Tejasvani Datta
Why do we need another documentary on Ted Bundy? From documentaries to films to podcasts, we’ve plenty already. Time and time again, we have looked at the man and looked at his crimes. What difference would anything new make? Well, Trish Wood’s ‘Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer‘ makes all the difference. It probes us to realize that the man exists as a part of our society and culture at large. The crimes go beyond just Bundy. It was never really his story, in the first place. Yet media over the years turned him into some sort of hero in his own story.
But ‘Falling for a Killer’, looks at Bundy’s story through the prism of the Women’s Liberation movement of the 70s. It weaves a patchwork of narratives of the women whose lives he destroyed and disrupted. It brings in the voices of the victims who survived and the loved ones of the victims who didn’t have the same fate. Amongst them is also the tale of Molly Kendall, for whom the serial killer was a father-figure as well as her hero in every sense. As she learned his truth, her heart shattered, making her story bone-chilling, traumatizing, and important.
Ted Bundy Truly Was a Father-Figure For Molly Kendall
In the aforementioned 5-part docuseries, both Elizabeth “Liz” and Molly talk about how easy it was to trust and like Ted. He actually entered Molly’s life when he started dating her 24-year-old single mother back in the fall of 1969. Liz had recently divorced Molly’s father and relocated with her to Seattle, Washington. Nevertheless, he didn’t mind that and even read to her from her favorite book the very first time he came over to their house. Molly mentions how Ted had a way with words that instantly drew her to him, even when she was only 3 years old.
Liz and Ted dated for around six years, during which he began his horrifying killing spree in 1974. But with Molly, he was always a father figure who played an important role in raising her during that time. He taught her to ride the bike for the first time, took her and Liz out for pony rides, planned skiing vacations, and did a lot more with them. He became a part of their family, which both Liz and Molly felt over the moon about.
Molly Kendall is Reportedly a Victim of Ted Bundy
In ‘Falling for a Killer,’ Molly praises Ted for his charms before alleging he was inappropriate with her too, which the young girl couldn’t even fathom at the time. As per her accounts, she was around 7 when the two of them were playing hide-and-seek, only for the man she trusted to hide beneath an afghan completely naked. He reportedly made up an excuse at the time, stating he wanted to be invisible but couldn’t with his clothes.
As if that’s not enough, Molly has since detailed another such incident. According to her, Ted had once climbed into bed with her, and after some time, she blurted out, “You peed”, not realizing what had actually happened. Despite later realizing that these incidents weren’t exactly appropriate, she didn’t tell the truth to her mother until years later. Back then, Molly didn’t want Ted to leave because she loved him dearly, and she also didn’t want to hurt her mother. In fact, in her mother’s memoir, ‘The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy,’ Molly actually penned: “We loved Ted… He had been such a positive figure in our lives, such a help to [us], I did not want him to get in trouble… I did not want him to have to go away.”
Molly Kendall Has Stayed Away From the Limelight
By the time Molly was around 10-12, she started learning about Bundy’s dark secrets and his horrifying acts. Initially, like her mother, she could not believe he was capable of anything like this. However, when he was convicted of killing 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, Molly realized he was a monster. The girl could have been her twin because of the way she looked and their age. This made her question her relationship with the serial killer, leaving her to wonder if she was the reason Kimberly died. In the memoir, she wrote, “I had loved Ted with my entire heart, but when forced to accept the truth of who he really was, I could no longer sustain that love… I cannot love a person who enjoys torturing, raping, maiming, and killing women.”
After Bundy’s imprisonment and execution, Elizabeth and Molly decided to slip away from the media for good. It was only in 1981 that the former wrote her memoir, which was published by a local Seattle publisher and had limited prints. Liz changed her and Molly’s names for the book because, in reality, Elizabeth “Liz” Kendall’s name is Elizabeth “Liz” Kloepfer, while Molly’s name is Tina Kloepfer. The mother-daughter duo has since lived a quiet life away from any needlessly prying eyes.
Unfortunately, the events of the past had driven them both to find solace in substances. While Elizabeth turned to alcohol, Molly “tried to drown [her] grief in alcohol, drugs, smoking, and reckless behavior of all kinds.” Thankfully, though, the Washington natives ultimately realized they were letting the serial killer win by going down this path of self-destruction, driving them toward sobriety. Liz has been sober for over 46 years, whereas Molly has been sober for nearly two decades.
Read More: Where is Ted Bundy’s Brother Now?
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