Defending The Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer

175 Pages·23.438 MB·English

by  Polly Nelson

DEFENDING
THE
DEVIL
My Story as
Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer
POLLY NELSON
ECHOPOINTBOOKS&MEDIA,LLC
BRATTLEBORO,VERMONT
Transcriptsofcourtproceedingsandinterviewsreproducedhereinhavebeeneditedforclarity.The
namesofminorchildrenhavebeenchangedtoprotecttheirprivacy.
PublishedbyEchoPointBooks&Media
Brattleboro,Vermont
www.EchoPointBooks.com
Allrightsreserved.
Neitherthisworknoranyportionsthereofmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,or
transmittedinanycapacitywithoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.
Copyright©1994,2018byPollyNelson
DefendingtheDevil
ISBN:978-1-62654-775-7(casebound)
978-1-62654-791-7(paperback)
InteriordesignbyPaulChevannesCover
designbyAdrienneNúñez
PREFACE
Ihaven'tparticipatedmuchindiscussionsaboutTedBundysinceIpublishedthisbookin1994.I
havebeenhappytomoveon.
Buttheupcoming30thanniversaryofhisexecutionhasrenewedinterestinTedBundy,andIama
witnesstothathistory.SoIampublishingasecondeditiontomakeitavailabletothepubliconce
again.
Thisbookisanattempttodescribeascandidlyaspossiblemyownexperience,asanewlawyer
unexpectedlytaskedwithpreventingahumanbeingfrombeingkilled.Itisnotadefinitivehistoryof
TedBundy,noranapologyforhiscrimes.Thatitdoesnothonorthepreciouslivesofhisvictimsisa
tellingomissionIonlypartlyunderstand.
Thebookislooselydividedintofiveparts.
•PartI.Ibecomealawyer,andTedBundybecomesmyfirstcase.Heisscheduledtobeexecutedin
12daysforthemurderofKimberlyLeach,oneofhistwodeathsentencesinFlorida.
•PartII.TheU.S.SupremeCourtissuesastayofexecutionandIgettoknowmyclientandhispast.
IprepareourcaseunderthesupervisionofJimColeman,abrilliantpartneratthefirm.
•PartIII.TedBundyisscheduledtobeexecutedasecondtime.ThistimeforthemurdersattheChi
OmegasororityhouseinTallahassee,Florida.Iamstillinmyfirstyearasalawyer.
• PartIV.WegetdeepintoTed'spsychewiththehelpofrenownedforensicpsychiatrist,Dorothy
OtnowLewis,andthecandidrecollectionsofTed'sfamilyandpreviouslawyers.Transcriptsfromour
interviewsandcourttestimonyofwitnessesbaldlycontradictthecommonly-heldbelief(cherishedby
Tedaswell)ofTedBundyasacleverandcontrolledmasterofhisownfate.
•PartV.Tedisscheduledtobeexecutedforthethirdtime,againfortheKimberlyLeachmurder.Our
carefullegalstrategyisdestroyedbyTed'simpulsivebehavior.Thenightbeforehisexecution,Ted
reflectsonhislife.
•PartVI.Idealwiththeaftermath.
Aftercompletingthisbook,IservedontheD.C.BoardofParoleforsevenyears,whereI
encounteredamorecommontypeofinmate.Primarilyguiltyofbeingblack,poor,andhyperactiveor
drugaddicted,theylanguishuselesslybehindbars.Unlikespurnedpets,theyhavenochanceof
rescue.Whenreleased,theyareevenmoredisadvantagedthanbefore,destinedtoliveoutsidean
increasinglyunfathomablesociety.
ThatisafargreatertravestythanTedBundy'sconvictionandexecution.
But,atonetime,IwasTedBundy'slawyer,anditwashislifeIwassupposedtosave.
PollyNelson
November2018

PROLOGUE
ThreeweeksafterTedwasexecuted,oneofthemanagingpartnersofthelawfirmcalledmetohis
office.Thatwasunusualinitself.WhenIarrived,hegreetedmewarmly,shookmyhand,andinvited
metositdown.From hiscornerofficeontheninthfloor,withaviewbeyondhisbalconyofthe
steeplesandrooftopsofGeorgetown,theworldlookedverymanageable.
Hesaidthat,firstofall,hewantedtocongratulatemeonajobexceptionallywelldoneonthe
Bundycase.Probablynootherlawyerinthefirmwouldhavebeenabletohandleacaselikethat,he
said,orstickwithittotheend.Thenhepassedanenvelopetomeandsaidthatitcontainedmy
annualevaluation,andthathewasgladtoseethecommentswereallveryfavorable,amarked
improvementoverthepreviousevaluation.Hehesitatedbeforehewenton.
Onemorething,hesaid,finally.NowthattheBundycaseisover,youshouldgivesomethoughtto
whatdirectionyou'dlikeyourcareertogoinfromhere.IsaidIwoulddothat,havingrealizedearlier
thatIhadtodevelopanewspecialty.
Therewasanothertellingmomentofsilence.
Infact,hebeganagain,weshouldprobablydiscusssomesortoftimeframe.Whateverseemsfair-
threemonths,sixmonths.Youshouldbeabletofindajobbythen.Youunderstand,hesaid,strictly
fromapractice-managementpointofview,youcouldn'tbeallowedtostayatthefirmindefinitely.
IwentbacktothefewpayingcasesIhadandtriedtosetaboutlookingforanewjob,butIhadn't
beenabletodomuchofanythingsincetheexecution.Ithadbeenbadenoughbefore,butnowIcould
barelyliftapenorcomposeasentence.Iwasafraidtoreturnphonecalls.Ikeptexpectingtofeel
betterwithtime,nowthattheexecutionwasbehindmeandIwasfinallyrelievedoftheresponsibility
ofsavingTed'slife.Instead,Ifeltworse.WhenIcouldnotworkanotherday,Ileft.Butthatdidn'tsolve
myproblem.
RepresentingTedBundycertainlywasthecaseofalifetime-justnotexactlyinthewayIthoughtit
wouldbe.
PARTI
PollyNelson
PollyNelson,Wilmer,Cutler&Pickeringyearbook,1985
CHAPTER1
IwasborntorepresentTedBundy.
Fromanearlyage,itwasimportanttometomeettheneedsofothers,particularlythosewho
seemedunhappy.Iwastheappleofmyunhappyparents'eyesandIwantedtomakethemhappy.
WhenIwastwoyearsold,itisoftentold,mymotherandfatherlaughedsohardwhenIfelloffthe
couchthatIcrawledbackupandfelloffagain.Andagainandagain.
WhenIwasten,Ikepta"HomeforRetiredWorms"inthebackyard.NotbecauseIlikedworms,but
becauseIthoughtthatitmustbeaterriblethingtobesouglyanddespicable.Mygrandfatherwasa
LutheranpastorwhosesocialministrywasinformedbyChrist'swords:Whateveryoudofortheleast
ofthem,youdoforme.Wormsseemedtoqualify.Iwateredapatchofground,madeanicemudbath,
andbroughttoitwormsthathadbeenstrandedonthesidewalkafterarain.Iwantedthemnottofeel
soaloneandashamedtobeworms,astheysurelymust.And,ofcourse,ifIwashelpingthem,
makingthemfeelbetteraboutthemselves,Ihadnothingtofearfromthemmyself.
IgrewupincentralMinnesota,anoldestchildwithfouryoungersiblingsandtwoparentswith
problemsoftheirown.Growingup,theneedsofthosesixpeopleseemedmoreimportantthanmy
own.Thebenefitofmypositionasthecompetentpersonmakingotherpeoplefeelbetterwas
obvious:Iwasaveryimportantpersoninmyfamily.Thedownsidewasharderformetosee.Ihadno
clueastomyownfeelings,needs,orwants,otherthantobeperfectanduseful,adisappointmentto
noone.Theabsenceofpersonalfulfillmentorcontentmentdidn'tseemanyreasontoworry,however.
Iwassureitwouldcometome.OnedayI'dfeellikemyself,knowwhatIliked,whatIwantedfor
myself.RealLifewouldthenbegin.
Itdidn'tbeginincollege.Iflounderedforsixyearswhileearningmyundergraduatedegree,unable
tosettleonamajor.Foronething,itseemedtomemorallywrongtoseekadegreelikeeveryoneelse.
AsIwasalreadyaveryimportantperson,itwasuntowardtoacceptsuch
superfluoustrappings.AtfirstIwasinterestedinstatistics,thenIdroppedouttobecomeaweaver,
studyinginSwedenandtravelingtheartfaircircuit.WhenIreturnedtoschool,Ibegantoworktoward
becominganartteacher,butnobodywouldtalkaboutthewhyofteachingart.Whatproblemwerewe
tryingtosolve?Icouldn'tgetmyselfinterestedunlesssomeonehadaproblemtheyneededmeto
solve.Iswitchedtochildpsychology,wheretheproblemswere.
Asgraduationunavoidablyapproached,Istillhadnotfoundanythinginsideofmetoactasaguide.
IhadnodesiresofmyownthatIcoulddiscern.Inlieuofadiscerniblecareerpreference,Itookallthe
civilservicetestsIqualifiedfor;thefirstresponsecamefromthedirectorofasmallcountywelfare
agencyinnorthernMinnesota.Ihadnotraininginsocialwork;mychildpsychologyclasseshadbeen
theoreticalratherthanclinical.But,asanoldestchild,IwassureIkneweverythingandcoulddo
anything.Socialworkalsowasafamilytraditionamongtheclergyandlaypeopleonmymother'sside
ofthefamily.Thejobofferhadacertainringofinevitabilitytoit.AttheMarshallCountyWelfare
Department,inWarren,Minnesota,mymoralresponsibilitiesgrewfrommyfamilyofsixtoahundred
troubledstrangers,andIseemedtoseeinallofthemahurtchildtobeacknowledged.Isomehow
couldn'tdetachappropriately.WhenIhadtoremovechildrenfromanabusivehome,Ifeltthepainof
theparents,theemptinessoftheirhome,thelongingofthechildrentoreturn.I'dfeelitallnightand
ontheweekend.HowcouldIbehappy,
enjoymyselfinmyoff-time,ifIwasresponsibleforsuchunhappiness?Ifoundtemporaryabsolution
intheruraltavernswherefarmerswaitoutthewinter.
Aftertwoyearsofdirectsocialwork,Iwasbeat.Ihadtormentedmyinvoluntaryclientswith
unwantedhomevisits;Ihadfelttotallyresponsiblefortheirlives;andIhadneverfeltIwasdoing
enough.Icouldn'tbeobjective.Ibecametooinvolved.IfelttooinadequatewhenIfoundIreally
couldn'tdoanythingtochangesomeone'sdestiny.ImovedbacktoSt.PaulandtotheMinnesota
DepartmentofPublicWelfare(DPW)forthenextthreeyears,licensingday-carefacilities.ThereI
wasn'tdirectlyresponsibleforanyone.Ishouldhavebeenrelieved,butinsteadthejobfeltemptyand
meaningless.Ifeltselfish,self-indulgent,enervated,andadrift.Icontinuedtodrink.
IfIatleasthadalittlewiderrangeofinfluence,Ithought,perhapsI'dfeelfulfilledandlifewould
beginforme.SincesocialworkhadfallenoutoffavorbythenandDPWwastoo-heavywithmasters
ofsocialworkwithnoplacetogo,Idecidedtogetalawdegreetostandoutinthepack,becomea
certifiedsmartperson.MaybethenI'dhaveachancetobepromotedtoapolicyposition,andthe
powertomakerealchangesinthewelfaresystemwouldgivemesatisfactionatlast.
Ihadonefinalsocialworkhurrah,justbeforeIleftapureshotofcaretakingadrenalin.Thestate
hospitalemployeeshadgoneonstrike,andwebureaucratsatDPW weresenttowatchoverthe
patients.OnenurseandIwereinchargeoffortyorsoseverelydisabledmentallyillpatients,mostof
themlobotomizedduringthegreatpsychiatricexperimentsofthe1950sandnowbrain-friedbythe
resultingseizures.Iplayedtheguitarforthem,watchedtheroyalweddingofCharlesandDianawith
them(someclaimedtoberelatedtothegroom),andserveddoughnutsiftheywouldsitdownlike
ladiesandgentlemen.AtnightIdranktooblivionwiththeothermanagementtemps.Itwasaperfect
existence.Iwasneeded,andIwasstuckthere.NoneedtofigureoutwhatIshoulddoorwhatIwas
supposedtowanttododay-to-day.IfeltthenearestIhadeverfelttobeingfullyalive.
Lawschoolwasalittlelikethat,too.IstartedattheUniversityofMinnesotainthefallof1981,
whenIwastwenty-nineyearsold.Iwasstillsingle.AlthoughI'vetried,Ihadn'tfoundamanwhowas
willingtosolvetheproblemformeofwhoIwas.Shortofthat,Icouldonlytrytomindreadina
relationshipguessathowtheotherpersonthoughtIwassupposedtoact-whichmadeeverything
verycomplicatedforbothofus.Lawschoolwasmyrefuge.Threeyearsspokenfor,norealdecisions
tomake,nootherresponsibilities,nottryingtochangeanyone;RealLifesuspendeduntilafter
graduation.Ienjoyeditverymuch.AndbecauseIenjoyedit,because(unlikeformostlawstudents)
lawschoolrepresentednotaburdenbutafreedomfromobligation,Ididprettywell.
Iscrupulouslyavoidedanysubjecthavingtodowithdirectservicetopeople,courseslikefamily
lawandcriminallaw.TheonethingIknewforcertainwasthatIwouldneveragaintakeonanother
individual'sintractablepersonalproblems.WhenIwroteforthelawreview,Ichosethedriest,most
masculinesubjectIcouldfind:thedefinitionofbuildingsandstructuralcomponentsforpurposesof
theinvestmenttaxcredit.Thenextyear,aspresidentofthereview,Iusheredintopublicationeven
moreesotericbusinessarticles-themoreuselessanddistantfromthelivesofrealhumanbeingsthe
better.Bythetimegraduationneared,myhorizonshadexpandedbeyondmywildestdreams,certainly
beyondDPWandhome.IhadnoideawhatelseIsmightwanttodowithmylawdegree,butwhenthe
offerscameinfrombiglawfirmsinthebigcities,IsawaticketoutofmyoldlifeandintoRealLife.
Surelythiswouldallleadsomewhere,somewhereI'dfeelathomeinmyownskin.
Afterayear'sjudicialclerkshipwhichwasboringandtediousandwherereallifedefinitelydidnot
begin--IwentontoWilmer,Cutler&PickeringinWashington.Ihadworkedthereforafewweeksthe
summeraftermysecondyearoflawschool,andalthoughIactuallyhadabettertimethenext
summer,whichIhadspentinNewYorkatCleary,Gottlieb,Steen&Hamilton,Iwassuspiciousofthat.
GoingbacktoCleary,whereI'dhadsomuchfunandhadfeltsowelcome,seemed,well,tooobviously
appealingtobetheproperchoice.Bewareofprettybaubles,Ithought.IguessedthatthereasonI'd
beenlonelyandignoredatWilmerwasthatthelawyerstherehadsuchrichpersonallivesthatthey
couldn'tbebotheredentertainingsummerassociates.ThatwaswhatIwantedformyself.
Wilmer,Cutler&PickeringisoneofthoseWashingtonlawfirmsthatmajorcorporationsturnto
whentheyareinreallybigtrouble.Theverynameevokessighsandreverentialmurmursfrom
knowledgeablelawyersofalltypes.Acorporatefirmof150stellarlawyers,Wilmerwasrenownedfor
takingoncomplicated,cutting-edgelitigationusuallyinvolvingpivotalmattersofpublicpolicy.To
supportthatkindofchallenge,thefirmhadthepolicyandunquestionedabilitytoleavenostone
unturnedinpursuingtheclient'sinterest.Noexpensewassparedeither,andtheychargedaccordingly.
Asaresult,theywerepayingthetopgoingratethatyearfornewlawassociates:fortythousand
dollarsayear-nearlythreetimesmysocialworksalary.OnmywayintotownIboughtmyfirstbrand-
new,store-boughtbedmattressincelebrationofmyluxuriousnewlifetocome,andmovedrightinto
anunbelievablygoodrentaldeal:Isharedafabuloussix-bedroomtownhousewithonlyoneother
womanfor$450amonth.Iwastednotimeinfulfillinganotherfantasybyregisteringforregular
facialsatTatyana'sSkinCareSalon,whosehand-letteredsigninthesecond-storywindowabovethe
healthfoodsstoreonPStreetattractedmeimmediately:Itlookedlikeasalonwithintegrity.
AtWilmerIwasassignedtothePIERgroup:productsliability,insurance,environmental,andother
regulation.Myfirsttaskwastoresearchtherulesandregulationsforfrozendairyproducts;Itoldmy
motherthatifI'dknownIcouldbedoingicecreamlaw,Imighthavegonetolawschoolsooner.My
otherworkinvolvedexactingresearchonminuteissuesofobscureenvironmentallaw.Itwasn't
alwaysasglamorousasitsounds.
Naturally,ItookituponmyselfimmediatelyuponarrivalatWilmertoorganizetheothernew
associates.Inaturallyassumedtheywereunhappyandneededmyattention.Igotthefirmtosponsor
aChristmaspartyatmynewhomewhicheasilyheldthehundredorsopeoplewhoattended.Ordering
enoughliquorhadbeenmyfirstpriority.Attheparty-atwhichIdidfeelasifRealLifehadbegun-a
partnertoldme,withoutanyparticularjudgmentoremphasis,"You'redrunk,andyouweredrunkthe
lasttimeIsawyou."
Ihadbeenwaitingforsomeonetonotice.Inowcouldnotgowithoutadrinkwithoutasmany
drinksasIcouldbeforepassingout-afterwork.Thatpartdidn'tfeellikereallife.Worse,sometimes
"afterwork"wasstillatwork,withthefirm'sfrequent"happyhours."Iwasterrifiedoftheimpending
consequences.Ihadmanagedtomoveforwardinmylife,jumpingfromicefloetoicefloewithout
seemingtofail,andIdidnotwanttohumiliatemyselfonthisjob.Itseemedtobemylastbestchance
tofind-oratleastinvent-myself.IhadnoPlanB.
InearlyFebruary1986Iquitdrinkingwiththefirmestresolveever,withtheintentionofdryingout
forsixmonthsandregainingsomecontrol.Withthatthelastapparentbarriertoreallifeeliminated,I
expectedgreatthings.
Instead,IgotTed.