Tejasvani Datta
Ted Bundy is a name everyone remembers. He is, after all, America’s most notorious serial killer; a stable in jaw-dropping true crime galore. The man still manages to fascinate us as much as he horrified us, with his charming demeanor and horrific acts. Of course, we must realize that Bundy used the media just as the media used him, in order to create a persona that turned him into an international sensation overnight. But is the man really worth all this fuss? After all the lives and families he destroyed and disrupted, why is he still remembered, and not the victims?
Trish Wood’s ‘Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer‘ offers a much-needed wake-up call for us to look at these tragedies as they are. The five-part docuseries includes crucial narratives of the victims who suffered because of Bundy, the survivors of his heinous acts, and the loved ones of the victims whose lives he took. But ‘Falling for a Killer’ also makes us realize that there were so many more lives disrupted than just those that meet the eye. It includes the victims we never think about, the individuals who loved Bundy; his own family, especially his brother Richard Bundy.
Richard Bundy Looked Up To His Brother
Richard “Rich” Bundy is Ted Bundy’s half-brother and youngest sibling. He was born to Ted’s mother, Louise, and his step-father, Johnny Bundy, in 1961, in Tacoma, Washington, the place where Ted spent most of his childhood. The two had an age difference of around 15 years but were still extremely close. They did all kinds of activities together, only for Rich to begin looking up to his brother as a second father-figure, especially considering how he was treated.
In fact, in the docuseries, Rich speaks of how he looked forward to spending most of his summers and vacations with Ted in Seattle. That’s where the latter had settled to be with Elizabeth “Liz” Kendall and her daughter Molly. Rich looked up to Bundy as he was a positive influence in his life. Ted was well-educated and well-groomed, and he gave a lot of attention to Rich. He often even took Rich out for camping trips or rafting in the lake. According to Richard, Ted seemed to have been the man who had his life figured out.
But Rich also realized in retrospect that there were moments where Ted would just act strange. One such moment is explicitly mentioned in ‘Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer’. Rich had paid a visit to Ted during a holiday, and the two were meant to go to the lake together. However, Ted canceled their plans suddenly at the last minute without explanation and got Rich to go back home. Rich later realized that this was around the same time Ted began abducting and killing people in 1974, so it’s possible the cancelation was because of the same.
Richard Bundy is Doing His Best to Move On From the Past
Rich Bundy admittedly had a really difficult time growing up and coming to terms with who exactly his brother was. Learning about all the horrific things Ted did was a devastating experience for him. The fact he grew up in the same place as Ted in Tacoma and attended the same school, Woodrow Wilson, didn’t help him either. However, Rich dropped out of school around his final year. Instead, he decided to pursue music.
According to records, Rich’s past and familial connection had such a hold on him that he once even asked his bandmate to kill him. This was in the 1990s and he had gone as far as to hand a butcher knife to the man. In fact, when the latter refused, Rich took the knife and said, “Kill me… or I will kill you”. He then dropped the knife and burst into tears. Rich has since also spoken about the fact that there was a time when he felt as if he needed to understand what happened with his brother and why he did what he did.
Despite how difficult and devastating the whole ordeal was, Rich Bundy has since done his best to move on by having pursued his passion. Over the past many years, he has actually been quite active in the Seattle Punk scene. In fact, he performs for a Seattle-based band by the name of The Plastards, where he plays the guitar and sings. Rich has actively kept away from the media, and focused solely on his music and things that make him happy. He still lives around 20th Street in Tacoma, Washington, in his caravan, and has a cat who he loves dearly.
Read More: Molly Kendall: Where is Ted Bundy’s Step-Daughter Now?
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