One of Ted Bundy’s admirers even managed to marry him during his criminal trial. As reported by Orlando Sentinel, Bundy and Carole Boone met in 1974 while they were working together in Olympia, Washington. During his trial, Bundy insisted on taking an active role in his defense and was permitted to question Boone, who testified on his behalf. During the questioning, Bundy proposed and Boone accepted the proposal. Bundy then stated, “I do hereby marry you.” As they had already applied for a marriage license, and a notary was present in the courtroom to witness the exchange, the couple was legally married.

Boone testified that Bundy was a “warm, kind, patient,” man, who never displayed “any destructiveness toward people.” However, Psychology Today reports Boone was likely ignoring who Bundy truly was, and had instead fallen in love with “what she wanted him to be.”

Although Boone knew Bundy before his trial, it has been suggested that the media’s portrayal of Bundy inspired the admirers he gained following his arrest. As reported by Psychology Today, author Ann Rule, who knew Bundy personally, said Bundy was not “handsome, brilliant, or charismatic.” In her opinion, “he somehow became all of those things as the media embraced him.”

Polly Nelson, who was part of Bundy’s defense team expressed similar sentiments. Although she said she sensed a degree of insecurity in Bundy, she said his “charm … was too obviously disingenuous to be truly charming.”