Carole Ann Boone: What you did not know about Ted Bundy's wife
If you watched the popular Netflix crime movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, based on Ted Bundy's life, you should know his wife, Carole Ann Boone. She was a controversial American woman known for marrying the infamous murderer and necrophile Ted Bundy. Decades after her husband's hideous crimes, which were of national concern, she remains a topic of discussion based on the shocking roles she played in his life.
Source: UGC
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Carole Ann Boone left many aback by her actions in the 70s. She married a serial killer who murdered more than 30 women in America from 1974 to 1978 through his enticing charms and artificial sociopath. The 2021 Netflix docuseries Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes also revealed all that transpired in the criminal's life. But then, her insistence on her husband's innocence before their divorce made her tale prevalent in American history.
Profile summary
| Full name | Carole Ann Boone |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | April 12, 1947 |
| Age | 70 years (at the time of death) |
| Date of death | January 2018 |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Place of birth | Olympia, Washington, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Height | 5'6" (168 cm) |
| Weight | 121 lbs (55 kgs) |
| Body measurement | 35-27-36 inches (88-68-91 cm) |
| Shoe size | 6 UK |
| Hair colour | Dark brown |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Marital status (at death) | Divorced |
| Ex-husband | Theodore Robert Bundy |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Homemaker |
Who was Carole Ann Boone?
The criminal's wife was born on April 12, 1947 in Olympia, Washington, United States of America, but reportedly died in January 2018. Carole Ann Boone's age was 70 years when she died.
She was the daughter of Walter and Margot Carson. Carole was the middle child, with older and younger brothers. In July 1960, her 15-year-old brother, Jon Franklin, drowned, reportedly from tiredness after spending the day swimming in a neighbor's pool.
Carole, a thirteen-year-old who had been tasked with babysitting her older brother, maybe owing to a disability, failed to discover his lifeless body floating in the water until too late.
Early relationship
Carole attended Lincoln High School in Seattle, where she dated James Boone, a football player. An unplanned pregnancy forced her to drop out at 17. By June 1964, Carole was four months pregnant when she eloped with her 16-year-old boyfriend to Idaho, a state with a lower legal marriage age than Washington.
On November 10, Carole gave birth to their only child, James Boone Jr., whom they nicknamed "Jamey." The young family moved to Yakima, Washington, where James found work as a laborer.
Their teenage marriage quickly became strained, and they separated within a few years, leaving Carole a young single mother. Despite the divorce, Carole and James remained good friends, and she retained his surname for decades. She remarried in 1973, but that union also proved short-lived.
Source: Original
How did Ted Bundy meet Carole?
The monstrous serial killer met his ex-wife and lover in 1947 for the first time. He met her in Olympia, Washington, where she worked at the Department of Emergency Services. Ted was also employed there to assist the officers in finding missing and killed ladies. These were the same ladies he murdered.
The duo became acquainted as friends and grew to love each other. According to a book written by Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth titled The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundy, Boone met Bundy during the period of her second divorce.
I liked Ted immediately. We hit it off well. He struck me as being a rather shy person with a lot more going on under the surface than what was on the surface. He certainly was more dignified and restrained than the more certifiable types around the office. He would participate in the silliness partway. But remember, he was a Republican.
Carole was not cognizant of Bundy being a kidnapper and murderer and forcefully slept with young ladies. At the time, she had a teenage son named James from her previous marriage. Also, the sociopath criminal was in a drowning relationship with his girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer.
Did Ted Bundy love Carole Ann Boone?
She was a victim of Ted's charm on ladies and supported him blindly in his homicidal crimes. After their relationship deepened, Ted was arrested and imprisoned in 1978 on counts of several murders. Even at that, she spent a week visiting him.
According to reports, she smuggled money into the prison to aid his escape from Colorado prison, where he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Her unlawful actions made him commit two bizarre crimes: he murdered Chi Omega Sorority girls Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, and then he also kidnapped, sensually assaulted, and murdered a 12-year-old girl named Kimberly Leach.
The notorious criminal was eventually apprehended in Florida and imprisoned in 1978 for his crimes. But then, she was still loyal and supported him, stating he was innocent of all accusations.
She moved to Gainesville, Florida, 60 miles from the prison, and attended all his court trials. On several occasions, she visited him with her son. Carole reportedly smuggled substances into the prison for Ted.
In 1979, he was sentenced to death for the second time. Regardless, she stuck with him and stood as a character witness for Bundy. As a law student, he was part of his defence attorney and leveraged that to make her a witness.
Interestingly, during one of his court proceedings for his crimes in February 1980, he eventually proposed to her. By law, Ted Bundy and Carole Ann Boone became husband and wife in the court.
Source: Getty Images
How did Ted and Carole have a baby?
It is uncertain how it happened, but then, Carole once said it was nobody's business, and she didn't have to explain anything about anybody to anyone. Nonetheless, a DNA test confirmed Ted as the father.
According to Ann Rule's book titled The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bunty, prison officers as of then could have been bribed. Hence, although Ted was not granted conjugal visits, his wife had physical contact with him. This was also confirmed in the Netflix series where Carole Ann was heard saying,
After the first day, they didn't care. They walked in on us a couple of times.
Later, she gave birth to her daughter Rosa Johnson Bundy on 24 October 1982. However, she later filed for a divorce in 1986 before her husband was killed by electric shock in the Raiford Electroction Chair on 24 January 1989.
The exact reasons for her change of mind are unknown. But many believe Ted's confessions to his crimes when it was close to his death made her devasted and betrayed. Also, he rumoredly had an affair with one of his lawyers Diana Weiner, which might have triggered the divorce too.
Did Carole Ann Boone know about Ted Bundy's acts?
Carole Ann Boone initially did not believe that Ted Bundy was guilty of the crimes he was accused of committing. She maintained his innocence and supported him throughout his trials, even marrying him and having a child with him.
However, as more evidence came to light and Bundy eventually confessed to his crimes, it is likely that her perception changed. Boone divorced Bundy in 1986, three years before his execution. A late 1977 letter from Carole to Ted in the Garfield County Jail read:
I’ve come to such a caring and commitment to you… I want to be close enough to at least make phone calls, and visit… be there if I can help. And be in the same part of the world as you, for me. It’s hard to explain, but I need you… the affection that I get, and that which I feel. I’ve been around enough to know that such affection, such caring is a blessed, treasurable thing. Dearest Bunny, I know you are innocent, and I know there’s a way for you to be free.
Source: Getty Images
Is Carole Ann Boone still alive?
She reportedly died in January 2018 at 70. After her divorce, she was depressed and moved with her children to Washington. She didn't visit her ex-husband for three years and refused to pick up his call on the day of his execution.
Many believe she changed her identity and remarried. Ted Bundy's daughter, too, reportedly changed her name to Abigail Griffin and moved to Oklahoma City. But then, how did Carole Ann Boone die? According to Carole Ann Boone's obituary, she allegedly died of septic shock at a Washington Retirement Home.
During an interview, Stephen Michaud, who spent significant time with the couple following Bundy's final arrest in Florida, was asked to summarize his memories of Carole Ann Boone. He responded:
Carole was an interesting person. She was an idealist. And she was idealistic in a way I’d like to see more of in this cynical day and age. But she also left herself open to being manipulated, and made fun of, because she couldn’t see what everybody else saw.
Fast facts
- Carole Boone is often portrayed as a naïve woman.
- She once worked at a humanitarian camp for Vietnamese refugees in California.
- She frequently sent care packages of health food and supplies to Ted at the Garfield County Jail.
- Ted and Carole exchanged romantic letters and pet names: "My beloved Boone" for her and "Bunny" for him
- Throughout their correspondence, Ted consistently maintained his innocence to Carole.
FAQs
- Who is Carole Ann Boone? She was a controversial American woman known for marrying the infamous murderer and necrophile Ted Bundy.
- When did Ted Bundy meet Carole Ann Boone? The monstrous serial killer met his ex-wife and lover in 1947 for the first time.
- How did Ted Bundy meet Carole? He met her in Olympia, Washington, where she worked at the Department of Emergency Services.
- What happened to Ted Bundy's wife? She was a victim of Ted's charm on ladies and supported him blindly in his homicidal crimes.
- Did Ted Bundy have a child with Carole Ann? They have a daughter named Rosa Bundy who was born on 24 October 1982. It is uncertain how Ann got pregnant.
- What happened to Bundy's daughter? His daughter reportedly changed her name to Abigail Griffin and moved to Oklahoma City.
- Was Ted Bundy's wife Liz? Elizabeth Kloepfer was Ted Bundy's longtime girlfriend before he was married to Carole Ann Boone.
Carole Ann Boone is remembered for marrying a notorious serial killer named Ted Bundy. She became famous for her union but later regretted her actions carried out by lust and ignorance.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
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