Tuesday, November 9, 2010
About Today: 10 Questions to Ask When Buying a Used Car 11/09/10
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10 Questions to Ask When Buying a Used Car This is partly because I'm cheap and partly because I'm broke. (An excellent combination, you must admit.) | ||
| How Much Car Can You Afford? When it comes to buying cars, new or used, the first question you have to ask yourself is how much you can actually afford? (Note: This should be in the real world, today, and not in your mind where you're a millionaire.) | ||
| How Much Is Your Used Car Worth? A friend of mine is selling his car and told me about the trouble he was having placing a value on it. "You don't want to give it away for peanuts," he said. "But you also don't want to wind up with the thing sitting in your driveway for months while you wait for some dream price you made up in your head." | ||
| How to Test Drive a Used Car Today in Things I Need to Learn How to Do: Test driving a used car. Honestly, before I read this piece, I had no idea what I'd be looking for in this scenario, besides "radio is tuned to a station I approve of," or "car isn't visibly on fire." |
The Ted Bundy Story — Photo Gallery Part 10 of 10
Photo Gallery
Ted Bundy headshot
Police composite of suspect
FBI wanted poster
Ted Bundy mugshot
Ted Bundy being led to court, before his escape
Ted Bundy arrested after his escape
Ted Bundy in 1977, with a beard
Ted Bundy in court with his lawyers
Ted Bundy in court in 1979
Ted Bundy in court, color photo
Ted Bundy in court
Ted Bundy reacts emotionally to proceedings in the Leach trial.
The VW driven by Ted Bundy, found abandoned
Bite Mark evidence being displayed in court
Carol DaRonch testifying against Ted Bundy in court
Laura Aime, victim
Brenda Ball, victim
Margaret Bowman, victim
Georgann Hawkins, victim
Linda Healy, victim
Kimberly Leach, victim
Denise Naslund, victim
Lisa Levy, victim
Janice Ott, victim
Roberta Parks, victim
Susan Rancourt, victim
Melissa Smith, victim
Bibliography
Hickey, Eric W., Serial Murderers and Their Victims. Wadsworth Publishing Company. 1997.
Kendall, Elizabeth, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. Madrona Publications, 1981 (out of print)
Keppel, Robert D., Riverman: Ted Bundy & I Hunt for the Green River Killer. New York: Pocket Books, 1995.
Keppel, Robert D. with William Birnes, Signature Killers: Interpreting the Calling Cards of the Serial Murderer. Pocket Books True Crime. 1997.
Larsen, Richard W., Bundy -- The Deliberate Stranger. Prentice Hall Trade. 1980. (out of print)
Michaud, Stephen G. and Hugh Aynesworth, The Only Living Witness. Authorlink Press, 2000
Michaud, Stephen G. and Hugh Aynesworth, Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer. Authorlink Press 2000.
Nelson, Polly, Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer. NewYork: William Morrow & Company, 1994. (out of print)
Rule, Ann, The Stranger Beside Me. New York: Penguin Group, 1989.
The Ted Bundy Story — The Murder of Kathy Devine Part 9 of 10
By Rachael Bell
devine.jpg)
Katherine Devine
Everybody believed that Kathy Devine was one of the many victims of Ted Bundy. It took 28 years and DNA evidence to find the truth.
Jim Carlile of The Olympian reported that Sheriff's Captain Dan Kimball never closed the files on this old case even though Ted Bundy had been executed and would not tell whatever he knew about the young woman that lost her life in Thurston County in 1973.
Kathy's clothing was shown on a television news program in Seattle and one of Kathy's sisters recognized an embroidered patch on the pair of jeans shown as belonging to a murder victim.
cosden.jpg)
William E. Cosden Jr. mugshot,
1975
1975
Carlile quoted police reports in his article:
"Witnesses saw Cosden come in the night of the murder with stains on his clothing. The witnesses called police.
After leaving the truck stop, Cosden's truck caught fire and was destroyed three miles from the truck stop.
During initial interviews with police, Cosden denied ever seeing Kathy Devine."
In 1986, based on additional investigative information, a search warrant was obtained for Cosden's blood, hair and saliva. At that time, Cosden was in prison for rape.
cosden.jpg)
William Cosden, serving 48-year
prison term
prison term
"DNA made the case," said Sheriff Gary Edward. "This came about as a result of technology and a lot of hard work."
Cosden is already serving a 48-year sentence for first-degree rape. He is not likely to go free again.
"She was beautiful inside and out, but she was a normal troubled teenager," Sally Ann Devine said of her daughter. "I don't think she had more troubles than anyone else her age during that time. It is nice to know that this has finally been solved. We've been wondering for 28 years. I still feel like it's a dream and I'm going to wake up and it'll all be over."
The Ted Bundy Story — The Kimberly Leach Trial Part 8 of 10
By Rachael Bell
After many delays, the Leach trial began in Orlando , Florida January 7, 1980 . This time Ted decided not to represent himself, instead handing over the responsibility to defense attorneys Julius Africano and Lynn Thompson. Their strategy was to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, a plea that was risky but one of the few available options open to the defense.
The plea of insanity might not have been difficult for the seven women, five-man jury to believe. Unlike the other hearings, Ted became increasingly agitated throughout the trial. At one point he even lost control and stood up yelling at a witness with whom he disagreed. Michaud and Aynesworth stated that Ted was just barely able to control himself, "expending huge amounts of energy just to keep from blowing apart." It appeared that Ted's facade of confidence was beginning to fade, probably because he realized that he had already lost the war and this legal battle wouldn't make much difference in determining his fate.
There was no doubt that the outlook for Ted was bleak. Assistant state attorney Bob Dekle presented sixty-five witnesses that had connected Ted either directly or indirectly with Kimberly Leach on the day of her disappearance. One of the star witnesses had seen a man resembling Ted leading an upset little girl, matching Kimberly's description, into a white van in front of the girl's school. However, the defense team argued the legitimacy of the testimony because the man was unable to recall the precise day he had seen the man and little girl.
Nevertheless, Dekle continued to press on and present even more convincing evidence. The most damaging was the fiber evidence, which linked Ted's clothes and the van he had driven that day with the crime scene. Moreover, fibers matching those from Kimberly Leach's clothes were found in the van and on Ted's clothing that he had allegedly worn on the day of the crime. The prosecution's expert witness, who testified about the fiber analysis, stated that she believed that at some point Ted and Kimberly Leach had been in contact around the time of her death. Michaud and Aynesworth claimed that the testimony had been, "literally fatal" to Ted's case.
Exactly one month following the opening of the trial, Judge Wallace Jopling asked the jury to deliberate. On February 7th, after less than seven hours of deliberation the jury returned the verdict, "GUILTY." The verdict was immediately followed by jubilation from the prosecution team and their supporters.
February 9th marked the second anniversary of Kimberly Leach's death. It also was the day that the sentencing trial commenced. During the penalty phase of the trial, Ted shocked those in the courtroom while he interviewed defense witness Carole Ann Boone. During his questioning of Carole, the two caught everyone off guard when they exchanged vows. According to Florida Florida State
Appeals and Confessions
Ted Bundy
Ted refused to give up and believed that he still had a fighting chance to save his own life. In 1982, he enlisted the help of a new lawyer and appealed the Chi Omega murder trial verdict to the Florida Supreme Court. However, his appeal was eventually denied.
Shortly following the court's denial of a new hearing, Ted decided to appeal the Kimberly Leach trial verdict. In May 1985, his request was again turned down. However, he continued to keep up the fight and in 1986 he enlisted a new lawyer to assist him in escaping the death penalty.
Defending the Devil by Polly
Nelson
Nelson
Ted's execution date was initially scheduled for March 4, 1986 . However, his execution was postponed while his new defense attorney, Polly Nelson, worked on his appeals for his previous murder convictions. Two months later the appeal was denied and another death warrant was issued to Ted by the State of Florida January 17, 1989 .
Dr. Bob Keppel
In Ted's eleventh hour, he decided to confess to more crimes to the Washington State Attorney General's chief investigator for the criminal division, Dr. Bob Keppel. Ted had temporarily assisted Dr. Keppel in his hunt for the "Green River killer" from Death Row in the mid 1980's and he trusted him immensely. Keppel went to meet Ted in an interviewing room at the prison, armed with only a tape recorder. What Keppel learned was shocking.
The Riverman: Ted Bundy and
I Hunt for the Green River Killer
by Dr. Bob Keppel
I Hunt for the Green River Killer
by Dr. Bob Keppel
Dr. Keppel had learned that Ted kept some of his victims' heads at his home as trophies. However, what was even more surprising was that Ted also engaged in necrophilia with some of the remains of his victims. In fact, Keppel later stated in his book The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer that Ted's behavior could be best described as "compulsive necrophilia and extreme perversion."
It was a compulsion that led to the deaths of scores of women, many who remained unknown to investigators. Rule and Keppel stated in their books that Ted was likely responsible for the deaths of at least a hundred women, discounting the official count of thirty-six victims. Whatever the figure, the fact is no one will ever know for certain how many victims actually fell victim to Ted.
Finally on January 24, 1989 , at approximately 7 a.m. in the morning Ted's memory of his atrocities would be burned away forever by the electric chair's unforgiving currents. Outside the prison walls stood hundreds of on-lookers and scores of news media representatives awaiting the news of Ted's death. Following the prison spokesman's announcement that Ted was officially dead, sounds of cheers came from the jubilant crowd and fireworks lit the sky. Shortly thereafter, a white hearse emerged from the prison gates with the remains of one of the countries most notorious serial killers. As the vehicle moved towards the crematorium, the surrounding crowd cheerfully applauded the end of a living nightmare.
The Ted Bundy Story — Caught Again Part 7 of 10
By Rachael Bell
Less than a mile from the Chi Omega House, a young woman was awakened by loud banging noises coming from the apartment next to hers. She wondered what her friend in the adjoining apartment was doing to make so much noise at four in the morning. As the banging noises persisted, she became suspicious and woke her roommate. As they listened, they heard Cheryl next door moaning. Frightened, they called over to her house to see if she was all right. When no one picked up the phone, they immediately called the police.
The police came quickly. After all, they were just blocks away at the Chi Omega House tending to the crime scene there. They entered Cheryl's apartment and walked to her bedroom, where they found her sitting on the bed. Her face was just beginning to swell from the bludgeoning to her head. She was still somewhat conscious and half nude, but lucky to be alive. Police discovered a mask at the foot of her bed. According to Anne Rule in The Stranger Beside Me the mask that was found "resembled almost exactly the mask taken from Ted Bundy's car when he'd been arrested in Utah in August of 1975."
Police investigators worked diligently on the evidence that was left behind. They were able to get a blood type from the assailant, sperm samples and fingerprint smudges. Unfortunately, most of the evidence that was tested proved to be inconclusive. The only firm evidence investigators were able to obtain were the hairs found in the mask, teeth impressions from the bite marks on the victims and an eyewitness account from Nita Neary. Investigators did not have a suspect and Ted Bundy was unknown to them.
_Kimberly_Leach.jpg)
Kimberly Leach, the last victim
A few days before Kimberly Leach had disappeared, a strange man in a white van approached a fourteen-year-old girl as she waited for her brother to pick her up. The man had claimed he was from the fire department and asked her if she attended the school nearby. She found it strange that an on-duty fireman was wearing plaid pants and a navy jacket. She began to feel uncomfortable. She had been warned on many occasions by her father, who was the Chief of Detectives for the Jacksonville Police Department, not to talk with strangers. She was relieved when her brother drove up. Suspicious of the man, her brother ordered her into the car, followed the man and wrote down his license plate to give it to his father.
Ted Bundy
The van long since discarded, Bundy set out towards Pensacola, Florida in a new stolen car. This time he managed to find a vehicle he was more comfortable driving, a VW bug. Officer David Lee was patrolling an area in West Pensacola when he saw an orange VW at 10 p.m. on February 15th. He knew the area well and most of the residents, yet he had never before seen the car. Officer Lee decided to run a check on the license plates and soon found out that they were stolen. Immediately, he turned on his lights and began to follow the VW.
Once again, as had happened in Utah several years earlier, Bundy started to flee. Suddenly, Bundy pulled over and stopped. Officer Lee ordered him out of his car and told Bundy to lay down with his hands in front. To Lee's surprise, as he had begun to handcuff Bundy, he rolled over and began to fight the officer. Bundy managed to fight his way free and run. Just as soon as he did, Lee fired his weapon at him. Bundy dropped to the ground, pretending to have been shot. As the officer approached him lying on the ground, he was again attacked by Bundy. However, the officer was able to overpower him. He was handcuffed and taken to the police station. Bundy had finally been caught.
Over the months following Bundy's arrest, investigators were able to compile critical evidence to be used against Bundy in the Leach case. The white van that had been stolen by Bundy was found and they had three eyewitnesses that had seen him driving it the afternoon Kimberly had disappeared. Forensic tests conducted on the van yielded fibers of material that had come from Bundy's clothes.
Tests also revealed Kimberly Leach's blood type on the van's carpet and semen and Ted's blood type on her underwear. Further evidence was Ted's shoe impressions in the soil located next to the place Kimberly was found. Police felt confident with the information they had tying Bundy to the Leach case and on July 31, 1978, Ted Bundy was charged with the girl's murder. Soon after, he would also be charged with the Chi Omega murders. Facing the death penalty, Ted would later plead in his own defense that he was not guilty of the murders.
The Trials
Bundy meeting in court
with lawyers
with lawyers
The opening of the Chi Omega murder trial sparked immense public interest and a media frenzy. After all, Ted had been suspected of at least thirty-six murders in four states and his name elicited nightmarish images to thousands, perhaps even millions around the world. He was considered by many to be evil reincarnate, a monster, the devil and his murders initiated the biggest and most publicized trials of the decade.
Ted Bundy in court
There were two events in the trial that would sway the jury against Ted. The first was Nita Neary's testimony of what she had seen the night of the murders. While on the stand, she pointed to Ted as the man she had seen fleeing down the stairs and out the door of the Chi Omega House. The second event that swayed the jury during the trial was the testimony of odontologist Dr. Richard Souviron.
Dr. Souviron described the bite mark
injuries found on Lisa Levys body.
injuries found on Lisa Levys body.
On July 23rd, Ted waited in his cell as the jurors deliberated over his guilt or innocence. After almost seven hours, they returned to the courtroom with a verdict. Showing no emotion, Ted listened as one of the jurors read out "GUILTY." On all counts of murder, Ted was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Bundy's reaction to verdict
Ted professed his innocence, claiming that the prejudice of the media was responsible for his alleged misrepresentation. He also suggested that the entire proceedings and verdict was nothing short of a farce, which he was unable to accept. According to Larsen, Ted told the hushed courtroom that it was, "absurd to ask for mercy for something he did not do," yet he would "not share the burden of the guilt." Judge Cowart, who presided over both trials, handed down his final judgment following Ted's statement. He affirmed the recommendation and imposed the death penalty twice for the murders of Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy. The method of execution Ted faced was the electric chair.
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