Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer on Hulu: The story behind Elizabeth Kendall's life with the serial killer
Documentary series in five parts about one of the USA's most notorious serial killers seen through the eyes of his girlfriend and the victims
What is the series about?
Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer (Hulu, 2025) sheds new light on the notorious American serial killer Ted Bundy by shifting the focus from the killer's charisma to the women whose lives he infiltrated and destroyed. In the first episode, 'Boy Meets Girl', viewers are introduced to Elizabeth Kendall, a single mother in Seattle who falls in love with the charming law student in 1969. The series is unique because it brings Elizabeth and her daughter, Molly Kendall, in front of the camera for the first time to share their long-term relationship with a man who led a double life as a violent sex offender and murderer. Through private archival footage and interviews, director Trish Wood paints a portrait of a time marked by the burgeoning women's movement, which stood in stark contrast to Bundy's misogyny.
The real case
The real case of Ted Bundy refers to one of the most extensive investigations in American criminal history. Bundy primarily operated in Washington, Utah, Colorado, and Florida between 1974 and 1978. His modus operandi often involved simulating an injury using a cast or crutches to lure young women into helping him with his car, a tan Volkswagen Beetle. While dating Elizabeth Kendall in Seattle, female students at the University of Washington began to disappear without a trace. Elizabeth herself starts to suspect when she sees police sketches resembling her boyfriend, and she finds strange items like a meat cleaver and surgical gloves in his possession. Despite tipping off the police several times, Bundy manages to continue his crimes for several years before he is finally caught.
Timeline of the case
The case against Bundy is characterized by his ability to evade authorities. After his first arrest in Utah in 1975, he managed to escape from custody twice in Colorado before ending up in Florida, where he committed his last and most brutal murders. The legal process dragged on for years as Bundy attempted to represent himself in court, making him a media icon and a source of morbid fascination. He confessed shortly before his execution in 1989 to the murders of 30 women, but experts estimate that the actual number could be much higher.