Ted Bundy Proved to Be Guilty by 3 Tells, According to Expert

Ted Bundy couldn’t hide his guilt, according to body language experts who analyzed an interview with the infamous killer and recurring film subject from 1977. The chat stems from the period he was arrested and convicted for kidnapping, awaiting his murder trial.

According to Unilad, the details spring from a Discovery+UK documentary titled Ted Bundy: A Faking It Special. Expert Cliff Lansley notes the gestures that undermine Bundy’s claims that he is innocent.

As Lansley lays out, Bundy’s tendency to close his eyes while talking is the first indicator. It allows the infamous killer to “distance” himself from his word and attempt to make them more convincing.

Next, he points out Bundy’s shoulder shrugs, one-sided, show “leakage,” and reveal his shell game a bit. “This is a partial expression – leakage – of the full expression of ‘I have no idea what I’m talking about,” he says.

The third, and most damning, is Bundy’s head shake “no,” something which would come into play during his later interrogations and interviews when he discusses his killings. He almost whispers to the investigator, seemingly ashamed of the brutality.

“When you’re saying something affirmative, but your body is leaking something in the negative, you can trust the body. Because most of these body signals are below consciousness,” Lansley says. “What gives us a clue is a few seconds further on we get this stare right down the camera lens. I think he knows he’s slipped up; this camera check is a semi-conscious check-in of his audience to see if he’s getting away with it.”

And he didn’t, though it would still be some time before he was locked up for good. Bundy would escape from custody in 1977, ending up in Florida by January 1978, committing the brutal attacks at the FSU Chi Omega sorority house and then eventually entering custody again by mid-February.

Bundy was eventually found guilty of murder, with three death sentences. And despite his demeanor, Lansley could tell from the clips that Bundy was under the pressure of his crimes. This would also play out later in court when he was finally found guilty and he lashed out at the court. Ted Bundy: A Faking It Special is currently streaming on Discovery+UK and will hopefully see a stateside release soon enough.