During our phone conversation on November 12, 2018, Valdez told me he had at least two classes with Ted Bundy, one being contracts and the other, evidence. The first time he noticed Bundy was in January 1975, in his contracts class that was held in the afternoon, and he was sitting on the back row. When they spoke to each other, Valdez asked him if he was a transfer student, and Bundy said no. Bundy also mentioned he was from Seattle.
Valdez told me that Bundy looked like a “rich kid,” and that he acted the part, as it were. He also mentioned that Bundy was a good dresser, but that often he would see Bundy wearing wrinkled clothes. Indeed, on that first day that they met, Valdez noticed that his turtleneck was wrinkled. When asked if his clothes ever appeared dirty, he said no, only wrinkled.
Although Bundy did begin coming to more classes that second semester, he still missed quite a few of them. Valdez said that Bundy came up to him one day and asked, “Do you mind if I look at your notes?” but he did one better and made copies for Bundy. Valdez said he made copies four or five times that winter for Bundy. He also mentioned that not only was law school “hard,” but it was also very important for students to help each other as the school year progressed. However, he said, there was so much competition in school that help wasn’t always forthcoming. So, when Bundy asked for the notes, he was only too happy to do it. Valdez also emphasized how friendly Bundy was to him. During our conversation, he was quick to add that Bundy could have been “playing him” as that’s how sociopaths are. Even so, it’s also quite possible Bundy liked him, and not just for what Valdez could do for him. That camaraderie would have limits, of course, but we can’t rule out that some of that friendliness might have been partially genuine.
Of course, Bundy would continue to kill young women and girls throughout the remainder of the year, and on August 16, 1975, Bundy’s life, as he knew it, was coming to a close forever, upon his arrest in Granger, Utah, in the wee hours of the morning. It was a routine traffic stop, but the results of this particular arrest were anything but routine.
When Bundy was pulled over by Sergeant Bob Hayward of the Utah Highway Patrol (Bob was brother to Captain Pete Hayward of the homicide squad of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office), he was arrested for attempting to elude a police officer, and for having implements in his car that were labeled by police as burglary tools. Valdez said the burglary tool charge was often used by police to arrest suspicious individuals in order to be able to hold them, in order that down the road, if need be, that burglary charge might be dropped or amended while additional charges could be added.
In Bundy’s case, the bag he was carrying in his car that early morning was his murder kit; a kit consisting of a brown leather gym bag, with the following items inside: a ski mask, a pantyhose mask, two right-handed gloves, an ice pick, a box of large Glad trash bags, a rope for binding and perhaps choking a victim, an electrical cord that was used exclusively for strangulation, and strips of a bed sheet he’d use for the binding of his victims’ hands and feet. Indeed, Salt Lake Detective Darryl Ondrak took one look at these things and knew it was far more than a bag used for burglaries. Some of these items, he correctly reasoned, were used for tying people up. These were the tools for abduction, and the astute detective knew it.
Valdez not only went to law school full time, but also worked for the Salt Lake County Jail, in the area of Pretrial Services. Essentially, Valdez was a “screener,” and he would decide, through a point system, who could be released on his own recognizance, and those who, because of more serious crimes, would be held over in jail until they went before a judge; usually the following morning. Because Bundy was being charged with possession of burglary tools and eluding a police officer (both misdemeanors), he was eligible for being released on his own recognizance if he could meet the “point” system. The point system took into consideration several factors, such as, did he have any prior arrests (no); how long had he been living in the area (almost one year); what was his current status in the city (law student), and lastly, did he have good references (yes). Because Bundy had enough points, he easily met the criteria for immediate release. Obviously wanting to get out of confinement, Bundy asked Valdez if he was going to release him.
The moment of Bundy’s arrival at the Salt Lake County Jail around 3:00 a.m. on August 16, 1975, is a surreal one for both of the men involved, which neither man understood at the time. For Ted Bundy, it was the beginning of his unveiling, when he was being pulled out of the dark cover of the shadows, and where his life would be changing forever.
But on this particular early morning, it was about two law students, who had already established a friendship, meeting at a time and place neither expected, and it would prove to be a line of demarcation for both men. When I asked Andrew Valdez about this odd moment, he said that after the initial greeting between the two men, he asked Bundy what had happened. Bundy initially told his law school buddy “I got lost,” and would attempt to explain it a bit further over the next several minutes. Valdez noticed Bundy didn’t appear nervous or concerned at all, and Bundy ultimately told Valdez what he’d already told arresting officer, Bob Hayward. Bundy said he’d been to see a movie at a drive-in and afterward he was just driving around; a story that didn’t seem right to Valdez, who found it odd that Bundy had been driving around that area that late at night. Valdez also noted that his suspicion was not present solely because Bundy had been arrested, as he’d dealt with other law school friends who’d gotten arrested for one reason or another. His suspicion was based wholly on Bundy’s less than credible explanation. Before the men separated, Bundy once again asked Valdez to “take good notes,” while at the same time saying he’d soon see him back in class.
However, the world would grow much darker for Bundy by October of that year, as Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Jerry Thompson kept probing into the full extent of who or what Ted Bundy really was, as no one in law enforcement believed him to be a simple burglar, suspecting him of being involved in much more serious criminal activity, and they were determined to find out the truth. Their investigation produced results which culminated in an arrest warrant for Bundy for the abduction and attempted murder of eighteen-year-old Carol DaRonch, who escaped Bundy on November 8, 1974. The attempted murder charge was later dropped because they couldn’t conclusively prove Bundy’s intent was to kill her. When this arrest was executed, the entire state of Utah would hear of the charges against Bundy. Andrew Valdez was about to have his own epiphany during his second visit to the incarcerated law student.
Because of the seriousness of the crimes for which Bundy was charged, he was being held on the third floor of the Salt Lake County Jail, along with other inmates charged with serious and often violent offenses. Valdez visited Bundy three times while he was there just to see “if he needed anything.” Bundy asked him to check on his locker at school, as he had his law books and perhaps other personal items in there as well, and Valdez assured him he’d take care of things for him.
Even though Valdez visited Bundy on three occasions while he was incarcerated on the jail’s top floor, it was his first visit with Bundy that would forever change his opinion of his fellow law student. Because these visits with Bundy were not official visits being conducted while performing his duties in Pretrial Services, Valdez did not move Bundy from his jail cell into a private room where they could talk. Instead, they spoke through the iron bars of Bundy’s cell. While they conversed, Valdez reminded him that these charges weren’t like his first charges - these were felonies and very serious. And Bundy, instead of saying what most innocent people in similar circumstances might be saying, such as: “I’m innocent!” or “Can you make a call for me?” or “Who’s a good lawyer in town?” Bundy simply said, “I don’t think they have the evidence to convict me.”
Valdez reacted like others reacted when confronted with these odd remarks from Bundy – it led him to conclude that Bundy may in fact be involved in the current situat
ion the state was facing with their missing and murdered women. Each time before Valdez departed (he told me each of these visits were anywhere from five to ten minutes long), Bundy said, “Take good notes, I’ll get out.”
Valdez also told of an incident that occurred not long after Bundy’s arrest on August 16, 1975. He wasn’t certain of the exact date, but it was definitely somewhere in that relatively short period between Bundy’s August arrest, when he was still under the radar of the media so that very few individuals were aware that he’d been arrested, and the October 1975 arrest that blew the lid off the investigation, rocketing the name Ted Bundy to the top of the nightly TV newscasts in all the states that had missing and murdered women.
Anyway, Valdez said that a very esteemed professor that taught one of the classes he and Bundy shared did something that surprised him. Bundy had gone down to speak with the professor after class, which has been a standard for students for as long as there have been classes and teachers. Sitting there, Valdez could see Bundy waiting patiently for several of the students to finish up with the professor. As the last one drifted away, Bundy approached the professor who, when he saw who was walking toward him, turned his back on Bundy and walked away. Bundy, who was no doubt stunned by this, may have called out an additional time, but the professor never turned around to address him. Speechless, Bundy walked away. Valdez believes that the professor, who had lots of connections in law enforcement, most likely was given inside information from the authorities as to what they were already believing Bundy to be: a killer of young women, causing him to reject Bundy’s approach.
Ted Bundy was ultimately convicted in the abduction of Carol DaRonch, and received a one to fifteen-year prison sentence and was housed at the Utah State Prison. However, it wouldn’t be long before Bundy was transferred to Colorado to stand trial in the murder of Caryn Campbell whom he abducted from the Wildwood Inn in Snowmass, Colorado, and subsequently murdered. Unbelievably, Bundy managed to escape twice from his keepers in the state, and the second time he managed to get all the way to Florida where he’d kill two more women and a twelve-year-old girl.
Of course, while Bundy was embroiled in the trial in Colorado, Valdez and the others were plowing ahead and preparing to take the bar exam. When word reached them in class that Bundy had escaped, Valdez said a number of the students started clapping and cheering. Apparently, a number of them still believed in his innocence and had Bundy known this, it’s certain this would have caused him to smile.
V. A Friend of Kathy Parks and Lorraine Fargo
In August 2011, I received an email from a woman who knew both Lorraine Fargo and Kathy Parks, and was active in all the goings-on at Oregon State University when Kathy disappeared. I will not be naming her as I believe she’d rather remain anonymous, but she’s in the record. It was good hearing from yet another person who knew and was friends with Kathy. Although the letter is slightly redacted, it’s clear that, like Lorraine, she carries scars from that time, and that’s understandable. And also like Lorraine, she wanted to finally face these negative feelings and deep fears by contacting me and reading my book. This email has been on file, as it were, for a number of years now, and has never been published in whole or in part prior to the publication of this book. I was, and I remain, appreciative for her contact.
Dear Kevin,
Please bear with me, this will take a bit of explanation.
I was (redacted) of Lorraine Fargo and attended Oregon State U during 1973-74. Kathy Parks was a friend of mine and I have something that you may want. (Lorraine was the last person to talk with Kathy before she disappeared.)
Lorraine and I lived on the same floor as Kathy at Sackett Hall. Lorraine and I went to the State Police offices in Eugene Oregon in the summer of 1974, in an effort to help. The detectives found some clothing and wanted to know if we recognized it, to see if it belonged to Kathy, it did not. I did not know Kathy well but counted her as a friend.
I have been searching for Lorraine for years on the internet; we lost contact in 1982 after I moved back to my hometown. I happened to run into a review she wrote about your book on Amazon and was very excited to think that I may finally have found her. When I searched for her on the internet, armed with her married name, I discovered that she passed away last March and I lost my opportunity, this saddened me immensely.
When I read her review of your book I decided that I wanted to learn more about the book. I have avoided reading most books about Ted Bundy over the years except for Ann Rule’s book. Mostly it has been too painful and scary for me but I would like to read your book, it’s time I faced the demon, so to speak.
The reason that I contacted you is that you seem like a genuine person that is interested in the case for the right reason and not because of morbid curiosity. I have kept over the years the missing person poster for Kathy Parks and if you have any interest in owning the poster, I think it would add to your understanding of the case. The poster depicts Kathy with the now famous portrait but also a full-length picture that I haven’t seen on the net. (It may be in other books but I have not read them.) This poster will let you see that Kathy was a blond-haired person and did not have brown hair even though the picture is black and white. (Author’s note: She did mail the poster, and it’s now a part of my Bundy case files.)
Bundy’s horrific actions are still causing pain, the ripples are still moving outward, like a rock thrown in a lake. It’s been 37 years and I am still affected by all this, my kids and granddaughter are also feeling the consequences, they have been hammered constantly by me about strangers and trusting their gut about situations. I lost my innocence about the world in June of 1974, and I have a hard time trusting anyone to this day. I am sorry this is so long, no one that I know understands the pain that I carry and the survivor’s guilt. I could have just as easily been in Kathy’s place, we used to run around the campus of OSU at all hours of the day and night, believing the world was a safe place to play.
I know that Lorraine felt the same way, we had many conversations about these feelings over the years. I believe it is time for me to give up the poster. I used to show it to my daughter and try to impress upon her that the world is a dangerous place. I do not want to do the same thing with my seven-year-old granddaughter, she will be told about Bundy when she is older but the need to show the poster has diminished.
VI. The Escape of Leslie Parmenter
Leslie Parmenter was only fourteen years old when she encountered Ted Bundy in a K-Mart parking lot in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a brief meeting between the two that shouldn’t have happened, and the encounter could have turned deadly very quickly (and in my opinion, was about to turn deadly) but it all suddenly evaporated before Bundy could make his move. What follows is from my book, The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History:
The next day he came close to literally grabbing what he wanted when he stopped the van in a K-Mart shopping center parking lot across from Jeb Stuart Junior High School, located at 4815 Wesconnett Blvd. in Jacksonville. He struck up a conversation with Leslie Ann Parmenter, age 14, the daughter of Lester Parmenter, a detective with the Jacksonville police. According to her report, an unkempt and agitated man (again, not the refined killer of 1974 and 1975) stopped his white van in front of her and got out, leaving his door open. He began making conversation with the apprehensive teenager. He was described as wearing “glasses, with heavy dark frames, multicolored colored plaid trousers, and a black or navy-blue jacket similar to a navy pea coat.”’ He had a plastic fireman’s badge with the name Richard Burton pinned on the coat, which was probably little more than a cheap toy meant to entertain a child.
Suspicious of the odd man, Leslie admitted she just didn’t know what he wanted. At this point, Leslie’s older brother Danny pulled up in his truck and stuck his head out the window, asking Leslie what the man wanted. Danny’s words and later testimony revealed what must have been going through the young man’s mi
nd as he saw this much older man talking to his sister. He knew something wasn’t right as the man “wasn’t a very clean-cut person ... kind of scrawny looking.”
After telling Leslie to go over to the passenger side of the truck and get in, he approached Bundy, who was already nervous, and asked him what he wanted. Bundy was not stupid and he could see a physical confrontation on the horizon. He told Danny, “Nothing ... I just asked if she was somebody else and just asked who she was.” Bundy got back inside the van, rolled up the window, and began driving away. Danny quickly scribbled down the license number and attempted to follow him, but lost sight of the vehicle in heavy traffic. He gave the license number-13D-11300-to his father. “He was very nervous,” Danny Parmenter added. “Like he was almost shaking. His voice was even quivering.” Theodore Bundy was facing somebody who could fight back, and he didn’t like it.
Without question, it was a close call, a literal brush with death. Had Leslie entered that van (something she’d never willingly do) or been forced into it, her fate would have been sealed.
For this fourth and final book on the Ted Bundy murders, I very was fortunate to be able to interview Leslie by phone on January 28, 2019, and again on January 29, 2019. Like most folks, she’s very busy, so I was very appreciative she took the time to speak with me from her Florida home. And what you’ll hear from her will be more than just the facts of the case—facts that came out through her testimony—but also what was going through her mind as the infamous killer set his sights on her. Sometimes it only takes a matter of moments for things to go terribly wrong.
On February 8, 1978, as Jeb Stuart Middle School was letting out for the day, everything appeared to be normal, and everything pointed to it being just another routine day. Outside the school, Leslie Ann Parmenter’s older brother, Danny, was waiting in his pickup truck for his little sister to come walking out the door. But Leslie was not moving as quickly as on other days, and to make matters worse, she had to pick up her books from her locker which made her late coming out. When she exited the front doors, her brother was nowhere to be found. Still holding the heavy books (she wasn’t using a book bag or backpack), she returned to the office and called home. Danny, somewhat irritated by her absence, listened to her explanation about why she was late, and told her to start walking and he’d return to pick her up. Because the Parmenter home was only about six blocks away on Jammes Road, she figured it wouldn’t be long before Danny would meet her.
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