Development of the Violent Mind

Dr. Al Carlisle, PhD, evaluated Ted Bundy for the Utah court in 1976. Ever since, Carlisle has painstakingly reconstructed Ted’s history through conversations with Bundy's friends, lovers, neighbors, investigators—and through Bundy's own words. The only book of its kind, I'm Not Guilty gives a thorough analysis of the facts of Bundy's life and crimes based on Carlisle's research. Then Carlisle enhances what is known about Bundy’s victims, the origins of the Entity, and Bundy's need to kill. This book helps to explain how a good person can become a serial killer. 

Danny joined the Marines in 1967 and saw some of the worst fighting of the Vietnam War. Continually bombarded by the enemy, never knowing if he would live or die, each day was kill or be killed. Then his best friend and fellow Marine was injured by a mine and he was unable to save him. He was forced to listen to his friend’s cries for help until he died. Danny became angry, depressed, and numb. The only thing that made him feel alive again was killing. He came home from the war with a bad case of PTSD and couldn’t adapt to normal life.

"Do you think I killed those girls?" Ted Bundy asked me this question after we had completed the final interview. We were standing in the corridor outside my office and Ted was about to return to his cell. It was an unusual question to ask...I was caught off guard by the question. With this question, Ted had put me in a lose-lose situation. My best option might have been to tell him that I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer his question. However, I said to him, “I don’t know, but if you did, I believe you will do it again.” I’m sure it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.