Once Upon A Crime

In the final chapter of Ted Bundy for the Defense, the mask comes off.
After the shocking courtroom moment in which Bundy cross-examined first responders and forced graphic testimony about the Chi Omega crime scene, the trial shifts decisively in the prosecution’s favor. Survivors take the stand. Forensic evidence tightens the noose. And Bundy—convinced he is the smartest man in every room—continues to grandstand, clash with his attorneys, and challenge the judge.
Instead of saving himself, he helps convict himself.
In this episode, we follow the full arc of Bundy’s reckoning:
The devastating prosecution case in the Chi Omega murders
Bundy’s tantrums and power plays in court
The guilty verdict and death sentence
The overwhelming evidence in the murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach
The bizarre courtroom marriage to Carol Boone
Years of appeals, delays, and manipulation from Death Row
Bundy’s final “bones-for-time” confessions
His last interview, last phone calls, and execution
At the center of it all is Bundy’s pathological need for control—over the media, over his attorneys, over the court, over the narrative, and even over the memory of his victims.
This is the episode where Ted Bundy stops being a media myth and is revealed for what he truly was.
The reckoning.
Sources:
The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025.
The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.
A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy, Kathy Kleiner Rubin and Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Chicago Review Press, 2024.

Theodore Robert Bundy vs. State of Florida, Supreme Court of Florida, No. 59,128. May 9, 1985. | https://library.law.fsu.edu/Digital-Collections/flsupct/dockets/59128/op-59128.pd

“Bundy: Is this quiet, polite, intelligent man a mass murderer?,” The Orlando Sentinel, December 24, 1978. Accessed on newspapers.com | https://www.newspapers.com/image/225594506/?clipping_id=new

“Bundy: Attorney, Witness, and Defendant,” The Miami News, July 6, 1979. Accessed on newspapers.com | https://www.newspapers.com/image/302743129/?match=1&terms=Bundy%3A%20Attorney%2C%20Witness%20and%20Defendant%20
About This Series:
Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.
Sponsors:
Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals.
Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.

Events & Appearances:
Meet Esther and Lorena in person at:
Beyond the Crime Convention – Albuquerque, NM | April 11–12 - beyondcrimeconvention.com
CrimeCon – Las Vegas, NV | May 29–31 - crimecon.com
Links:
Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
Our Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com
OUAC Merchandise Shop - https://onceuponacrime.dashery.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After escaping from a Colorado jail, Ted Bundy fled to Florida — and unraveled.
In this episode, we follow Bundy’s path to Tallahassee, the brutal Chi Omega sorority house murders, the attack on Cheryl Thomas, the abduction of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, and Bundy’s eventual arrest in Pensacola after 46 days on the run.
Gone is the methodical charmer of the Pacific Northwest. In his place: a reckless, frenzied killer who has lost control.
About This Series:
Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.
Sources:
The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025.
The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

Sponsors:
Completing the Puzzle: Go to CompletingthePuzzle.com and use code OUAC for $10 off your first puzzle subscription box or gift card.
Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals.
Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.

Events & Appearances:
Meet Esther and Lorena in person at:
Beyond the Crime Convention – Albuquerque, NM | April 11–12 - beyondcrimeconvention.com
CrimeCon – Las Vegas, NV | May 29–31 - crimecon.com

Links:
Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
Our Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com
OUAC Merchandise Shop - https://onceuponacrime.dashery.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the summer of 1974, Seattle was gripped by fear as young women disappeared and witnesses began describing a polite man named “Ted” and his tan Volkswagen. As newspapers cautiously reported on a possible suspect, few believed the man they were describing could be dangerous.
He looked like a law student.
A volunteer.
Someone people trusted.
In this Once Upon a Crime minisode, we examine Ted Bundy before his trials—through the people who knew him best and the warning signs that surfaced long before his name became infamous.
About This Series:
Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.
Next up in Part Three:
The Chi Omega sorority house attacks, the assault on Cheryl Thomas, and the final unraveling of Ted Bundy’s carefully constructed persona.

Sources:
The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025.
The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

Sponsors:
Completing the Puzzle: Go to CompletingthePuzzle.com and use code OUAC for $10 off your first puzzle subscription box or gift card.
Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals.
Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.
Events & Appearances:
Meet Esther and Lorena in person at:
Beyond the Crime Convention – Albuquerque, NM | April 11–12 - beyondcrimeconvention.com - Use our discount code BEYOND-OUAC.
CrimeCon – Las Vegas, NV | May 29–31 - crimecon.com - Use our discount code ONCE.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Part Two of Ted Bundy for the Defense, we follow Ted Bundy from his first arrest in Utah through conviction, psychological evaluation, escalating murder charges, and the escape attempts that would ultimately unleash his most violent crimes.
About This Series:
Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.
Next up in Part Three:
The Chi Omega sorority house attacks, the assault on Cheryl Thomas, and the final unraveling of Ted Bundy’s carefully constructed persona.

Sources:
The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025.
The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

Sponsors:
Completing the Puzzle: Go to CompletingthePuzzle.com and use code OUAC for $10 off your first puzzle subscription box or gift card.
Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals.
Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.

Events & Appearances:
Meet Esther and Lorena in person at:
Beyond the Crime Convention – Albuquerque, NM | April 11–12 - beyondcrimeconvention.com
CrimeCon – Las Vegas, NV | May 29–31 - crimecon.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A recent Los Angeles Times article has reignited worldwide interest in the Black Dahlia murder, spotlighting an amateur sleuth’s theory that attempts to link the case to the Zodiac Killer—and naming Marvin Margolis as a “new” prime suspect.
But Marvin Margolis is not new.
In this bonus episode, we’re joined once again by author William J. Mann, whose extensively researched new book, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, is released today. Long before the headlines, Mann identified Margolis as the strongest—and most credible—suspect in the history of the case.
In this follow-up interview, Mann responds directly to the recent media coverage, clarifies what his investigation does and does not support, and explains why decades of armchair detective theories have often missed the mark.
This episode cuts through the noise to restore context, credit, and clarity—placing today’s headlines against the backdrop of years of original investigative work.
Listen to the Once Upon a Crime series, Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/introducing-broken-the-black-dahlia-murder-a-once-upon-a-crime-original-series/

About the Book:
Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood
By William J. Mann
Available now wherever books are sold
Guest:
William J. Mann
Author of Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood
williamjmann.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.