Phantom Prince

Kendall Elizabeth Kendall

Description

The inspiration for the five-part Amazon Original docuseries Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer This updated, expanded edition of The Phantom Prince, Elizabeth Kendall's 1981 memoir detailing her six-year relationship with serial killer Ted Bundy, includes a new introduction and a new afterword by the author, never-before-seen photos, and a startling new chapter from the author's daughter, Molly, who has not previously shared her story. Bundy is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history and one of the most publicized to this day. However, very rarely do we hear from the women he left behind-the ones forgotten as mere footnotes in this tragedy. The Phantom Prince chronicles Elizabeth Kendall's intimate relationship with Ted Bundy and its eventual unraveling. As much as has been written about Bundy, it's remarkable to hear the perspective of people who shared their daily lives with him for years. This gripping account presents a remarkable examination of a charismatic personality that masked unimaginable darkness.

Sujets

• USA
• True crime
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: ABRAMS BOOKS
• Date de parution: 07 janvier 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781683359524
• Langue: English

Extrait

Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Kendall
Molly s Story copyright 2020 Molly Kendall
Cover 2020 Abrams
All photographs courtesy of Elizabeth Kendall
Published in 2020 by Abrams Press, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019951722
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4485-3
eISBN: 978-1-68335-952-4
The material contained in this book is presented only for informational and artistic purposes. In the interest of maintaining the privacy of the individuals whose stories are discussed herein, many names, places, and other identifying characteristics have been changed.
Abrams books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact [e-mail] or the address below.
Abrams Press is a registered trademark of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
ABRAMS The Art of Books 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 abramsbooks.com
Molly and I know that we are incredibly fortunate to have each other. As we set about to tell our stories, we begin at a place of remembrance of those who were killed and compassion for the survivors, and for the families of all of Ted s victims. -EK
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION TO THE UPDATED EDITION
PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION
THE PHANTOM PRINCE
AFTERWORD
MOLLY S STORY
INTRODUCTION TO THE UPDATED EDITION
In May 2017, I learned via the Internet that a new Ted Bundy movie was being made, and the story was going to be told from the perspective of Bundy s longtime girlfriend. I did a quick Internet search and got twenty-one thousand hits-all announcing the news about my story being told in a new Ted Bundy movie. I was stunned. How could they tell my story without ever speaking with me?
It had been a long time since Ted Bundy s terrible crimes had saturated the media. I had hoped it would stay that way. Sure, his name had become shorthand in popular culture for a person who looks normal but is in fact dangerous. However, aside from the past s occasional intrusion into the present, I had mostly been able to go about my life without Ted Bundy interfering with my happiness. Now that was all about to change.
Most books and movies had used either a made-up name for me or the pseudonym I used for my book, but a press release for the movie had used my real name. At least what my name had been. I haven t gone by my old married name of Kloepfer for years, not since Molly was a child. Unfortunately, some still link the name to Ted Bundy.
I began getting inquiries from documentary filmmakers and media outlets, which I referred to my attorney. They assumed that since I had optioned my book to the movie studio, I would be willing to speak with them now. Of course, there had been no book option. Molly and I turned all this over to the attorneys to sort out.
In the meantime, we had many conversations about how to deal with the renewed interest in this part of our lives. On the one hand, we would have been happy if interest in Ted Bundy and his sickness faded away into the nothingness that it deserved. On the other hand, if the story was going to be told again, the only way we could influence the outcome was to work with the film and documentary makers. We decided this was the most empowering way to proceed.
After getting off on the wrong foot initially, the collaboration we had with the film was a good one. We were happy to find that director Joe Berlinger respected and acted upon our input. Everyone associated with the production was kind and treated us well.
We were able to face our fears and watch the finished film. It was well-directed and well-acted. We were left with the feeling that Zac Efron and Lily Collins got it right.
Even so, during the filmmaking process, we realized that with the dramatization of a true story, things must be omitted, condensed, or combined to help the story fit within time constraints. Molly and I decided that it was essential that we tell our story in our own words as we experienced it, which was why we decided to issue this second edition of The Phantom Prince .
This is also what motivated me, after so many years of silence, to participate in the Amazon Original documentary series Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer from director Trish Wood. I was interested in this project because of its emphasis on the viewpoints of many of the women involved in this tragic story. Trish and her crew from Saloon Media in Ontario, Canada, made the trek to Seattle several times with all their gear-cameras, sound equipment, lights, etc.-for interviews. They provided a calm and safe environment to talk about a difficult subject. For these projects, I have used my original pseudonym, Elizabeth Kendall, to spare Molly s father s family name further association with Ted s crimes.
In addition to the original text, you will find many photos of Ted and us from the years of my relationship with him, before the cloud of suspicion appeared on the horizon, as well as photos taken after the point when we now know Ted was abducting and killing young women.
I have written an afterword that follows the original text. I still cared deeply for Ted when I wrote the original book. It took years of work for me to accept who he was and what he had done. I still felt lingering shame that I had loved Ted Bundy. It was healing for me when women started telling their stories of sexual violence and assault as part of the Me Too movement. I could relate to keeping experiences secret for fear of being judged. I could see these women were taking back their power by saying, This is what happened. It is what it is. This is true, too, of my past with Ted Bundy.
To close the book, Molly has written an account of her experiences with Ted. This is the first time she has told her story publicly.
Healing and rebuilding our lives after the trauma of knowing how evil and immoral Ted Bundy was has been anything but linear. Often it felt like two steps forward and one step back. Sometimes Molly and I were in sync with our thoughts and feelings about the past, and sometimes we were not. Even so, we knew our love for each other would help us heal, move forward, and never give up.
PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION
In writing this book, I have gone through a wide range of feelings towards Ted. At times, the intensity of my love for him scared me. When I thought of some of the happy times we shared, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that he should not be in jail. But by the time I finished my writing, those feelings had turned to outrage that he had coldly, capriciously murdered all those women. It has been seven years since that first cloud of worry passed through my mind and it has been three years since I have known that my fears were true, yet some days it hits me as if for the first time.
In 1974, when the victims were disappearing, I identified with them even though I was older than they were, and I feared for my own safety. Seven years later as I wrote my story, I identified them with my daughter and could imagine the pain Ted Bundy caused their parents and the terrible void left by their deaths.
In spite of all the destruction he has caused around him, I still care what happens to Ted. I have come to accept that a part of me will always love a part of him. He is no longer a part of my day to day life, though. Writing this book has been like having a tumor removed from my brain.
Naively, I thought I would carry the secret of my involvement in Ted s arrest to the grave, but it wasn t long after his conviction that reporters, writers, and private investigators began showing up at my office and home, all with their own reason why I should tell them what really happened. I declined. I knew my decisions and motivations would never be understandable unless I told my own story from beginning to end. I thank Dan Levant for giving me that opportunity. I would also like to thank Ann Adams and my attorney, Glenna Hall, for their help. A special thanks to my boss for the moral support he gave me throughout those hard years and for his continued support while I was writing this book.
One of the people who read the book in manuscript said something that disturbed me: You re asking people to feel sorry for you. My God, people died! You re one of the lucky ones-you lived! I want to answer that. Never did I forget that real women had been murdered for no other reason than they were attractive and friendly. The hideous reality of their deaths became my reality, too. Their tragedy was my trauma. For a long time, I lived with the guilt of wondering if Ted saw me in these women, if killing them was a sick, compulsive effort to kill something he hated in me. I am thankful to have survived, thankful for the chance to work my problems through, thankful for the resiliency God gives humans.
I am also thankful for my parents and my family who love me no matter what, for my eighty-four-year-old aunt who teaches me how to live and love by her example, for my friends who are always there when I need them (and I need them lots), for Hank who helped me break away from a destructive relationship, for Angie who helps me grow spiritually, for my recovery sponsor who made me learn about myself, but most of all for my daughter, who is a very, very special young woman.
CHAPTER ONE
Monday, March 1, 1976. I sat in a cold courtroom in Salt Lake City next to Ted Bundy s parents. It was snowing outside. Ted sat at the defense table with his attorneys, waiting for the judge to return with the verdict. I stared at the back of Ted s head, my mind filled with memories of things we had gone through together for the past six years.
Ted Bundy was on trial for the attemp