which serial killer acted as their own attorney

Can serial killers sign their own death warrant?

Oct 27, 2021 · The serial killer Ted Bundy acted as his own attorney at trial and can be seen here cross-examining a witness. AP hide caption

Why do criminals act as their own lawyers?

May 07, 2019 · Ted Bundy Acting As His Own Lawyer Made For a Sadistic Show During His Murder Trials Netflix's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile only told part of the story. By Gabrielle Bruney

Who are the most famous pro se defendants?

Nov 30, 2016 · Colin Ferguson, who acted as his own lawyer in his murder trial, makes a point while cross examining witness Kevin Zaleskie in 1995.

How did Ted Bundy's education help him become a serial killer?

Jul 14, 2020 · Bundy acted as his own lawyer Bundy was soon extradited to Colorado to be tried for killing 23-year-old nurse Caryn Campbell. There, he decided to use his legal know-how and act as his own lawyer.

Who was the psychiatrist who killed 13 people?

Former Major Nidal Hasan was a United States Army Medical Corps psychiatrist who admitted to killing 13 people and injuring more than 30 others in the Fort Hood mass shooting in 2009. Hasan decided to represent himself at trial which would allow him to question the soldiers he injured during the attack.

Who killed six people in New York?

Photo credit: New York State Department of Correctional Services. Mass murderer Colin Ferguson was responsible for killing six people and injuring 19 others at the Merillon Avenue station in Garden City, New York, in 1993.

What is Rodney Alcala's IQ?

With an IQ of 170, serial killer Rodney Alcala (aka “ The Dating Game Killer”) believed that he was smart enough to convince a jury of his innocence. In the 1970s, he appeared on a dating game show during his twisted killing spree that took the lives of at least eight female victims.

How many people did John Allen Muhammad kill?

Photo credit: nbcwashington.com. John Allen Muhammad and his 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, killed 10 people and wounded several others in the 2002 DC sniper attacks. During the eight-month killing spree, Muhammad left notes for the police at the crime scenes.

When did Ted Bundy go to law school?

In 1973, serial killer Ted Bundy was accepted into law school at the University of Utah based on strong letters of recommendation from his psychology professors. Six years later, he would act as his own defense attorney when he was accused of multiple murders.

Who killed Tracey Campbell?

In 1984, William Richard Bradford murdered his 15-year-old neighbor, Tracey Campbell, and barmaid Shari Miller. Bradford lured both women to their deaths by claiming to be a professional photographer who could help with their modeling portfolios. He strangled them to death and dumped the bodies.

What gun did Ferguson use?

When the train pulled into the station, Ferguson began firing at the other passengers with a Ruger P89 9mm pistol as he calmly walked down the aisle. Ferguson, a well-educated Jamaican immigrant, claimed that an unidentified white man was behind the shootings and had escaped.

How many murders did Bundy commit?

Though he would later admit to 30 murders, Bundy was convicted of just three killings in two separate Florida trials: a 1979 trial for his attack on four college students at Florida State University’s Chi Omega sorority house, and the 1980 trial for the murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach. Events from both trials were condensed into one court case ...

When was Ted Bundy tried?

May 6, 2019. Getty/Netflix. Though he had a constitutional right to representation, Ted Bundy—the pathologically controlling serial killer and former law student—was determined to steer his own defense when he was inevitably tried for his many crimes in 1970 and 1980. These trials were at the heart of Netflix’s new film, Extremely Wicked, ...

Who plays Bundy in Extremely Wicked?

Bundy hadn’t even finished law school, and his hubris in thinking himself qualified to act as an attorney would cost him his life. Zac Efron plays Bundy in Netflix's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Brian DouglasNetflix.

Did Bundy plead guilty to the Chi Omega murders?

While in the Netflix film, Bundy (played by Zac Efron) was adamantly opposed to pleading guilty, the real killer briefly considered a plea deal for the Chi Omega killings. The Extremely Wicked director also helmed the documentary Confessions of a Killer in which Bundy’s former lawyer Michael Minerva said that Bundy initially agreed to plead guilty in exchange for life imprisonment rather than risk the death penalty at trial. But when he arrived in court, ostensibly to plead guilty and save his own life, Bundy instead launched into a pompous speech.

Who was the psychiatrist who killed 13 people?

Nidal Hasan was an Army major responsible for the worst mass murder at a military installation in US history. The psychiatrist killed 13 people in a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009.

When was Bundy executed?

He was ultimately sentenced to death and executed in Florida’s electric chair in 1989. According to one of his lawyers from a previous trial, Polly Nelson, Bundy “sabotaged the entire defence effort out of spite, distrust, and grandiose delusion.”.

Who was Colin Ferguson?

Colin Ferguson, who acted as his own lawyer in his murder trial, makes a point while cross examining witness Kevin Zaleskie in 1995. Source:AP. Colin Ferguson, who opened fire with a Ruger P-89 9mm pistol on a commuter train and murdered six people and injured 19 others, opted for self-defence in court.

How many women did Ted Bundy kill?

Source:News Corp Australia. One of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century, Ted Bundy confessed to murdering 36 women in the 1960s and 70s in multiple US states. Exactly how many people he killed will never be known.

How many women did Ted Bundy kill?

And his college-boy persona fooled not only his victims, but authorities as well. Ted Bundy brutally murdered at least 30 women and girls in the 1970s. But because he was a college graduate who was studying law, he initially escaped intense official scrutiny as he didn't fit into people's preconceived ideas of a serial killer.

When did Bundy escape?

Bundy escaped again on December 30, 1977. This time he made it to Florida, where he took the lives of two college students and one 12-year-old, as well as severely injuring three other women, before being arrested once more. When put on trial in Florida, Bundy again defended himself.

What car did Ted Bundy drive?

Bundy resembled the composite sketch circulated by authorities and the suspect was alleged to drive a Volkswagen Beetle, matching his car. These similarities, and the shared name of "Ted," made a few people around Bundy suspicious enough to reach out to the police about him.

How did Bundy die?

On January 24, 1989, he was put to death by electric chair. In 1979, the judge who'd handed Bundy a death sentence made the comment, "It's a tragedy for this court to see such a total waste, I think, of humanity that I have experienced in this court. You're a bright young man.

Why did Bundy jump from the library?

Because he was representing himself, officials gave Bundy access to the law library. But when sent to the library during a pretrial hearing in June 1977, he managed to jump from an open window and escape. Though Bundy was recaptured after eight days, the people guarding him didn't learn from the experience.