Special Preview: America’s Most Infamous Crimes

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Hi, listeners.

If you are enjoying Serialistly, I think you're going to love this new show that I want to tell

you about.

It's called America's Most Infamous Crimes, and it's hosted by self-defense instructor

Katie Ring.

Each week, Katie takes on one of the most notorious crimes in American history.

From serial killers like Ted Bundy, who terrorized entire cities, to high-profile kidnappings

like the Elizabeth Smart Case, also to headline making investigations like the Idaho College

murders.

Each case unfolds across multiple episodes, released every Tuesday through Thursday,

from the first sign that something was wrong to the moment that the truth came out.

Or didn't.

These are the cases that changed our society forever, and with Katie's self-defense

expertise, she'll also show you how to recognize warning signs and protect yourself along

the way.

I have a preview clip here from episode one of Katie's Deep Dive into Ted Bundy.

And if you like what you hear and want to listen to the rest, make sure to follow America's

Most Infamous Crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to

podcasts.

There's also a link to the show in the episode's description.

From the moment Ted Bundy was born, he was surrounded by lies.

Dave Mom Louise got pregnant in early 1946, but his dad abandoned them, which meant

Ted was born out of a wedlock that November.

This was a huge scandal that could have destroyed their family.

To avoid the stigma that came with being a young single mother, Ted's grandparents raised

him as their own son in Philadelphia.

He actually spent his early life thinking Louise was his older sister and not his mother.

In interviews, Ted claims that his upbringing was completely normal.

According to some family members and biographers, Ted's grandfather Samuel was known to have

a violent temper, was racist and misogynistic, and would even harm animals.

And despite Bundy's claims, it seemed like whatever was going on in that household did

have an effect on him psychologically.

One night in 1950, when Ted was just three years old, his teenage aunt Julia recalled waking

up and seeing him standing next to her bed.

But he wasn't there because he couldn't sleep or to ask for a glass of water.

As Julia squinted in the darkness, she saw Ted with a huge smile on his face.

And then realized she was surrounded by butcher knives.

Of course, I'm not a psychologist, but this is not something that a three-year-old generally

thinks to do on their own.

They learn by copying behaviors they've seen.

So to me, this would indicate that something very wrong was going on in that house.

Luckily, Ted didn't try and hurt Julia that night.

But even with these signs that something was clearly wrong, his family didn't get him

any help.

In fact, things only got less stable for him over time.

In 1951, when Ted was just four, he and Louise, who was still pretending to be his sister, left

Philadelphia and moved to Washington State.

It was supposed to be a fresh start, but it was a confusing adjustment for Ted.

Remember, he still thought his grandparents were his biological parents.

To him, it seemed like his older sister was separating him from his mom and dad.

This was just another moment of perceived betrayal that he'd remember for the rest of his life.

And things only got more confusing from there.

Shortly after moving, Louise met a guy named Johnny Bundy at church, but it wasn't long

before things got serious.

They got married after just a few months of dating, and Johnny even adopted Ted.

But Ted never really accepted Johnny as his father.

He thought he was unintelligent and resented him for not being able to provide him with

the expensive clothes and items that he wanted.

Friends even recalled Ted provoking Johnny, and Johnny sometimes responding with violence.

They looked like a happy family on the outside, but Ted was just as miserable as he'd been

in Philly.

And things only got worse when Ted found his birth certificate one day.

That's when he learned the truth.

Ted's birth father had abandoned him, and his older sister was actually his mom.

To hear the rest of the story, follow America's most infamous crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,

Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

New episodes drop every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

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Some crimes are never forgotten, others are lost to history.

Those are the ones we focus on in crimes of the centuries.

A history meets true crime podcasts revisiting murders, trials, and frauds that once dominated

headlines.

I'm Amber Hunt, your host and a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.

If you like true crime that feels both cinematic and historical, find crimes of the centuries

wherever you get your podcasts.