While Ted Bundy is infamously known as a serial killer, to Edna Martin, he was simply a family member.
After remaining silent for years, Bundy’s cousin, Edna Martin, is breaking her silence. She is set to share her experiences with him, including the personal correspondence received from him while he was on Florida’s death row, in the forthcoming Oxygen documentary Love, Ted Bundy, debuting on February 15 at 6 p.m. ET/PT.
“As America’s most infamous serial killer awaited his fate, Ted Bundy exchanged heartfelt letters with someone who loved him like a sibling—his cousin, Edna Martin,” states a press release. “For half a century, Edna kept her identity hidden, striving to shield her family from public attention. Now, she’s prepared to recount her tale and unveil her private collection of letters for the first time in Love, Ted Bundy.”
What is Love, Ted Bundy About?
Bundy, once a law student, admitted to the murder of 30 women during a terrifying spree, using his charm to mask his predatory nature as he sought victims in the 1970s across the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, and Florida.
“Through unique photographs and exclusive interviews with family and friends, Edna shares narratives about her cousin that only she can provide,” the documentary description continues. “Love, Ted Bundy presents a personal and unsettling look at one of America’s most notorious serial killers from the perspective of someone who thought she knew him well.”
This two-hour special aims to immerse viewers in Bundy’s meticulously maintained double life as he balanced normal daily activities with his hidden, sinister side.
“Ted and I we were best friends,” Martin remembered in a trailer. “Imagine having someone you care about turn out to be a monster.”
Ted Bundy’s Killing Spree
Martin recalled the fear that gripped the Pacific Northwest as a killer began to target college-age girls.
“Once a month almost another girl would disappear,” she explained. “The ironic thing is I felt safer because Ted lived so close.”
Bundy’s dark nature finally came to light in 1975 after he was pulled over prowling in a Utah neighborhood and police discovered burglary tools, a crowbar and pantyhose with holes cut in. Bundy was arrested and later linked to the attempted abduction of Carol DaRonch—one of the few women to escape his grasp.
“My brother said they’ve arrested someone. It’s Ted,” Martin said in the trailer. “I’m just screaming, ‘No, this can’t be true.’”
Bundy’s killing spree didn’t end there. After escaping custody twice, he headed to Florida where he attacked a college sorority house and unsuspecting 12-year-old girl before he was arrested a final time in 1978.
What Was in Ted Bundy’s Letters?
While on Florida’s death row, Bundy reached out to his cousin through a series of letters. She admitted she still doesn’t like to touch the letters today, explaining, “I was convinced evil was coming out of them.”
In one letter revealed in the trailer, Bundy seemingly addressed the killings, writing, “Dear Edna, I have no guilt, remorse or regret over anything I’ve done.”
To truly cut ties with her cousin, Martin knew she needed to confront him, asking in her own letter “Did you really kill those girls?”
To which Bundy replied, “Dear Cousin, Let the dead bury the dead. Be good. I love you, Ted.”
Love, Ted Bundy is produced by Marwar Junction Productions and directed by Christopher Cassel. Cassel also served as an executive producer on the project along with Joseph Freed and Allison Berkley.
“Every family has secrets,” Martin remarked in the trailer. “But who would want to confess their cousin was a serial killer.”
