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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

How Rhonda Stapley escaped Ted Bundy’s murderous grasp

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

News, True Crime

4.28.1K Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2017

⏱️ 23 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Rhonda Stapley kept her near-death encounter with serial killer Ted Bundy secret for decades, fearing the judgment that could come if she told how he kidnapped and raped her. The Utah college student hitched a ride with someone she thought was a cute law student, but he took a detour and coldly announced he was going to kill her. It was only because she fell into a river and was swept away by a swift current that she escaped. Stapley talks with Nancy Grace about the pain that followed in this “Crime Stories” episode.

Transcript

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0:00.0

I'm Cheryl McCollum, host of the brand new co-case podcast, Zone 7.

0:04.1

We're going to be talking to family members, detectives, prosecutors, and nationally recognized

0:09.1

experts that are in my Zone 7. The group of professionals that I've called on

0:13.6

to help me work hundreds of cases you've heard of and thousands you haven't.

0:18.0

We are going to solve these cases own air together. Listen to Zone 7 on the I Heart Radio app,

0:25.2

the Apple Podcast app or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.

0:37.3

Ted Brandy is a name instantly recognizable and one that brings fear to the minds of many.

0:42.4

Brandy's staplie was a student at the University of Utah back in 1974,

0:47.2

but she nearly lost her life at the hands of one of America's most notorious serial killers.

0:53.6

This is Carve Stories with Nancy Grace.

0:56.5

In this 10 Volkswagen came by and a driver rolled down his window and said, where you going?

1:01.4

I said, I'm going up to you. He said, me too, hop in.

1:04.6

She said she didn't think twice about accepting a ride from the smooth,

1:07.9

talking handsome law student. The leaned in close and I thought he was going to kiss me. He said,

1:12.4

you know what, I'm going to kill you. In the weeks that followed,

1:15.9

Bundy kidnapped and killed two Utah women. She kept the secret from her husband and later

1:20.8

her children until 2012. If my story can help one or two other people,

1:25.3

then it's worth telling. For 37 years, she kept a terrible secret, a horrible secret.

1:38.0

The secret is that as a 21-year-old University of Utah, Coed, she was raped.

1:45.9

She blamed herself, thought it was all her fault. She should have known better she thought

1:50.5

than to take a ride from a stranger. She was also afraid of her mother found out. Her mom would

1:57.2

pull her out of school. She didn't want that. At that time, she was a young Mormon, also a virgin.

...

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