by John Browne
So what do you think of the Task Force? What do you know about it? Is it chasing its tail? Is it disorganized? Does it have competent people? Is it well run? Would the people there resent or reject out-of-hand my offer of information and assistance?
There are a number of reasons why I offer my help to the Task Force at this time (please go ahead and read the letter I have written to them, by the way, and it may give you a better understanding of what I am doing.) Basically, though, the case fascinates me and challenges me. I would like to figure out what makes the Green River guy tick, and I figure I have as good a chance of doing that as anyone on the Task Force. And I also think that the time seems right in some inexplicable sort of way, and I find myself saying, quote, “Why not put some of your knowledge and unique perspective to use. It could be interesting.”
I don’t fancy myself playing detective, but I will bet I can play the man or men they are looking for better than any of them.
Please let me know you received this and what, if anything, happened when you passed it along.
Thank you for your help. Take care of yourself.
Peace.
Ted
P.S. And remember, you can arrange to reach me by phone, if you wish.
October 15, 1984
Dear Task Force Members,
On October 1, 1984, I wrote a letter to you and sent it via a superior court judge in Tacoma. I asked the judge to give me some kind of indication that he would—he had received and forwarded that letter to you.
During the intervening two weeks, I have heard nothing from the judge or you. I don’t know what the problem is, or even if there is a problem, but I thought I had better try another means of contacting you in case, for whatever reason, the first failed.
Therefore, I send this letter through John Henry Browne, a Seattle criminal defense attorney, who I know and trust.
I must admit that I am being cautious in approaching you. It would not look good to my fellow prisoners if it became known that I offered to help and provide information for your investigation.
This is one reason I do not want to let it be known that I am writing you.
Mail passes through many hands before it leaves this place, and there are too many curious minds for me to address a letter to you directly.
A broader concern of mine is that my offer of information and whatever other assistance you determine I can provide not be made known outside the Task Force, especially not to the news media, in part because of the reason I stated above, and in part because such publicity could hamper your investigation in some way.
Okay, with that in mind, I will tell you, as I told you in my other letter, that I have information which I believe would be useful to your investigation. I have a unique perspective on the Green River case, which, while I may not provide you with anything you haven’t thought of before, may cause you to refocus and read re-examine [sic] things you may have neglected or dismissed for some reason or another.
Let me explain how I came to realize I had something of value to offer you at this late date.
While I gather that the Green River matter has been a source of concern in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of years or so, news of these murders did not begin to filter down to this far corner of the country until maybe a year ago, as far as I can recall. Even then, news accounts here were infrequent and very brief. I am sure the news coverage here was microscopic compared to what has been seen in the Seattle Tacoma area.
Not having access to regular, detailed, and comprehensive news coverage, I did not have an opportunity to gain any kind of feel for the Green River situation. I had no basis for developing any ideas or insights. I had no reason to go out of my way to learn more about the cases. There were other things on my mind.
Then 2 to 3 months ago, I began receiving a local newspaper from Tacoma. It was the first time in over five years I have received a daily newspaper from the Northwest. It was about a month ago that I got my first real taste of the local coverage of the Green River investigation when the body of a woman, believed to be linked to the Green River cases, was discovered in a remote area of Pierce County.
The news coverage of that discovery, and subsequent and related articles were something of a revelation. I got a feel for what was happening, albeit tentative, and was based on pitifully few facts. But I know your man in a way that facts alone cannot accomplish.
I do not know his face, but I have some pretty good ideas on where you can look to see him for yourselves. There are many reasons why I want to see if I can be of some help to you. I won’t claim some noble, civic-minded motivation. Basically, the case has really begun to intrigue me. But I am sure it intrigues lots of people. The difference is I have knowledge and a point of view to add to your case investigation like no one else does.
I may simply have reached the point where I realized I have something of value and the chance to use it productively.
I would like your assurance that this letter, and any other communications we may have, will be kept strictly confidential and that no one outside the Task Force will be made aware of what I have said here or will say should we enter into a dialogue.
If you wish to communicate with me by mail, please do so by sending a letter through a prosecutor, lawyer or a judge that is clearly marked, “legal mail.” Such mail is opened in my presence and not read. Other mail is opened in the mailroom and may be read.
If you would rather send someone to talk with me, I would welcome the opportunity. Eventually, I think you stand to gain more if you meet with me personally. If you do decide to send someone to Florida, I suggest that you have someone from a local office of the FBI help you gain entrance to the prison without divulging the exact reason for your visit.
Well, there you have it. I have no way of knowing if you need or want anything I have to offer. All I can do is let you know I am willing to help any way I can. The rest is up to you.
Good luck.
Sincerely,
Ted Bundy
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I began writing this memoir seven years ago on the too-few vacations I spent at my house in Mexico. I’d bring my first-generation Apple laptop—which I still use—along with boxes of notes, letters, photos, and newspaper articles. After five years of struggling to write about my experiences with Ted Bundy, my recollections seemed finished, at least as far as I was concerned, since I never imagined my story would be published. But after a few new high-profile cases and after word got out that I’d been working on a memoir, CBS News producers Paul LaRosa and Susan “Z” Zirinsky and 48 Hours host Peter Van Sant expressed great interest, and these very kind and busy people took time to read my story. Peter and Z agreed to support and promote the memoir, but not until it was better organized and written.
Then the real blessing: James Ross Gardner, now editor in chief of Seattle Met magazine. James had written a profile of me for Seattle Met (“The Law and John Henry !*@#ing Browne”) and later agreed to help with the manuscript. Well help he did. If there is any literary value to this book, it’s James’s doing. He put months into making this interesting and readable. He is a true craftsman, and a better friend would be hard to imagine. Thanks again, JRG.
Z introduced me to agent Frank Weimann, and he and I hit it off. A man of few words but great wisdom, Frank truly believed in the project. Fate and Frank worked in tandem when the latter struck a contract with Chicago Review Press, and our team was blessed with the addition of editor Yuval Taylor. I was warned that editors were brutal, frank, and demanding. True, but Yuval was always supportive, and the finished book is much better because of him.
Lance Rosen is a well-respected entertainment lawyer whose early encouragement for this project was seemingly limitless. He has taught me so much, mostly how to listen. He’s now one of my best friends, and we continue to deepen that friendship as we explore possible spin-off projects.
Others in the literary and entertainment field who provided support and important criticism
include Kany Levine, the late Ann Rule, Jeff Benedict, Kristin Hanna, and Dustin Lance Black.
My long, strange trip began, of course, with my birth family, all now deceased but never dead to me. My mother, Helen, beautiful inside and out, always told me I could be successful at whatever my path was—as long as I stayed on the path. She was unconditional love embodied. My sister, Bonnie, who struggled through life with mental illness, loved me deeply and had a laugh that shook the roof. We moved around so much as children that we were by default each other’s best friends. My niece Stephanie Kirkland and her two kids were there for me when my parents and sister we very ill. And of course my father, Harry, a very complicated man who only learned late in life it was not a weakness to show your love, was wise beyond belief and supportive of me—even though he always wanted me to live an easier life. I miss him every day.
The true gifts in my life, my sons Eli and Matt, taught me the most important lesson of all, patience. I am so proud that both are often referred to as the kindest young men imaginable. I never planned on being a dad, but what a gift it has been. I love them dearly.
Most recently there’s my own, true “hard-headed woman,” whose own ostensible contradictions—she’s a former Ralph Lauren model who can skin a deer—has helped me understand mine and turn my nagging insecurities into minor issues. And for that I’m ever grateful.
Special thanks and gratitude for my lost loves, Deborah Beeler, Ann “Punky” Babson, and the entire Audrey Hillman family. They all offered so much, even when I gave back too little.
Thank you to the loving friends who changed my life forever. My true soul mate was Keith Hansen, and I’m grateful to his wife Susan and their kids Mike and Kati. After Keith passed, his cousin John took his place as my best friend, and then he too passed. My teacher Richard Moss taught me about the sacred nature of life, and I met many friends on that path, particularly Barbara “Beau” Taylor—a more beautiful soul you will never meet. Sylvia Mathews and I were on the same path for years, and she saved my life more than once. Richard Miller, the caretaker of a sacred place, Wilber Hot Springs, also introduced me to the beauty of sobriety. I’m also grateful to the late Betty Ford for obvious reasons. Dan Crystal started as my shrink and remains my shrink and a true friend. Thank you forever to my fellow travelers in the Crystal Palace Guard: Chris, Michael, Willie, Buz, and Jeff.
Others have have stuck with me through many ups and downs, always with love and care, especially Lorie Hutt and her husband, Rick. I just don’t know what negative path I would have gone down without Lorie, my office manager and life manager. She is, simply put, a saint. Thanks also to Allen Ressler, and to former and current members of my staff: Emma Scanlan, Colleen Hartl, Michael Lee, and Susan Gilpen. I get the credit; they do the work.
I’m indebted to my teachers of the law: Warren Wolfson and his wife Joanne, Sherman Magidson, Skip Andrew, and my first and only true boss, Don Horowitz.
I would not have stuck with the law without the inspiration and courage of many judges and even prosecutors who practiced compassion as well as punishment: Judges John C. Coughenour, William Downing, Robert Lasnik, Ricardo Martinez, Jeffrey Miller, Marsha Pechman, C. Z. Smith, and my beloved William O. Douglas (who I was proud to know); and prosecutors Jeff Baird, Hugh Barber, Tim Bradshaw, Vince Lombardi (grandson of the famous football coach), Norm Maleng, Dan Satterberg, Frank Jenny, and Sarah Vogel.
Finally, I am grateful for the inspiration of Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, Rumi, Ram Dass, Van Morrison, Bruce Cockburn, and others who have filled my life with music, metaphysics, and beauty. You too, Uncle Pat.
INDEX
ABC News, 48
Acheson, Eldie, 46
Ackerman, William “Willie,” 56
Agnew, Spiro, 49, 50–53
Aiesi, Matthew, 196, 197–198, 204, 208
Aime, Laura, 8
Alikozai, Afghanistan, 199
American University, 44, 61
Andrew, Skip, 67
Aspen, Colorado, 10
Atomic Energy Commission, 23
Auchincloss, Eve, 46
Austin-Healey Le Mans, 28–29
Babson, Anne “Punky,” 30, 56
Bales, Kari, 203, 205
Bales, Robert, 195, 198–202, 204–207, 213–214, 220
Ball, Brenda, 7, 8, 83
Barefoot Bandit. See Harris-Moore, Colton
battered woman syndrome, 164
Beck, Chris, 150, 181
Beeler, Deborah, 56–57, 60, 61–62, 64, 215
Bellevue Police Department, 121–122
Black Prisoners Forum Unlimited, 76
Bonnie (girlfriend), 29
Boone, Carole Ann, 105, 169–171, 228, 232
Brad (friend), 62, 63–64
Brightsen, Arnt, 21–22
Brightsen, Helen. See Browne, Helen Brightsen (mother)
Brinker, Brittany, 196, 197, 204, 208
Brown, Aaron, 175
Browne, Bonnie (sister), 22
Browne, Harry (father), 21, 22–26, 28–29, 33, 34, 61, 135
Browne, Helen Brightsen (mother), 21–23
Browne, John Henry
arrests and encounters with law enforcement of, 41–42, 63
birth of, 23
Bundy’s letters to, 223–233
childhood of, 24–26
college years of, 33
drug use by, 63–64, 124–125, 155–156
employments of, 27, 28, 45–46, 47
fellowship experiences of, 65–66
high school years of, 26–32
military induction of, 39–40
motivation of, 178
move to Washington, DC by, 43–45
musical endeavors of, 36–37, 37, 158
prison system research of, 74–77
at rehabilitation retreat, 156–159
on Robert Bales, 213–214
rumors about, 119
self-reflection by, 215–220
Bud (inmate), 76
Bundy, Theodore Robert “Ted,” 225–227
confessed murders to JHB by, 82–83
death penalty and, 81–82, 92, 99, 103, 175
Deborah Beeler and, 215
execution of, 174–175
extradition and, 82, 84, 88–90
Florida trial of, 109–110, 116–118
JHB’s last contact with, 171–173
letters from, 87–91, 94–95, 107–108, 223–236
on media reports, 90–91, 228–229
meetings with, 14–19, 81–84, 91–92, 101–102, 105
plea bargains for, 103–107
police stop of, 10–11
prison escapes by, 91, 96–97, 100–101
relocation to Florida by, 99–100
request to JHB for representation, 223–225
revelations made by, 111–116
use of alcohol by, 113–114
Burien, Washington, 7
Calley, William, 214
Camano Island, Washington, 185, 187, 188–189, 190
Cameron, Don, 133
Campbell, Caryn, 10, 81, 90
Campbell, Joseph, 157
Center for Constitutional Rights, 63
Central Washington State College, 7
Chester (detained banker), 50
Chi Omega sorority house, 100
Chicago, Illinois
corruption in, 68–70
favorite places in, 71
Chin, Wai, 130, 132, 140, 142–144
Churchill, Vickie, 191, 192
Circle, the, 181, 182
City Lights (bookstore), 27
cocaine use, 124–125
Congress for Racial Equality (CORE), 34
corruption
in Chicago, 68–70
in Wenatchee Witch Hunt, 181–184, 220
Cowart, Edward, 105, 107, 110, 117
Crystal Palace Guard (band), 36, 37, 56
CSI effect, 179
DaRonch, Carol, 8–9, 11, 17
Dawud, Masuma, 201
Dawud, Mohamed, 201
de Grassi, Alex, 56
death penalty
JHB’s attitude toward, 56, 61, 62, 66–67, 202
jury selection and, 148–149, 150
military justice system and, 211–212
phases of cases involving, 150–151
Ted Bundy and, 81–82, 92, 99, 103, 175
Dobson, James, 174
Dolores (client), 120
Doors, the, 37
Douglas, Cathy, 51
Douglas, William O., 51–52
Downing, William, 132, 139, 140, 142–143, 145
Dunn, Roger, 14
embassy parties, 46
Eros magazine, 27
Evergreen State College (Olympia, Washington), 6
Family Dog, The (venue), 36–37
Farmer, Millard, 103–104, 105, 106
Fashion Place Mall, Salt Lake Valley, Utah, 8
Father Ray, 60
Fergerson, Duke, 121–124
Ferlinghetti , Lawrence, 27
Flame Tavern, 83
Foothill Community College, 30
Ford, Gerald, 51–52
Ford Foundation fellowship, 65–67
Freeman, George, 120
Friday Harbor, Washington, 189
Friel, Bob, 185–186
Furman v. Georgia (1972), 80
Gilmore, Gary, 79–81
Ginsberg, Allen, 27
Godfrey, Rich, 31
Godwin, David, 198
Goostree, Robert, 44–45
Grant, Tom, 181
Grateful Dead, 28
Green Hill School, 188
Green River Killer. See Ridgway, Gary
Green River Task Force, 171, 172, 173–174, 232–235
Gregg v. Georgia (1976), 80
Griffin Home, 188, 192
Gruver, William, 120
guns, 29
Hamilton, J. W., 164
Hanson, Stewart, 17, 18
Harris-Moore, Colton, 185–194, 220
Hawkins, Georgeann, 7, 83
Hayward, Robert, 10
Healy, Lynda Ann, 6, 8, 83
Helm, Chet, 36
Hendrix, Al, 120–121
Hendrix, Jimi, 38–39