At the Olive Garden Italian restaurant,
16:01we [music] speak a different language.
16:03We have no words for can't
16:06and won't. [music]
16:07No phrases for a little less.
16:10In fact, we don't know the meaning of
16:12enough. Some would say speaking a
16:15different language [music] can make all
16:16the difference in the world. The Olive
16:18Garden Italian restaurant where all the
16:21best of Italy is yours. Come back for
16:23the endless refills of salad and [music]
16:25garlic bread sticks that make us
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16:29Beers keep pouring in from all over the
16:31world, but the best beer still comes
16:32from Germany. And the best German beer
16:35in America is Beex, the number one
16:37imported German beer. Bob and Stucky's
16:40sale of winter ends this [music] Monday.
16:42Save 15 to 40%. It's the annual sale of
16:45winter and it's only at [music] Robin
16:46Stucky.
16:50>> Some people in Lake City had a
16:51celebration barbecue tonight to mark the
16:54death of a man whose shadow has haunted
16:56that town for a decade. Ted Bundy was
16:58put to death for the rape and the murder
16:59of 12-year-old Kimberly Leech of Lake
17:01City. Nearly everyone in that small
17:03community wanted Bundy dead. It's a just
17:07ending to a modern day horror story that
17:11it's the only way best way to sum it up.
17:13>> Every time he got in another appeal, he
17:15had such a smirk on his face that I
17:17could have volunteered to throw the
17:19switch if they would have let me.
17:20>> I was real happy. It should have been
17:22done about 10 years ago.
17:25>> The Leech family still lives in Lake
17:26City and maintains their silence
17:28following the execution. In Tallahassee,
17:31where Bundy killed two sorority sisters
17:33in 1978, Governor Bob Martinez gave the
17:36go-ahad for the execution early this
17:37morning.
17:39If
17:39>> there's ever been anyone in Florida's
17:42death row that deserve the electric
17:45chair, Ted Bundy was that individual.
17:48>> Students on the campus of Florida State
17:50University were up early this morning
17:52awaiting news of Bundy's death. Those
17:55students were in grade school when Bundy
17:56attacked Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman
17:58in the Kyomega sorority house. But the
18:01brutal murders have changed forever,
18:03that school and its students. The
18:05memories of Ted Bundy and his brutal
18:07murders will be alive long after
18:09tonight, especially for the friends and
18:11the families who lost loved ones to
18:13Bundy's violence. Kathy Bellish brings
18:15us more reaction to the Kai Omega
18:17sorority nightmare caused by Ted Bundy.
18:20Early morning on January 15th, 1978, Ted
18:23Bundy slipped into the Ka Omega sorority
18:25house at Florida State University.
18:27Minutes later, Margaret Bowman and Lisa
18:29Levy were dead, beaten, strangled, and
18:31raped. Margaret was a 1975 graduate of
18:34St. Petersburg High School, a good
18:36student, active in clubs and athletics.
18:39Her father said this morning he had
18:40heard about Bundy's execution, but
18:42didn't want to talk about it. One of the
18:44investigators in the murder case says
18:46Bundy deserved it. We're talking about a
18:48cold, calculating murderer who has who's
18:50ruined the lives of lots of people. And
18:53as I bring my own, you know,
18:55conservative perspective to this, and I
18:57think that a man like that does not
18:58deserve to live.
18:59>> Lisa Levy was a majorette at Dixie
19:01Hollands High School, a 1975 graduate.
19:04Steve Parisan taught Lisa in sociology
19:07class. She told him he was her favorite
19:09teacher.
19:10>> I am so disappointed. She'll never
19:12finish university. She'll never get
19:14married. She'll never have kids. and her
19:16parents have been denied their daughter
19:17for life. It hurts.
19:19>> Lisa Levy's favorite teacher says
19:21another of his students wrote a poem
19:23today about Ted Bundy, which he says
19:25reflects the feelings of most students
19:27here. It reads, "We all must pay for our
19:30sins. We are but dust in the wind. It's
19:33an eye for an eye, so he had to fry.
19:36Goodbye, Ted Bundy. Goodbye." In St.
19:39Petersburg, I'm Kathy Bellich, Action
19:41News. And how did Ted Bundy feel about
19:44the pain that he caused so many people?
19:47Well, you will hear the answer later in
19:49our broadcast. And we'll be back with
19:51the weather in just a moment.
19:53>> Honestly, I I don't want to die. I'm not
19:55going to kid you. I kid you not. Um
20:00I deserve certainly the the most extreme
20:03punishment.
20:08Space, the last frontier. [music]
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20:38pharmacy and says, "You're the
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20:42>> Echard pharmacist Patty Carr.
20:44>> Well, at first some of my customers were
20:46surprised to see someone [music] so
20:47young. But as soon as I realized that I
20:50knew my business and that I cared about
20:52them,
20:52>> Patty. [music]
20:53>> It wasn't long before they were asking
20:54for me by name.
20:56>> Oh, thank you, Willie.
20:57>> Bye-bye, [music]
20:58Fatty.
20:58>> You get to feeling better, Bob. I'm
21:00dancing. Thank you. You bet.
21:02>> You know, I think they're getting used
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21:36>> What's the secret of Ocean Spray's
21:38fresh, clean taste? It's our
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22:07>> Your mind is not playing tricks on you.
22:09It is a little bit warmer this evening
22:11than it was this time yesterday.
22:13>> Exactly right. And as a result, the
22:15overnight low will be a little bit
22:17warmer. So, probably not quite as much
22:19on the heating bill. Oh,
22:20>> that's good.
22:21>> That's right. Over the area today, we
22:23had sunshine that allowed things to warm
22:25up. And as photographer Nelson Jones
22:27shows us in the latter part of the day,
22:29Nelson doing something real interesting
22:30here. You can watch the sunset by
22:32watching the reflection in window
22:34buildings here. Although I think we're
22:36probably seeing a lot of lights in that
22:37as well. Sun now going down a little bit
22:39after 6:00 in the Tampa area. At 11:00,
22:43the temperature 63° at Tampa
22:45International. It's gone up 2° in the
22:48past hour. It's going to go falling back
22:50down though before daybreak. 64 in St.
22:53Petersburg, 65 in Clearwater. Tampa
22:55temperature feels like 55 if you figure
22:58in the wind and humidity. Our due points
23:00at 56°, humidity 78%, a rising barometer
23:04from 3022 and a northeast wind at 9
23:06miles an hour. The high today was 75,
23:09the low this morning 46. And no rain
23:11today at the airport. Our latest Sky
23:13View satellite picture doesn't show
23:15anything at all taking place over
23:17Florida. There are a few clouds over
23:19south and North Carolina, but they're
23:20not producing any rain. Where is the
23:22action? We'll take you there as we have
23:25Sky View head west and it is in this
23:27clump of lumpy clouds over the states of
23:30New Mexico and Colorado. And you say,
23:32"Wait, this is winter time. There
23:34shouldn't be a lot of vertically
23:35developed clouds." Well, there are. As a
23:37matter of fact, in some of these clouds
23:39are hearing thunder at the same time
23:42snow is falling at the ground. In fact,
23:44heavy snow warnings in effect. and we
23:45show you the wider sky view of that part
23:48of the United States. Heavy snow
23:49warnings in effect for the southern
23:50mountains in South Central Colorado. The
23:52San Juans and Sangria Cristos could pick
23:54up another half a foot of snow or more.
23:57Some locations have had almost a foot of
23:59snow so far. Now to show you the flat
24:01view and again show you what's going on.
24:03Here's the storm system we were talking
24:05about. There's an area of low pressure
24:06over El Paso right now. As it slowly
24:09moves eastward, it's going to continue
24:10to produce the snow not only in the
24:12southern Rockies, but it'll also start
24:14to pick up right along the front range.
24:16The snow has been light so far in
24:17Denver. And the band of snow that
24:19stretches from central Nebraska
24:20northward up into the southern Canadian
24:22provinces also has been on the light
24:24side. Rain continues to fall through
24:25eastern Texas. Our forecast map for
24:27tomorrow, things don't move a great deal
24:29and still we remain in with high
24:31pressure and dry conditions through the
24:33southeast. Highs for the nation
24:34tomorrow, warm in the east, cold in the
24:37west with highs tomorrow in the 20s and
24:4030s through New England, 50s and 60s for
24:42the mid-Atlantic coast states. And folks
24:44where it's going to be snowing, 20s and
24:46in some locations the teens and those
24:48are tomorrow's highs. The marine
24:51forecast for the Bay Area, winds will be
24:53northeast tomorrow afternoon at 10 to 15
24:55knots, 2 to 4 feet. Gulf temp 69°. There
24:59are four tides tomorrow. The major high
25:01tide is first. That's 1.9 ft above mean
25:04low water at 3:20 in the morning. My
25:06forecast for tonight, mostly clear skies
25:09under a mostly full moon. By morning, 46
25:12in Ocala, 44 in Brooksville, 52 in
25:15Tampa, St. Petersburg. Tomorrow, even
25:18warm up a little bit warmer than it was
25:19today with mostly sunny skies and highs
25:22in the upper 70s. And the rest of the
25:24week in the 5-day forecast, temperatures
25:26are going to continue above normal and
25:28it will be dry. Cheryl,
25:30>> thank you very much. Dick Alk is coming
25:32up next with news from the Football Hall
25:35of Fame. The National Football League
25:37has named four new [music] players to
25:38the Hall of Fame. Two are Pittsburgh
25:40Steelers and he will have details next
25:42in sports. [music]
25:50The new 89 [music] Cadillac Sedan
25:52Deville
25:54and the Lincoln Continental.
25:57Deville has offered 9 in longer this
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26:151989 [music] sedan Deville. Test drive
26:17one at your Cadillac dealers of Florida.
26:21>> My mother is one of the smartest women I
26:23know. She belongs to the senior citizen
26:25club at American Savings.
26:27>> You know these people.
26:28>> So on top of high rates, she gets free
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26:35>> Today, I got to join the club at
26:36American Savings because I just turned
26:3950.
26:39>> I was a child bride.
26:41>> So, what do you think about us senior
26:42citizens? Mom,
26:44>> speak for yourself.
26:47>> American Savings, we're out to make you
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26:51Beginning Monday, January [music] 30th,
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27:30This pasta will stay good for a year in
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27:41the other hand, Canadina fresh pastas
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28:01>> Pittsburgh Steelers are on the road.
28:03Okay, not to the Super Bowl, but
28:05something almost as good,
28:06>> but uh something very good. You know,
28:08only a few days ago, we called the 49ers
28:10a team of the 80s after winning three
28:12Super Bowls. Steelers won four Super
28:14Bowls in the 70s and everybody's trying
28:16to match that. But for a third year in a
28:18row, the Steelers are bidding a path to
28:20the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today,
28:21quarterback Carrie Bradshaw and
28:23defensive back Mel Blunt were elected in
28:26their first year. Also joining the Hall
28:27of Fame, Raider lineman Art Shell and
28:30Packer DB Willie Wood. Now, Miami
28:32quarterback Bob Greasie was among those
28:34nominated, but did not get enough votes
28:36this time around. Now, back to Bradshaw.
28:38Quarterback the Steelers to four Super
28:40Bowl titles. never won a lot of awards,
28:42but he led the Steelers to
28:43championships. And believe me, this man
28:45is honored.
28:47>> And man, the hair on my back and the
28:49chills run over me for about 2 hours and
28:52it dawned on me the magnitude of being
28:56selected to uh in the Hall of Fame. I
29:00said, "It's just, oh, it's just
29:02unbelievable. If I could scream and
29:04holler, and I'm 40 years old, and I will
29:06when y'all leave, I'll I'll [laughter]
29:08scream and holler and shout.
29:11Also today in the NFL, former Cleveland
29:13coach Marty Shottenheimer moved on to
29:15Kansas City, takes over a ball club that
29:16won all of eight games in two years.
29:18Remember, he led Cleveland to the
29:19playoffs four times in four years as a
29:21head coach.
29:22>> My coaching philosophy is quite simple.
29:26the best way to
29:30establish
29:32a position of excellence in the National
29:35Football League is first to expected.
29:40Well, the Bucks announced three of their
29:41preseason games today. They will
29:42entertain Houston and Atlanta, travel to
29:45Indianapolis. They'll play one more road
29:47game and that'll be announced later on.
29:49By the way, in the regular season, the
29:51Bucks will play the 49ers and Cleveland
29:53at home, Cincinnati on the road. And of
29:55course, the Bucks also play two games
29:57against division opponents like the
29:58Bears and Vikings. Also today, the Bucks
30:00raise their ticket prices. Top seat now
30:02goes for $25, least expensive 16. NBA
30:06action tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers
30:07and blue take on the top or take the top
30:10record in the league into Atlanta and
30:12they run right into one, Mr. Dominic
30:14Wilkins. And take a look at this.
30:16Wilkins ends up with a careerhigh 41
30:19points. Some go right over his head and
30:22uh Atlanta wins it by a score of 121 to
30:26105.
30:28When it comes to slamming and jamming,
30:29the Bulls are not about to be outdone.
30:31Horus Grant on the slam tonight against
30:33Dallas. Michael Jordan with another uh
30:35impressive night. Shakes off a knee
30:36injury comes back here for the pretty
30:38play and the Bulls run up an impressive
30:40109 to 91 victory. Scores tonight in
30:44basketball again. Dominic with 41 to
30:46lead Atlanta. Miami falls to Houston.
30:49The Bulls beat Dallas. Denver loses a
30:52jersey. Seattle by three over um over
30:56Portland. Charlotte leads Phoenix at
30:57halftime. Later games now the Lakers
31:01lead New York and Milwaukee has a
31:03halftime lead over Sacramento. Top 20
31:05scores in in college basketball. Number
31:08five Missouri wins. Number 14 Syracuse
31:10over Boston College. And number 20
31:12Providence has no trouble with Miami.
31:14What a comeback tonight for the
31:16Washington Capitals. They're
31:17entertaining the LA Kings and they score
31:18two goals in the final minute. Scott
31:21Stevens to cut the King lead to 4-3.
31:23Look here with 5 seconds remaining. A
31:25diving Dave Christian with the tying
31:27score. Washington ties LA at four. Three
31:30games tonight in hockey again. The LA
31:32Kings tie Washington. The Devils tie
31:34Jersey at two. And Chicago and Vancouver
31:38just underway. In tennis, Stefon Edber
31:40has withdrawn from his quarterfinal
31:41match at the Australian Open. Injured
31:43his back in a fourth round victory over
31:45a pack cash. Tom muster moves on to the
31:47semi-finals. He'll play the winner of
31:48the Lendel McEnroe quarterfinal. And
31:50finally, let's go back to the NBA for
31:52the play of the night and give it what
31:54else but our perfect 10. And Michael
31:56Jordan is always good for a perfect 10.
31:58He loves to slam. And look at this. Goes
32:01in slow motion, takes off from the free
32:02throw line and slams it home. That's
32:04good for the perfect 10. Jordan again
32:07shakes off a bad knee, hurts his knee
32:09early on, comes back and leaves Chicago
32:11over Dallas. Busy and fun night in
32:13sports.
32:14>> He looked good too.
32:15>> Oh, he always looks good.
32:16>> Yeah. Thank you very much, Al. When we
32:18come back, we will take you inside the
32:20mind of Ted Bundy. Final thoughts of the
32:22brutal serial killer in the final hours
32:24of his life. They are revealed in a
32:26half-hour long interview. The interview
32:28in its entirety coming up next. because
32:31there is no way in the world that
32:33killing me is going to restore
32:36uh those beautiful children to their
32:38parents.
32:41[music]
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34:44And now in place of Night Line, Action
34:46News will present Ted Bundy's last
34:48interview. It was conducted by Dr. James
34:50Dobson of California. In it, we see a
34:53Ted Bundy we haven't seen before. A Ted
34:56Bundy who admits his guilt, who is
34:58remorseful, and who warns America about
35:00the evils of pornography.
35:02This interview was conducted just hours
35:04before his execution as Ted Bundy stared
35:07death in the face.
35:10Ted, it is uh about 2:30 in the
35:13afternoon. Uh you are scheduled to be
35:15executed tomorrow morning at 7:00 if you
35:18don't receive another stay. What is
35:21going through your mind? What thoughts
35:23have you had in these last few days?
35:28Well, I won't get you to say that it's
35:31something that I feel that I'm in
35:34control of or something that I've come
35:35to terms with because I haven't. It's a
35:38moment by moment thing. Sometimes
35:42I feel very tranquil and other times I
35:44don't feel tranquil at all.
35:48What's going through my mind right now
35:50is to use the minutes and hours that I
35:52have left as fruitfully as possible and
35:57see what happens. It helps to to live in
36:00the moment in the in the essence that we
36:02use it productively. So I'm right now
36:05I'm feeling calm and
36:07in large part because I'm here with you.
36:10>> For the record, you are guilty of
36:14killing many women and girls.
36:18>> Is that correct?
36:19>> Yes, that's true.
36:20>> Ted, how did it happen? Take me back.
36:24What are the antecedants of the behavior
36:27that we've seen? uh so much grief, so
36:30much sorrow, so much pain for so many
36:33people. Where did it start? How did this
36:37moment come about?
36:40That's the question of the hour and one
36:44that not only
36:47people much more intelligent than I have
36:49been working on for
36:52for years, but one that I've been
36:53working on for years and trying to
36:54understand it.
36:58Is there enough time to explain it all?
37:00I don't know. I think I understand it
37:02though. Understand what happened to me
37:06to the extent that I I can see how
37:11certain feelings and ideas were
37:12developed in me to the point where I
37:14began to act out on certain very violent
37:16and very destructive people.
37:18>> All right. Let's go back then to those
37:20roots. First of all, you as I understand
37:22it were raised in what you consider to
37:25have been a healthy home. Absolutely.
37:27>> You are not physically abused. You are
37:29not sexually abused. You are not
37:31emotionally abused.
37:32>> No. No way. I And that's part of the
37:35tragedy of this whole situation is
37:38because
37:39I grew up in a wonderful home with two
37:43dedicated and loving parents and one of
37:46five brothers and sisters.
37:49A home where we as our as children were
37:51the focus of of my parents' lives. where
37:54we regularly attended church with two
37:56Christian parents who did not drink,
37:58they did not smoke, there was no
38:00gambling, there was no physical abuse or
38:02fighting in the home. I'm not saying
38:05this was Leave with the Beaver.
38:07>> It wasn't a perfect home. Well, no. I
38:09don't know that such a home exists, but
38:11it was a fine, solid Christian home. And
38:14nobody uh I hope no one will try to take
38:18the easy way out and to try to blame or
38:21otherwise accuse my my family of
38:24contributing to this because I know and
38:26I'm trying to tell you as honestly as I
38:28know how what happened. And I think this
38:30is a message I want to get across. But
38:33as a young a young boy and I mean the
38:35boy of 12 or 13 certainly uh that I
38:41encountered outside the home again u
38:44in
38:46um the local grocery store uh drugstore
38:51the softcore pornography what people
38:53call softcore um but as I think I I
38:57explained to you last night Dr. stops
38:58and an anecdote that as young boys do,
39:01we explored the the back roads and
39:04sideways and byways of our neighborhood
39:07and often times people would dump
39:11the garbage and whatever they're
39:12cleaning out of their house and from
39:14time to time we'd come across
39:16pornographic books of a harder nature
39:18than more graphic you might say more
39:21explicit nature than we would encounter
39:23let's say in your local grocery store.
39:25And this also included such things as
39:27let's say detective magazines and more
39:30>> those that involve violence.
39:32>> Yes. Yes. And I I and this is something
39:34I think I want to emphasize is the the
39:37the most damaging
39:41uh kinds of pornography and my again I'm
39:44talking from personal experience
39:46uh hard real personal experience. most
39:49damaging kinds of pornography are those
39:51that involve violence and sexual
39:53violence because the wedding of those
39:55two forces as as I know only too well
39:58brings about behavior that is just it's
40:01just too terrible to describe.
40:05>> Now walk me through that. What was going
40:07on in your mind at that time? Okay,
40:09before we go any further, I think it's
40:11important to me
40:14that people that people believe what I'm
40:16saying to tell you that that I'm not
40:18blaming
40:20pornography, not saying that it caused
40:23me to go out and do certain things that
40:26I take full responsibility for whatever
40:28I've done and all the things I've done.
40:29That's not the question here. The
40:32question and the issue is how this kind
40:35of literature contributed and helped
40:38mold and and shape the kinds of violent
40:41behavior.
40:41>> It fueled your fantasies, didn't it?
40:43>> Well, in in the beginning it fuels this
40:46kind of thought process. Then it at a
40:50certain time it's instrumental in what I
40:52would say crystallizing it making making
40:54into something which is almost like a
40:57separate entity inside
40:59and that in at that point you're at the
41:02verge or I was at the verge of acting
41:03out on this on this kind of this
41:06concept. Now I really want to understand
41:07that you had gone about as far as you
41:10could go in your own fantasy life with
41:13printed material and you made or printed
41:16and video or film or
41:19>> film,
41:19>> photos
41:21>> and and then there was the urge to take
41:24that little step or big step over to a
41:27physical event
41:29>> and it happens it it happened in stages
41:32gradually. It doesn't necessarily, not
41:35to me at least, happen overnight. My
41:37experience with let's say pornography
41:40generally but with pornography that
41:42deals on a violent level with sexuality
41:46um is that
41:49once you become addicted to it and I
41:51look at this as a kind of addiction uh
41:53like other kinds of addiction of
41:55addiction you keep I would keep looking
41:57for more potent more explicit more kinds
42:01of material like an addiction you keep
42:04craving something which is harder harder
42:06something which which gives you a
42:09greater sense of
42:12excitement until you reach the point
42:14where the panotic only goes so far. You
42:17reach that
42:19that jumping off point where you begin
42:22to wonder if maybe actually doing it
42:24will give you
42:27that which is beyond just reading about
42:28it or looking at it.
42:30>> How long did you stay at that point
42:32before you actually assaulted someone?
42:34>> Well, yeah. You see
42:37[clears throat]
42:38that is a very delicate point
42:41in my own development and we're talking
42:43about something we're talking about
42:44having reached the point or a gray area
42:47that surrounded that point over the
42:49course of
42:49>> You don't remember years. How long?
42:51>> Well, I I would say I would say a couple
42:53years. And what was [snorts] I was
42:56dealing with there were very strong
42:58inhibitions against criminal behavior or
43:02violent behavior that had been
43:03conditioned into me, bred into me in my
43:06environment, in my neighborhood, in my
43:08church,
43:09uh in my school,
43:12things which said, "No, this is wrong."
43:13I mean, this even to think of it is
43:15wrong, but it certainly to do it is
43:17wrong. And you're on I'm on that edge in
43:19these the last you might say, the last
43:21vestigages
43:23of restraint.
43:25Uh the barriers to actually doing
43:27something were being tested constantly
43:30and assault assailed
43:33um
43:35through the kind of fantasy life that
43:37was fueled
43:39largely
43:41by Do you remember what pushed you over
43:44that edge?
43:46>> Do you remember the decision to go for
43:48it? Do you remember where you decided to
43:52throw caution to the wind? Again,
44:00when you say pushed, I don't I I know
44:02what you're saying. I don't want to
44:03again
44:04>> I understand that
44:04>> I was that I was some helpless kind of a
44:08victim and yet
44:11>> we're talking about an influence which
44:13that is the influence of violent types
44:16of media violent pornography which had
44:19an was an indispensable link in the
44:22chain of behavior the chain of events
44:24that led to the behaviors to the to the
44:28assaults to the murders and what have
44:33It's a it's a very difficult thing to
44:36describe
44:40the
44:42the sensation
44:45of the the the
44:48of of reaching that point where you
44:50where I knew
44:54that it was like something had say
44:57snapped that I knew that uh that I
44:59couldn't controlled anymore. That these
45:01barriers that that I had had been I had
45:04learned as a child that had been
45:06instilled in me were not enough to hold
45:08me back with respect to
45:11seeking out and harming somebody.
45:13>> Would it be accurate to call that a a a
45:16frenzy, a sexual frenzy?
45:18>> Well, yes, that's one way to describe
45:20it. a compulsion a a
45:27building up of of this destructive
45:29energy. Uh again
45:33I another factor here that I haven't
45:36mentioned is the use of alcohol but I
45:38think that what alcohol did uh in
45:42conjunction with let's say my exposure
45:44to pornography was alcohol reduced my
45:47inhibitions at the same time um the the
45:52the fantasy life that fueled by
45:54pornography
45:56eroded them further. In the early days,
45:59you were nearly always about half drunk
46:02when you did these things. Is that
46:03right?
46:03>> Yes.
46:06>> Was that always true?
46:10>> I I would say that that was generally
46:13the case. Almost.
46:15>> All right. If I can understand it now,
46:17there's this battle going on within.
46:19There are the conventions that you've
46:21been taught. There's the right and wrong
46:22that you learned as a child. And then
46:24there is this this unbridled passion uh
46:29fueled by your plunge into hardcore
46:32violent pornography. And those things
46:35are at war with each other. Yes. And
46:37then with the uh alcohol diminishing the
46:40uh the inhibitions uh you let go.
46:43>> Well,
46:45yes. and
46:48to you can summarize it that way and
46:50it's accurate certainly and
46:53it it just occurred to me that some
46:56people would would say that well I
46:59I've seen that stuff and it doesn't do
47:00anything to me and I can understand that
47:03I
47:05virtually everyone uh can be exposed to
47:08so-called pornography and while they're
47:10aroused to it one degree or another not
47:12doing anything wrong addictions are like
47:14that they affect some people more than
47:16they affect others. But there is a
47:18percentage of people affected by
47:19hardcore pornography in a very violent
47:22way and you're obviously one of them.
47:24>> That was a major component and I don't
47:26know why I was v uh vulnerable to it.
47:29All I know is that u that it had an an
47:33impact on me uh that was just so
47:39central to the development of the
47:41violent behavior that I engaged in. Ted,
47:44after you committed your first murder,
47:46what was the emotional effect on you?
47:49What happened in the days after that?
48:01Please understand
48:03that even
48:05all these years later, it's very
48:07difficult to talk about it and and
48:09reliving it. her talking about it is is
48:13uh difficult to say the least. But I
48:15want you to understand what happened. It
48:18was like
48:20coming out of some kind of horrible
48:23trance or or dream. Um,
48:27I can only liken it to after, you know,
48:30I don't want to over dramatize it, but
48:33to have been possessed by something so
48:36awful and so alien and then the next
48:39morning wake up from it. remember what
48:41happened and realize that basically I
48:44mean in the eyes of the law certainly in
48:46the eyes of God you're responsible
48:49to have to wake up in the morning and
48:51and realize what I had done and with a
48:56clear mind and all my essential
48:59moral and ethical feelings intact at
49:02that moment
49:06absolutely horrified that I was capable
49:11of doing something like that.
49:13>> You really hadn't known that before.
49:15[snorts]
49:18There is just absolutely no way to
49:21describe
49:24first
49:28the brutal urge to do that kind of thing
49:32and then what happens is once it it has
49:36been more or less satisfied and recede
49:39you might say or spent that that sense
49:42that that energy level recedes
49:45And basically I became my myself again.
49:49And I want people to understand this
49:50too. And I'm not saying this
49:51gratuitously because it's important
49:53people understand this. But basically I
49:56was a normal person. Uh I wasn't some
50:01guy hanging out at bars or a bum or I
50:05wasn't a pervert in the sense that you
50:07know people look at somebody and say I
50:09know there's something wrong with him
50:10and just tell. I mean I I was
50:13essentially a normal person.
50:17bars are a bum or I wasn't a pervert in
50:20the sense that you know people look at
50:22somebody and say I know there's
50:23something wrong with him and just tell I
50:25mean I I was essentially a normal
50:28person. I had good friends. I I uh I led
50:32a normal life except for this one
50:36small but very potent and very
50:37destructive segment of it that I kept
50:39very secret, very close to myself and
50:41didn't let let anybody know about it.
50:44And part of the shock and horror from my
50:46dear friends and family years ago when I
50:49was first arrested was that they just
50:51there was no clue. They looked at me and
50:53they looked at the you know the um the
50:56all-American boy and I'm I mean I wasn't
50:58perfect but this was I want to become
51:01I was okay. Okay. uh I was and the basic
51:09humanity and and basic spirit that God
51:11gave me was intact but unfortunately
51:13became overwhelmed at times. I think
51:16people need to recognize that it's not
51:18some kind of
51:20the those of us who are who have been so
51:25much influenced by violence in the media
51:29in particular pornographic violence are
51:32not some kinds of inherent monsters. We
51:35are your sons and we are your husbands
51:38and
51:40we grew up in regular families and
51:42pornography can reach out and snatch a
51:44kid out of any house today. He they he
51:47snatched me out of my They snatched me
51:48out of my home 20 30 years ago.
51:54And as diligent as my parents were
51:59uh and they were diligent in protecting
52:02their children
52:04and as good a Christian home as we had
52:06and we had a wonderful Christian home.
52:09Uh there is no protection against the
52:12kind that the kinds of influences that
52:14are loose in a society that that
52:17tolerates
52:22you. You feel this really deeply, don't
52:24you,
52:26Ted? Outside these walls right now,
52:29there are several hundred reporters
52:32that wanted to talk to you.
52:34>> Yeah. and you asked me to come here from
52:36California because you had something you
52:39wanted to say. This hour that we have
52:42together uh is not just an interview
52:47with a man who's scheduled to die
52:49tomorrow morning. I am here and you're
52:52here because of this message that you're
52:55talking about right here.
52:57You really feel that hardcore
53:00pornography and the doorway to it,
53:01softcore pornography, is doing untold
53:05damage to other people and causing other
53:08women to be abused and killed the way
53:12you did others.
53:14>> Listen, I'm no social scientist and I
53:17haven't done a survey. I mean, I I don't
53:19pretend that I know what John Q citizen
53:21thinks about this,
53:23[clears throat] but I've lived in prison
53:24for a long time now.
53:27And I've met a lot of men who were
53:30motivated to commit violence just like
53:32me. And without exception,
53:36every one of them was deeply involved in
53:39pornography. Without question, without
53:41exception, deeply influenced and
53:44consumed by an addiction to pornography.
53:46There's no question about it. The FBI's
53:48own study on serial homicide shows that
53:52the most common
53:55interest among serial killers is
53:57pornography. That's true. And it's and
54:00it's real. It's true.
54:02>> Ted, what would your life have been like
54:06without that influence?
54:12You can only speculate.
54:14>> Yeah. Well, I I know it would have been
54:18far better not just for me and and it's
54:22excuse me for being so self-centered
54:24here. It would have been a lot better
54:25for me and lots of other people. I know
54:27they had lots of other innocent people,
54:30victims and families. It would have been
54:32a lot better. There's no question but
54:34that it would have been a fuller life.
54:38Certainly a life that would not have
54:40involved
54:42I'm absolutely certain would not have
54:45invol involved this kind of violence
54:47that I have been that I have committed.
54:51I'm sure Ted if if
54:54you know if I were able to ask you the
54:57questions that are being asked out there
54:59>> uh one of the most important as you come
55:02down to perhaps your final hours. Are
55:04you thinking about all those victims out
55:08there and their families
55:10>> who are so wounded you know years later
55:13their lives have not returned to normal.
55:15They will never return to normal.
55:16>> Absolutely.
55:17>> Are you carrying that load, that weight?
55:19Is the remorse there?
55:25Again, I I know that people will accuse
55:28me of being self- serving, but we're
55:29beyond that now. I mean, I'm just
55:31telling you how I feel.
55:33But through God's help, I have been able
55:36to come to the point where I
55:41much too late, but better late than
55:43never, feel the hurt and the pain that I
55:45am responsible for. Yes, absolutely. In
55:48the past few days, myself and a number
55:50of investigators have been talking about
55:54unsolved cases,
55:56murders that I was involved in. And it's
55:59hard to it's hard to talk about all
56:01these years later because it revives in
56:03me all those terrible feelings and those
56:06thoughts that I have
56:11steadfastly and and and diligently dealt
56:15with, I think successfully with the love
56:17of God.
56:19And yet it's reopened that and I felt
56:21the pain and I felt the horror again of
56:24all that. And I can only hope
56:27that
56:29those who I have harmed, those who I've
56:32caused so much grief,
56:36even if they don't believe my
56:40expression of sorrow and remorse, will
56:45believe what I'm saying now, that there
56:49is loose
56:51in their towns, in their communities.
56:54People like me today
56:59whose dangerous impulses are being
57:02fueled day in and day out
57:06by violence in the media in its various
57:08forms particularly sexualized violence
57:12and what scares me and let's come into
57:15the present now because what I'm talking
57:16about happened 30 20 30 years ago that
57:20is in my formative stages and what
57:23scares and appalls me Dr. Dobson is when
57:26I see what's on cable TV,
57:29some of the movies, I mean, some of the
57:31violence in the movies, uh, that come
57:33into homes today with stuff that they
57:36that they wouldn't show in X-rated adult
57:39theaters 30 years ago. This stuff, the
57:42slasher movies that you're talking
57:44about,
57:44>> that stuff is, [clears throat] I'm
57:46telling you from personal experience,
57:48the most that is graphic violence
57:52on screen, particularly as it gets into
57:56the home to children who may be
57:57unattended or or unaware that they may
58:00be a Ted Bundy who has that that
58:02vulnerability to that that
58:05predisposition to be influenced by that
58:07kind of behavior, by that kind of of
58:10movie, that kind violence. There are
58:12kids sitting out there switching the TV
58:15dial around and come upon these movies
58:17late at night or I don't know when
58:18they're on but they're on and any kid
58:20can watch them. It's scary when I think
58:22what would have happened to me if I had
58:25seen I'm scary enough.
58:28I mean that I just ran into stuff
58:29outside the home but to be to to know
58:32that children are watching that kind of
58:33thing today or can pick up their phone
58:36and dial away for it or send away for
58:39it. Uh
58:41uh can you help me understand this
58:43desensitization process that took place?
58:46Uh what was going on in your mind? Well,
58:49by desensitization, I describe it
58:53in specific terms is that
58:58each time
59:00I'd harm someone, each time I'd kill
59:02someone, there'd be an enormous amount,
59:05especially at first, enormous amount of
59:08of horror, guilt, remorse afterwards.
59:11But then that impulse to do it again
59:14would come back even stronger. Now,
59:16believe me, I didn't
59:18The unique thing about how this worked,
59:19Dr. Dabson, is that I still felt in my
59:23regular life the full range of of guilt
59:26and uh remorse about other things uh
59:29regret and
59:30>> but you had this compartmentalized
59:32>> this compartmentalized very well focused
59:35u
59:37very sharply focused area where I it was
59:39like a black hole. It was like a you
59:41know like a crack and everything that
59:43fell into that crack just disappeared.
59:46Does that make sense? Yeah, it does. Uh,
59:49one of the the final, uh, murders that
59:52you committed, of course, uh, was
59:54apparently little Kimberly Leech, 12
59:56years of age. Uh, I think the the public
1:00:00outcry is greater there because an
1:00:03innocent child was taken from a from a
1:00:05playground. What did you feel after
1:00:07that? Was there were there the normal
1:00:11emotions 3 days later? Where were you,
1:00:14Ted?
1:00:16I
1:00:20I can't really talk about that right
1:00:22now. That's weird.
1:00:27That's too painful.
1:00:30I would like to uh
1:00:32I'd like to be able to convey to you
1:00:35what that
1:00:37that uh that experience is like, but I
1:00:40can't I won't be able to talk about
1:00:43that. Okay.
1:00:47>> [gasps]
1:00:50>> I can't begin to understand. Well, I can
1:00:53try, but I'm I'm
1:00:57aware that I can't begin to understand
1:01:00the pain that the parents of these of
1:01:06these children that I have and these
1:01:08young women that I have harmed feel. And
1:01:12I can't restore
1:01:15really much to them. If anything, I
1:01:18won't pretend to. And I don't even
1:01:20expect them to forgive me. And I'm not
1:01:22asking for it. That that kind of
1:01:23forgiveness is of God. And if they have
1:01:26it, they have it. If they don't, well,
1:01:27maybe they'll find it someday.
1:01:29>> Do you deserve the punishment the state
1:01:31has inflicted upon you?
1:01:37>> That's a very good question. I'll answer
1:01:39it very very honestly. I I don't want to
1:01:41die. I'm not going to kid you. I'll kid
1:01:43you not. Um,
1:01:46I deserve certainly the the most extreme
1:01:50punishment
1:01:51society has and I deserve
1:01:54I think society deserves to be protected
1:01:56from me and from others like me. That's
1:01:59for sure.
1:02:00Uh I [snorts] think what I what I hope
1:02:04will come of our discussion is I think
1:02:06society deserves to be protected from
1:02:08itself
1:02:10because
1:02:12because of we as as we've been talking
1:02:14there are there are forces at loose in
1:02:16in in this country particularly again uh
1:02:18this kind of violent pornography
1:02:22um where on the one hand
1:02:26well-meaning decent people will condemn
1:02:29behavior
1:02:31of a Ted Bundy while they're walking
1:02:33past a a magazine rack full of the very
1:02:36kinds of things that send young kids
1:02:39down the road to be Ted Bundy's. That's
1:02:41the irony. We're talking here not just
1:02:43about more. We're talking I'm what I'm
1:02:46talking about is going beyond
1:02:48retribution, which is
1:02:50what
1:02:52people want with me. going beyond
1:02:54retribution and punishment because there
1:02:56is no way in the world that killing me
1:02:58is going to restore
1:03:01uh those beautiful children to their
1:03:03parents and and and correct and and and
1:03:06and soothe the pain.
1:03:09But I'll tell you, there are lots of
1:03:10other kids playing in streets around
1:03:12this country today who are going to be
1:03:14dead tomorrow and the next day and the
1:03:17next day and next month because other
1:03:20young people are reading the kinds of
1:03:22things and seeing the kinds of things
1:03:23that are available in the media today.
1:03:25Ted, as you would imagine, there is
1:03:27tremendous cynicism about you on the
1:03:29outside and I suppose for good reason.
1:03:32Uh I'm not sure that there's anything
1:03:34that you could say that people would uh
1:03:36would believe, some people would
1:03:38believe.
1:03:38>> Yeah. And uh and yet you told me last
1:03:42night and I have heard this through our
1:03:45mutual friend John Tanner that you have
1:03:48uh accepted the forgiveness of Jesus
1:03:51Christ and are a follower and a believer
1:03:54in him. Do you draw strength from that
1:03:57uh as you approach these final hours?
1:04:00>> I do.
1:04:02I can't say that uh
1:04:04>> it's gonna be
1:04:04>> being in the the valley of the shadow of
1:04:06death is is something that I've become
1:04:08all that accustomed to and that I you
1:04:10know and that I'm strong and uh
1:04:13nothing's bothering me. U listen it's no
1:04:16fun. It's it's you know it's it's gets
1:04:21kind of lonely and yet
1:04:25I have to remind myself that every one
1:04:27of us
1:04:29will go through this someday in one way
1:04:31or another. under man
1:04:32>> and countless of millions who have
1:04:35walked this earth before us have. So
1:04:36this is just an experience which we all
1:04:38share.
1:04:40Yeah. Right. [snorts]
1:04:46>> Ted Bundy's last interview. I'm Cheryl
1:04:49Brown. Good night.
1:04:54>> My mother is one of the smartest women I
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1:05:08I got to join the club at American
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1:05:12>> I was a child bride.
1:05:14>> So, what do you think about us senior
1:05:15citizens? Mom,
1:05:17>> speak for yourself.
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