Vermont's famous serial killer back from the dead for Act II

By Ted Cohen

Step inside the shadows and immerse yourself in the dark, twisted histories of America's most notorious serial killers.

Among them - Ted Bundy, born to an unwed mother in Burlington, Vermont, who will be featured in a presentation in a downtown theater recounting the nation's scariest killing machines.

"Serial Killer Speakeasy - A True Crime Cocktail Experience," will be presented at The Flynn Theater in Burlington from November 5 through November 7.

"This exclusive touring event transforms The Flynn into a gripping true-crime sanctuary," says the promotional material from Midnight Creative, the event's producers.

"As you sip on expertly crafted spirits or bespoke mocktails, our mixologists and theatrical storytellers will plunge you deep into the minds and motives of Bundy, Dahmer, Gacy, and Gein," the company says.

"It is an unforgettable blend of tension, dark history, and theatrical intrigue."

Theodore Robert Cowell was born Nov. 24, 1946, to Eleanor Louise Cowell at what was then called the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Burlington, Vermont.

His biological father’s identity has never been confirmed; his original birth certificate apparently assigns paternity to a salesman and U.S. Air Force veteran named Lloyd Marshall, though a copy of it listed his father as unknown.

Biographer and true crime writer Ann Rule, who knew Bundy personally, wrote that he tracked down his original birth record in Burlington in 1969.

Bundy expressed a lifelong resentment toward his mother for never telling him who his father was.

When Bundy was just four years old, his mother met Johnny Bundy, a hospital cook, at an adult singles night in Tacoma, Washington, marrying him in 1951.

He adopted her son Ted, who from then on was known as Ted Bundy.

Bundy, a one-time law student, was sentenced to death after having been connected to dozens of co-ed murders nationwide in the 1970s.

He was found to have abducted, raped and murdered dozens of young women and girls between 1974 and 1978.

Bundy's modus operandi typically consisted of convincing his target that he was in need of assistance or duping them into believing he was an authority figure.

He would then lure his victim to his vehicle, at which point he would bludgeon her unconscious, then restrain her with handcuffs before driving to a remote location to sexually assault and kill her.

Bundy died in the electric chair Jan. 24, 1989.