Tales of Ted Bundy — Debbie Harry, the One Who Escaped

Ted Bundy, American serial killer. We all know him. We know the deaths, the crimes, the charges, and the outcome. But what we didn't know is who survived.

In 2019, the lead singer of the band Blondie, Debbie Harry, opened up about an experience she had with the serial killer in her memoir, Face It.

Let's first take a look at how Ted Bundy became the serial killer he was known as.

Bundy's Youth

Ted Bundy was born Theodore Robert Cowell, the illegitimate son of Eleanor Louise Cowell, on November 24, 1946. His mother claimed to have been seduced by a sailor named Jack Worthington. However, this could never be confirmed.

Eventually, Ted came to live with Eleanor and her parents in Philadelphia.

As a child, Ted already showed deviant behavior: his Aunt Julia once awoke after an afternoon nap surrounded by kitchen knives with the blades pointed in her direction. Ted stood next to her bed and smiled.

Bundy turned out to be a good student at school. Although he later claimed to have trouble with friendships, former classmates described him as a popular boy.

The First Murders

It is unknown when Bundy became a murderer. He was active as a peeping Tom for many years, and it is believed that he made his first victim as early as 1961.

Bundy in 1977In several interviews, he claimed to have been murdered in 1969, 1972, and 1973. The first murders that could be concretely attributed to him were committed in 1974.

It is believed that Ted Bundy admitted to committing over 100 serial murders in the decade before his capture. This number could never be verified. Most of his murders followed a pattern: he assaulted his victims and then killed them.

Bundy had a relationship with Elizabeth Kloepfer. She encountered Bundy in a bar in Seattle in 1969, and they dated for six years. Kloepfer had a daughter and was struggling with alcoholism. She was safe and happy now.

Kloepfer found out that Bundy was guilty in 1974. She started finding strange objects, including a meat cleaver in his office but asking about them never fazed him. She reported her fear of Bundy's role in murders to the authorities, but they didn't believe her. While they transferred to Olympia the next year, the relationship became strained.

In 1975, Kloepfer helped the police track down the serial murderer. Having revealed that Bundy informed Kloepfer from his jail cell that he had attempted to rape her and couldn't control his own desires, she explained she was done with him and published a novel about it.

Debbie Harry's Story

As stated in the introduction of this article, Debbie Harry opened up about a meeting with Ted Bundy. She claims that she met him in the early 70s before he became "famous."

She tells us that she was alone in the streets of Manhattan in the early morning when she was looking for a taxi. Then suddenly a car which showed up offered her a ride.

She already had doubts about getting into the car, but she couldn't walk any further, and the driver seemed nice.

When she got in, she realized she was trapped and could escape, but she didn't specify any details on how she did it.

She only realized that it was Bundy after him being arrested, and she immediately recognized him.

Bundy's Volkswagen Beetle, on display at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, Washington DC until 2015.

According to the authorities, the moment they met, Bundy should have been in Florida instead of in New York, but Harry exactly described how the car and Bundy looked. Actual footage confirms this, but they have never confirmed that Harry met Bundy in that taxi.