Ted Bundy's Girlfriend Asks: How Did I Not See It?

Serial killer Ted Bundy in a Florida Department of Corrections inmate ID mugshot, taken February 13, 1980. Photo courtesy of the Florida Department of Corrections. Public domain.

Elizabeth Kendall was a single mother looking for love when she met Ted Bundy in 1969. By all appearances, Bundy was her dream man - intelligent, kind, and charming. For years, she built a life with him, unaware that the man she loved would one day be unmasked as one of America’s most infamous serial killers. Even now, Kendall struggles to reconcile how she could have loved a man capable of such monstrous acts.

Falling for a Mask

When Kendall (also known as Liz Kloepfer) met Bundy at a Seattle bar, he seemed perfect. He quickly became part of her small family, doting on her 3-year-old daughter, Molly, and making Kendall feel cared for in ways she had never experienced. “I handed Ted my life and said, ‘Here. Take care of me,’” Kendall wrote in her memoir, “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy,” according to Biography.com.

Bundy wasn’t just a boyfriend; he was her rock. She described him as someone who made her feel safe and loved. Yet, beneath his affectionate exterior, Bundy was living a horrifying double life.

Ignoring the Warning Signs

As their relationship deepened, Kendall began noticing unsettling patterns in Bundy’s behavior. His moods could swing dramatically, leaving her feeling confused and shut out. “We would be getting along fine and then a door would slam, and I would be out in the cold until Ted was ready to let me back in,” she explained in her book, according to Biography.com.

In 1974, the cracks grew harder to ignore. Local news reports described a string of missing women, and a suspect named Ted driving a Volkswagen Beetle - details that eerily matched Bundy. Kendall’s suspicions were heightened when she found odd items in his apartment, including a meat cleaver he had no reason to own.

Bundy’s VW Beetle. Photo courtesy of greyloch under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Eventually, she made the painful decision to go to the police about her suspicions. Despite her concerns, the authorities didn’t believe Bundy was the killer, and she continued her relationship with him without ever revealing that she had contacted the police.

The Truth Shatters the Illusion

Kendall’s world was upended in 1975 when Bundy was arrested. He ultimately confessed to murdering 36 women in multiple states during the 1970s, but many experts and those who knew him believe the real number of his victims may have been closer to 100. For Kendall, the hardest part wasn’t just learning that Bundy had killed - it was understanding how the man she shared her life with could be capable of such violence.

Bundy in custody, leaving the Leon County, Florida court. Photo courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory Project. Public domain.

Her heartbreak turned to terror when Bundy confessed over the phone that he had once tried to kill her. According to Kendall, Bundy admitted blocking her fireplace damper to trap smoke in her apartment as she slept. “I remembered that night well,” Kendall wrote in her book, according to Biography.com. “My eyes were running, and I was coughing. I jumped out of bed and threw open the nearest window and stuck my head out. … I had gotten on Ted the next day for not coming back with the fan.”

Bundy in court, circa 1979. Photo by Donn Dughi, courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory Project. Public Domain.

The revelation left her grappling with one overwhelming question: How could the man she had loved so deeply have been capable of such cruelty?

A Lifetime of Questions

Even decades later, Kendall struggles with the enormity of Bundy’s crimes and her inability to see who he really was. “I still have a sense of disbelief that this man that I loved … could go out and do such horrific things,” she said, according to People.com.

Kendall wrestled with guilt, wondering how she could have been so blind to the signs. But Bundy’s charm wasn’t just for show - it was his weapon. He used it to manipulate her, the police and an entire nation.

Moving Beyond the Nightmare

After Bundy’s execution in 1989, Kendall retreated from the spotlight, focusing on rebuilding her life and protecting her daughter. Faith and therapy became her tools for recovery. Through her memoir, she has shared her story to help others understand the power of manipulation and the importance of trusting their instincts.

Elizabeth Kendall’s story is not just about her relationship with Ted Bundy - it’s about how love can blind even the most cautious among us. Her lingering struggle to understand how she could have loved such a man serves as a powerful reminder of the deceptive facade Bundy carefully crafted.

References: Meet Elizabeth Kloepfer, Ted Bundy’s Former Girlfriend | Ted Bundy’s Ex-Girlfriend Still in ‘Disbelief’ That ‘Man [She] Loved’ Was Serial Killer and Rapist