Chapter 1
When the Monster Wears a Familiar Face
In 1969, Elizabeth Kendall met a charming law student named Ted Bundy at a Seattle tavern. Their connection was immediate and intense. For the next six years, they built what seemed like a normal relationship-sharing holidays with family, raising Elizabeth's young daughter Molly, and planning a future together. What Elizabeth couldn't have known was that the man she loved would become one of America's most notorious serial killers. "The Phantom Prince," Kendall's memoir first published in 1981 and updated in 2020, provides a rare glimpse into the domestic life of a murderer. The book has fascinated millions, including filmmaker Joe Berlinger who adapted it into the Netflix film "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile" starring Zac Efron. Beyond true crime enthusiasts, psychologists consider it essential reading for understanding the duplicity of sociopathic personalities and how they maintain seemingly normal relationships while committing unspeakable acts.
Chapter 2
The Beginning of a Doomed Love Story
On a Saturday night in 1969, Elizabeth Kendall's friends took her to the Sandpiper Tavern in Seattle to lift her spirits. Recently divorced and struggling as a single mother to three-year-old Molly, Elizabeth had moved from Utah seeking a fresh start. That night, she spotted a well-dressed young man across the bar. Unlike the casual college crowd, he stood out-confident, articulate, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to look right through her.
"My name is Ted Bundy," he introduced himself, explaining he'd recently moved from Philadelphia to attend law school. Despite being only 23, he carried himself with remarkable assurance. Their conversation flowed effortlessly as they discovered shared connections to Utah. The chemistry was undeniable; Elizabeth later admitted she was mentally "planning the wedding and naming the kids" that very night.
As the bar closed, Ted joined Elizabeth and her friends for coffee. When it was time to pick up Molly from the babysitter, Ted insisted on coming along. Elizabeth, increasingly intoxicated, watched as he gently carried her sleeping daughter from the car. At her apartment, too drunk to drive him home, she suggested he stay. She passed out fully clothed while Ted lay beside her.
Through the night, Elizabeth hazily recalled Ted exploring her apartment, at one point noticing him examining her perfume bottles and personal items. By morning, she was mortified at having brought home a stranger, yet when he called that night, she couldn't deny her attraction. Days later, he surprised her at work, and they easily fell back into conversation, planning dinner at her place where he impressed her with his sophisticated knowledge of food and wine.
Their connection deepened rapidly. Ted showed surprising skill with Molly, reading her bedtime stories with playful mistakes that delighted the child. After putting Molly to bed, Ted revealed he was actually from Tacoma, not Philadelphia as he'd first claimed. By evening's end, with wine flowing, Ted invited Elizabeth to spend a weekend in Vancouver, and she eagerly agreed. Their first kiss that night made it clear they both wanted more.
Chapter 3
Domestic Bliss with a Hidden Monster
Their weekend in Vancouver marked a turning point. During the three-hour drive, Ted shared stories about selling American flags as a Boy Scout and his views on Vietnam. In Vancouver, they stayed at the Devonshire Hotel, dined at the elegant Hotel Vancouver, and danced at Oilcan Harry's. Back at their hotel, despite Elizabeth's brief insecurity about her post-pregnancy body, their chemistry was undeniable. They made passionate love, feeling as though they were trying to get enough of each other "to last a lifetime."
Their relationship quickly became domestic. Ted seemed hungry for family life, taking Molly and Elizabeth to his favorite Seattle spots-the public market, University District, and International District. He showed them his immaculate room in an old rooming house, where he kept a Boston fern he called "Fern" and listened to classical music. "It's as if we knew each other before in some former life," Ted said. "We fill in all the gaps for each other."
Elizabeth struggled balancing her job and motherhood, often becoming short-tempered with Molly when tired, then feeling guilty. Ted helped quiet her inner "whip lady" who constantly demanded she be better at everything. He validated her work as a secretary and believed she was doing fine with both her job and parenting. Their relationship flowed effortlessly into family life, with Ted planning special outings for Molly-feeding ducks at Green Lake or visiting the zoo.
Ted and Molly developed their own rituals, like Saturday morning cartoons watching Dudley Doright while Elizabeth slept in, after which "Dudley and Nell" would bring her breakfast in bed. In November, Ted took them to meet his parents in Tacoma. His father Johnnie, a cook from the Ozarks, was friendly and talkative, while his mother Louise was more formal but kind. For Christmas, Ted joined Elizabeth and Molly in Utah, charming her parents completely-especially her mother, with whom he cooked Christmas dinner.
To Molly, Ted was magical. At three years old, she instantly loved him. He delighted her by playfully mixing up words in stories to make her laugh. Handsome and well-dressed, he quickly became central to their lives, helping them move from a shabby downtown apartment to a nicer duplex in Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood. Ted knew the city, held Molly's hand for "swing me" games, made her laugh with falsetto singing and cartoon voices, and brought joy through his quick wit and physical expressiveness.
Chapter 4
Cracks in the Perfect Facade
After Christmas, Molly stayed with Elizabeth's parents while she and Ted enjoyed a week alone together. One evening, Ted nervously confessed something important: he was illegitimate. His mother had given birth to him in a home for unwed mothers before marrying Johnnie Bundy, who later adopted him. Ted only discovered this as a teenager when a cousin cruelly revealed it. Elizabeth sympathized with his mother's situation, telling him it wasn't important anymore.
In January 1970, Ted helped Elizabeth find a wonderful duplex near Green Lake where they essentially began living together, though Ted maintained his separate room. Their happiness was clouded only by Elizabeth's discomfort about living unmarried with a man. They obtained a marriage license in February with Elizabeth's friend Angie as witness, but when Elizabeth pushed Ted about setting a date, he tore up the license in frustration. Though devastated, she was relieved when he returned that night saying, "I don't want to sleep alone tonight. I really do love you."
After nearly losing Ted over her marriage pressure, Elizabeth accepted his timeline. When her dating experiment backfired, Ted followed her to a tavern and confessed his love, promising they'd laugh about this night with their grandchildren someday. They moved closer together, but their relationship began changing-Ted started spending nights at his own place and missing dinner dates.
While Elizabeth took night classes, Ted prepared for law school, taking the LSAT twice with disappointing scores. After stopping birth control pills, Elizabeth became pregnant, devastating them both since Ted was planning for law school. She had an abortion, which Ted supported her through. When Ted was rejected by five law schools after declining his Utah acceptance, he decided to gain work experience and reapply the following year.
Ted graduated with honors in June 1972, and his family came to celebrate. Elizabeth gave him a yellow rubber raft as a gift. When Molly went to stay with Elizabeth's parents in Utah, Elizabeth grew lonely. After declining Ted's invitation to go out one Friday, she changed her mind the next day only to discover he had a date with a coworker named Marcy. Elizabeth was devastated, drinking herself into oblivion and even contemplating confronting him with a knife.
When she finally confronted Ted at his apartment, she discovered he'd taken Marcy rafting in the gift she'd given him. After two miserable weeks apart, Ted asked Elizabeth on a date and begged forgiveness, claiming being with someone else was "the loneliest experience" of his life. Though they reconciled, things were never truly the same.
Chapter 5
The First Terrible Suspicions
In early 1974, a series of disturbing crimes began occurring near Elizabeth's home in the University District. In January, a young woman was attacked while sleeping, though her roommates heard nothing. On January 31st, Lynda Ann Healy vanished from her bedroom, leaving only bloodstains on her pillow and nightgown. A little girl disappeared in February while playing in her yard, and in June, Georgann Hawkins vanished walking between a fraternity and sorority house just blocks from Elizabeth's home.
These disappearances left Elizabeth terrified, especially when walking from her garage to her front door. Meanwhile, Ted was struggling in law school and decided to transfer to the University of Utah, though he never clearly invited Elizabeth to join him. Their relationship continued deteriorating, with Ted staying various places and rarely wanting intimacy.
During a Fourth of July weekend rafting trip, Ted suddenly pushed Elizabeth into the freezing river and stared at her with a blank, expressionless face that chilled her more than the water. The following Sunday, July 14th, Ted appeared at Elizabeth's door cheerful despite their recent tension, asked about her plans, then disappeared. That evening, he returned with a severe cold, unusually quiet and hungry enough to eat two large hamburgers plus ice cream.
Three days later, Elizabeth learned two women had disappeared from Lake Sammamish State Park that Sunday-the same place Ted claimed to have visited the previous weekend. Witnesses reported the women had been approached by a smooth-talking man with his arm in a sling who called himself "Ted" and drove a Volkswagen.
On July 22nd, a coworker showed Elizabeth another police sketch from the Seattle Times, asking if it looked like someone she knew. This sketch resembled Ted, with similar jawline and laugh lines. Disturbed, Elizabeth gathered photos of Ted and rushed to her friend Angie's, where she confessed her fears and pointed out unsettling coincidences: the British-sounding accent, the expensive clothes, the Volkswagen, and even plaster of Paris she'd once found in Ted's desk.
Still troubled, they decided to call the police anonymously. From a supermarket payphone, Angie confirmed the suspect's car was definitely metallic, with no mention of a cold. Elizabeth called back to ask about a watch on the right wrist (Ted was left-handed) but learned witnesses hadn't mentioned a watch. At the library, they found more discrepancies-the suspect was described as several inches shorter than Ted.
Chapter 6
The Mounting Evidence
While researching at the library, Elizabeth discovered disturbing news in the Salt Lake Tribune: Melissa Smith, the Midvale police chief's daughter, had been found dead after disappearing October 18th-the day before Elizabeth's father went hunting with Ted. Even more alarming, on November 8th, a woman had escaped abduction from a man in a Volkswagen who tried to handcuff her. That same night, Debbie Kent disappeared from a high school parking lot, where police found a key that fit the escaped woman's handcuffs.
Overwhelmed, Elizabeth sought counsel from her bishop, breaking down completely in his office. He advised her to let the police handle this information and offered to call Detective Hergesheimer himself. Though relieved by his help, Elizabeth continued her nightly drinking ritual to fall asleep.
Elizabeth checked her calendar-Ted had called her late on November 8th, around 11:00 PM Seattle time, midnight in Utah. Wasn't that proof he couldn't have been abducting women that night? When her bishop followed up with Hergesheimer, the detective claimed he'd been too busy to contact Salt Lake City authorities.
As Christmas approached and Elizabeth's planned trip to Utah loomed, her insomnia worsened. She began having terrifying visions of Ted murdering her and her family after discovering she knew the truth. In desperation, she called her father early one morning, asking if he could discreetly check with police about Ted. Appalled, he warned her she would ruin Ted's career without absolute certainty.
When Ted met Elizabeth and Molly at the Salt Lake City airport, her fears temporarily subsided as they embraced. The holidays were wonderful-Ted played with Molly, carried Elizabeth's niece on his shoulders, and helped her mother in the kitchen. But disturbing moments persisted. During a ski trip to Snowbird, Elizabeth watched Ted charm a young woman traveling alone, thinking how easy it would be to trust him "to go with him and die."
In August 1975, Elizabeth encountered Ted's former landlady who mentioned a woman detective had been asking about Ted in connection with missing girls. Alarmed, Elizabeth contacted King County Police and spoke with Detective Kathy McChesney, who revealed Ted had been arrested on August 16 for possession of burglary tools.
Elizabeth went immediately to the Major Crime Unit where Detective McChesney showed her a photo of items found in Ted's car: gloves, ropes, handcuffs, an icepick, Ted's gym bag, a crowbar, a ski mask, and pantyhose with eye slits cut in them. The sight left Elizabeth repeatedly muttering "Oh, God."
Chapter 7
The Unraveling Truth
In February 1976, Ted's trial for attempted kidnapping began in Salt Lake City. Carol DaRonch testified about her terrifying abduction attempt, though Ted insisted she had misidentified him. He claimed he'd lied to police about his activities the night of his arrest because he was paranoid about getting caught with marijuana.
Despite his initial request for Elizabeth not to attend, Ted suddenly wanted her in court for the closing arguments. When she arrived, she found herself awkwardly navigating Ted's relationships with his family and Kim Andrews, whom he'd previously described as just a "great friend" but was identified in the press as his girlfriend.
The morning of the verdict, Ted woke Elizabeth with "I love you so much." They tried to make love but couldn't feel anything-they were emotionally paralyzed. When his attorney called about the verdict, they rushed to court. In the freezing courtroom, Elizabeth watched Ted fidgeting nervously as Judge Hanson delivered the guilty verdict. Mrs. Bundy gasped and cried; Elizabeth cried too. When Ted asked for a moment with his family, detectives roughly handcuffed him despite his protests. Elizabeth embraced him one last time, apologizing and professing her love, but he was already gone-"like a dead man standing up."
Six months after Ted's conviction, Elizabeth drove ninety miles from Ogden to visit him at Utah State Prison. Getting permission wasn't easy-prison rules allowed an unmarried male prisoner only one unmarried female visitor, and Ted had already listed Kim Andrews. The visit was emotionally intense. Ted looked handsome in jeans and a blue work shirt with a tan from exercising. During their conversation, Ted ominously stated, "I can't live in here. Something's going to happen. Soon," hinting at escape plans.
After leaving Ted, Elizabeth drove to Fashion Place Mall to retrace Carol DaRonch's abduction steps, trying to picture Ted approaching her. The exercise left her with a terrible headache and suicidal thoughts. She called a sober friend in Seattle for support but ultimately couldn't face returning to the prison on Sunday as promised.
Chapter 8
The Final Confession
When Ted was charged with first-degree murder in Colorado for Caryn Campbell's death, he insisted on his innocence, claiming evidence was manufactured. After being caught with another inmate's social security card, Ted was sent to "the hole" for suspected escape planning. Before Christmas, Elizabeth decided to visit him one last time before his transfer to Colorado.
For her final visit, she found Ted in white prison clothes with a mustache. The guard surprisingly gave them extra time when Ted asked. When they finally said goodbye, they walked arm-in-arm to the gate, their bodies fitting together perfectly. Unlike their previous gut-wrenching farewell, this goodbye felt calmer, though still difficult.
In January 1978, Ted escaped through an Aspen courtroom window. After his recapture, Elizabeth gently told him about her new relationship, which he accepted with surprising grace. Ted and Elizabeth continued their book-sharing program, reading Shogun simultaneously. His letters became increasingly melancholic, comparing their love to the novel's tragic romance.
On New Year's Eve 1978, Detective Keppel called to tell Elizabeth Ted had escaped again, crawling through a hole in his cell ceiling with an eight-hour head start. Unlike his first escape when Elizabeth had secretly felt happy for his freedom, this time she feared he might come to her house. Though she tried convincing herself Ted loved them and wouldn't hurt them, she found herself nailing basement windows shut and accepting police protection.
In mid-January, Elizabeth saw newspaper reports about an intruder who murdered two women and attacked others at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Having previously told the FBI she thought Ted would be found on a university campus, she had the same ominous feeling she'd experienced when first seeing the composite sketch in 1974-Ted was in Tallahassee.
After Ted's capture in Florida, he called Elizabeth in a moment of vulnerability and finally confessed to being "sick" with an uncontrollable "force." This confession, though brief, was the only time Ted ever acknowledged his crimes to Elizabeth. When he later proclaimed innocence in the media, she was disgusted by his manipulation and lies.
Chapter 9
Living with the Aftermath
Rereading her book years later, Elizabeth cringed at certain lines, particularly: "The tragedy is that this warm and loving man is driven to kill" and "I have come to accept that a part of me will always love a part of him." Though sober when writing the book, she was still in denial, constantly running scenarios in her head trying to make sense of their relationship, which seemed real, while his brutal crimes seemed surreal.
Elizabeth has since worked on accepting the totality of Ted, which has been excruciating. The brutal facts remain: He killed two women in one day then took her to dinner; he raped and murdered women then slept with her; he excused himself from a family pizza night to murder a woman, returning charming the next day; he called to say he loved her from Idaho while on a killing trip.
Ted's execution day in 1989 was emotionally blank for Elizabeth. Though she opposed capital punishment, she hoped his death brought closure to victims' families. People often ask if Ted loved her and Molly. She believes he did, though some suggest they were just his cover for a normal-looking life. They also question how she stayed after having doubts. The answer: she was an emotional mess, hoped she was wrong, and loved him.
For Molly, accepting the truth about Ted was devastating. As a child, she steadfastly defended his innocence to her fifth-grade classmates, even after his conviction for attempted kidnapping. His first escape from custody reinforced her faith in him. But after his second escape and subsequent Florida murders, including twelve-year-old Kimberly Leach, she finally accepted the truth while watching his televised trial.
In the updated edition, Molly revealed a disturbing incident when Ted babysat her at age seven. Playing hide-and-seek, she found him completely naked under a blanket. He claimed he could turn invisible but his clothes couldn't. As they playfully wrestled near the shower, she pulled his hands away from his lap and saw he had an erection. His eyes changed-pupils becoming tiny, looking in slightly different directions-and she sensed danger. Following what felt like divine guidance, she carefully extracted herself from the situation.
Chapter 10
Finding Peace After Darkness
For years after Ted's execution, Molly drowned her grief in substance abuse until finally achieving sobriety by facing what she'd been running from. When she tried joining a support group for families of violent crime victims, they worried her presence might upset others connected to Ted's victims. However, one victim's mother agreed to exchange letters with her. Rather than hatred, she expressed concern for Molly and Elizabeth, and shared how she was choosing happiness despite her devastating loss.
Inspired by this strength, Molly decided to reclaim Lake Sammamish State Park, where Ted had abducted victims. Though terrified during her first visit, she's now explored all 512 acres with her dogs, witnessing remarkable natural moments: a resting stag, a playful coyote, and most memorably, two eagles who performed a barrel roll directly toward her before parting at the last second.
For years Molly remained silent out of fear-fear of public exposure, of living a life defined by Ted, and of hurting victims' families and Ted's relatives. But she realized her silence protected no one and only prevented her from living fully. Sharing her perspective became healing, and she was inspired by others who'd told their stories. Her new mantra carries her forward: "Life is a gift and you still have it. Have the courage to be happy."
Elizabeth found greater peace through her spiritual life. Between her church and recovery program, she gained tools for healthier thinking and finally learned that no amount of obsessive thinking can change the past. She learned what "let it go" means. Though she briefly married after Ted, her trust issues have made lasting relationships difficult. She's found greater happiness as a single woman with deep friendships and beloved pets.
The devastation of Mount St. Helens in 1980-trees blown over, ground covered in ash, the sky matching the desolate landscape-mirrored how Elizabeth felt when she finally accepted Ted was a murderer. The fury of whatever plagued him had destroyed a beautiful man and taken many lives. While she doesn't understand his compulsion to kill beautiful young women, she does understand something about compulsion from her own battle with alcoholism-repeatedly doing something despite promising never to do it again.
Elizabeth's healing journey has been non-linear, but her love for Molly has helped her move forward. The title "The Phantom Prince" remains perfect-she thought she'd found her prince but was blindly in love with an apparition, as Ted himself suggested in a haunting poem he wrote from prison. Most importantly, she's grateful her daughter and she survived him.
