In Memory of Kimberly

This post is a bit different from my usual post topics, but not really. It concerns an issue which I hope we can all agree is of paramount concern, that of our children's safety and well-being.

Recently I received an urgent "HEADS-UP" from a well known and respected conservative blogger asking if I would consider weighing-in on the subject of his recent post, "Court Order: 'Keep 10 Yards Away From All Kids' . TexasFred had sent this heads-up to conservatives who had joined his blogrolls, of which I was just one of countless others to receive this message, "You might want to drop a comment on this one ... I'd really appreciate it if you did ... TexasFred".

After having read the post, I felt I had to share my own family's experience. TexasFred did not know, but he had awakened terrible memories from years past, that I have only shared with a few people. I share them now with my faithful readers, in the hope that they will move others to take action on this most horrific and inhuman crime, being perpetrated against the most vulnerable in our society, our children.

It was February 09, 1978. I was only fifteen when it happened. A young innocent girl, only a child of twelve, was taken from her junior high school, in Lake City, Florida, by force, during the middle of the day, by one of this nation's most monstrous sexual predators, and infamous serial killers, Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy, only a few days before she was to be her school's "Valentine Princess".

The child's name was, Kimberly Diane Leach, Ted Bundy's last victim. No one ever saw Kimberly alive again after that tragic day. She never got to reign as "Valentine Princess". She never got to grow-up, to finish school, to fall in love, to get married, to have children of her own to love. She never got to do anything, ever again, because on that fateful day, she was abducted, raped repeatedly, and then monstrously murdered. Her throat was slit, and she was left naked and dead, in a pig's sty.

Many of my readers may remember her, most will certainly remember the monster, Ted Bundy, but few know of the pain and agony endured by her family and friends during and after the two months, it took before her body was finally discovered.

I know, because she was my cousin.

My father's favorite cousin was Kimberly's grandmother. I was nearly four years older than Kimberly, and her father had moved the family from Tennessee to Florida, so I never actually met her myself, but my father visited her grandmother often. They were first cousins, and I remember her very well. I KNEW Kimberly through her and through other family and friends, and I remember vividly the shock and devastation of the family when word came of her abduction. It was not known at first who had taken her or why, and hope was held out that she could still be alive. After her body was discovered the horrid details were made known. The nation soon knew the horrifying truth, the killer was none other than the monster, Ted Bundy. How could this have happened to such a sweet innocent young girl ? The family mourned this senseless act of unfathomable evil, and a nation wept with us. Ted Bundy was tried and convicted of Kimberly's murder. He was sentenced to death by electrocution on Florida's death row. This was his third death sentence, having already been tried and convicted for the brutal slayings of two other Florida girls, college students, whom Bundy had murdered only a short time before killing Kimberly. **While on death row, and awaiting his execution, at Raiford Prison, in Florida, Bundy was housed in the cell next to serial killer Ottis Toole, the suspected murderer of Adam Walsh,** another child who was abducted, and murdered by yet another sexual predator. Another innocent child who never got to grow-up, never got to do anything ever again, because some pedophile randomly chose him, abducted him from a crowded mall, and then sadistically took his innocence, and then his life.

** Wikipedia **

Kimberly was a bright loving child, with a warm radiant smile, and a beauty that was not only outward, but which radiated from an undeniable inner beauty as well. She was petite which made her appear even younger than her twelve years, and she was greatly loved by everyone who knew her. A bright student, at only twelve years of age, it was already very apparent that she possessed a very special talent for writing, poetry mostly, but writing in general as well. She could have been an accomplished writer or perhaps a brilliant journalist had she not have been taken from us, at such a tender age, by this sick, perverted, evil monster, Ted Bundy.

Kimberly's father was devastated by the tragic loss, and in the eight years of appeals by Bundy, Kimberly's father was diagnosed with cancer. He lived long enough to be a witness at the execution, and then, only a short time later, he joined his precious child in death. Only this past year, I spoke with Kimberly's Aunt about these tragic events, now so long passed, and she told me that it was this, the need to see his daughter's killer pay, that had kept her brother alive, but that after it was over, and Bundy had been executed, he felt only a small degree of closure, that could never fill the hole created in his heart by the loss of his cherished little girl. He died a short time after Bundy's execution.

At 7:06 a.m. local time on January 24, 1989, Ted Bundy was executed in the electric chair. His last words were, "I'd like you to give my love to my family and friends." Then, more than 2,000 volts were applied across his body for less than two minutes. He was pronounced dead at 7:16 a.m. ** Wikipedia **

In a very real sense, Kimberly's father was Bundy's last victim.

Once I had decided to share this with my readers, I searched the Internet for documentation and have posted a few of the archived records, most of which are taken from either Wikipedia, or from an interview with Bundy, done by James Dobson, just prior to Bundy's execution.

I would like to dedicate this post to the memory of this innocent child, my cousin, Kimberly Leach.

It is my intent and my heart's desire that somehow in the retelling of Kimberly's story, I can awaken people to the very real and present dangers out there awaiting our children.

Men like Ted Bundy, Ottis Toole, and countless others are out there, and they want to feed their evil appetites with our children. There are pedophiles, homosexuals, sexual deviants, sexual predators, perverts, of every stripe, out there, and as Ted Bundy himself points out in his interview with James Dobson, they start small, from soft porn, like this website in Seattle, Washington, (that TexasFred's post pointed-out), just planting a seed in their mind, then most often, to hardcore porn, then to a physical act, such as fondling, then to rape, before becoming the cold-blooded, evil, monsters you have just read about.

This is why, TexasFred is so very concerned and so angry over this man in California and his web site for pedophiles, in Seattle, Washington. It starts here, and where does it end ...... Kimberly ..... Adam ....... Jon Benet Ramsey ..... many more ..... to many to name .......

It's time we stood-up against sexual perversion targeting our children. Sexual predators and pedophiles feed their sadistic appetites, by preying on the most vulnerable and impressionable in our society, our children.

It's past time for us to stand up and say to the PC crowd;

"Sexual perversion is NOT a civil liberty."

NOTHING in our constitution guarantees you the right to prey upon children."

We stand united in our determination to see that this not happen to another, Kimberly, or Adam, or Jon Benet, or any one of our precious children, ever again.

We will, by ALL means necessary, fight you, and WE WILL (for the sake of the children) DEFEAT YOU !!

Read more of Kimberly's story, along with part of the last interview, done by James Dobson, with the monster who took her precious life, ......

Please read more below:

Theodore Robert 'Ted' Bundy (November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989) is one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history. Bundy raped and murdered scores of young women across the United States between 1974 and 1978. After more than a decade of vigorous denials, Bundy eventually confessed to thirty murders, although the actual total of victims remains unknown. Typically, Bundy would rape then murder his victims by bludgeoning, and sometimes by strangulation. He also engaged in necrophilia. ** Wikipedia **

Feb. 9, 1978: Kimberly Leach (12), kidnapped from her junior high school in Lake City, Florida. She was raped, murdered and discarded in Suwannee State Park.

** Wikipedia **

When Florida detectives begged Bundy to tell them where he'd dumped Kimberly Leach to give her family some peace, Bundy said "But I'm the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you'll ever meet."

The day before he killed Kimberly Leach, Bundy approached another young Florida girl pretending to be "Richard Burton, Fire Department," but left hurriedly after her older brother arrived."[75]

On February 9, 1978, Bundy traveled to Lake City, Florida. While there, he abducted, raped, and murdered 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, throwing her body under a small pig shed. She would be his final victim. On February 12, Bundy stole yet another Volkswagen Beetle and left Tallahassee for good, heading west across the Florida panhandle. On Feb. 15, 1978, shortly after 1 a.m., Bundy was stopped by Pensacola police officer David Lee. When the officer called in a check of the license plate, the vehicle came up as stolen. Bundy then scuffled with the officer before he was finally subdued. As Lee took the unknown suspect to jail, Bundy said "I wish you had killed me."[57] ** Wikipedia **

Kimberly's body was found two months later, hidden in a derelict pig sty. An examination of the van and her remains showed that she had been raped in the vehicle and then suffocated in the mud while Bundy assaulted her again. He had mutilated her body with a knife.

After the Chi Omega trial, Bundy was tried for the Kimberly Leach murder in 1980. He was again convicted on all counts, principally due to fibers found in his van that matched Leach's clothing[60] and an eyewitness that saw him leading Leach away from the school,[61] and sentenced to death. ** Wikipedia **

While awaiting execution in Raiford Prison, Bundy was housed in the cell next to serial killer Ottis Toole, the suspected murderer of Adam Walsh.[64] ** Wikipedia **

The night before Bundy was executed, he gave a television interview to James Dobson, head of the evangelical Christian organization Focus on the Family. During the interview, Bundy made repeated claims as to the pornographic "roots" of his crimes. He stated that, while pornography didn't cause him to commit murder, the consumption of violent pornography helped "shape and mold" his violence into "behavior too terrible to describe." He alleged that he felt that violence in the media, "particularly sexualized violence," sent boys "down the road to being Ted Bundys". ** Wikipedia **

In the same interview, Bundy stated:

"You are going to kill me, and that will protect society from me. But out there are many, many more people who are addicted to pornography, and you are doing nothing about that."[73]
According to Hagmaier, Bundy contemplated suicide in the days leading up to his execution, but eventually decided against it. ** Wikipedia **

At 7:06 a.m. local time on January 24, 1989, Ted Bundy was executed in the electric chair. His last words were, "I'd like you to give my love to my family and friends." Then, more than 2,000 volts were applied across his body for less than two minutes. He was pronounced dead at 7:16 a.m. *** Wikipedia ***

*** The James Dobson Interview ***

"Fatal Addiction": Ted Bundy's Final Interview

Link ...... http://www.pureintimacy.org/gr/intimacy/understanding/a0000082.cfm

JCD: Walk me through that. What was going on in your mind at that time?

Ted: Before we go any further, it is important to me that people believe what I’m saying. I’m not blaming pornography. I’m not saying it caused me to go out and do certain things. I take full responsibility for all the things that I’ve done. That’s not the question here. The issue is how this kind of literature contributed and helped mold and shape the kinds of violent behavior.

JCD: It fueled your fantasies.

Ted: In the beginning, it fuels this kind of thought process. Then, at a certain time, it is instrumental in crystallizing it, making it into something that is almost a separate entity inside.

JCD: You had gone about as far as you could go in your own fantasy life, with printed material, photos, videos, etc., and then there was the urge to take that step over to a physical event.

Ted: Once you become addicted to it, and I look at this as a kind of addiction, you look for more potent, more explicit, more graphic kinds of material. Like an addiction, you keep craving something which is harder and gives you a greater sense of excitement, until you reach the point where the pornography only goes so far - that jumping off point where you begin to think maybe actually doing it will give you that which is just beyond reading about it and looking at it.

JCD: How long did you stay at that point before you actually assaulted someone?

Ted: A couple of years. I was dealing with very strong inhibitions against criminal and violent behavior. That had been conditioned and bred into me from my neighborhood, environment, church, and schools. I knew it was wrong to think about it, and certainly, to do it was wrong. I was on the edge, and the last vestiges of restraint were being tested constantly, and assailed through the kind of fantasy life that was fueled, largely, by pornography.

JCD: Outside these walls, there are several hundred reporters that wanted to talk to you, and you asked me to come because you had something you wanted to say. You feel that hardcore pornography, and the door to it, soft core pornography, is doing untold damage to other people and causing other women to be abused and killed the way you did.

Ted: I’m no social scientist, and I don’t pretend to believe what John Q. Citizen thinks about this, but I’ve lived in prison for a long time now, and I’ve met a lot of men who were motivated to commit violence. Without exception, every one of them was deeply involved in pornography - deeply consumed by the addiction. The F.B.I.’s own study on serial homicide shows that the most common interest among serial killers is pornographers. It’s true.

JCD: One of the final murders you committed was 12-year-old Kimberly Leach. I think the public outcry is greater there because an innocent child was taken from a playground. What did you feel after that? Were they the normal emotions after that?

Ted: I can't really talk about that right now. It’s too painful. I would like to be able to convey to you what that experience is like, but I won't be able to talk about that. I can't begin to understand the pain that the parents of these children and young women that I have harmed feel. And I can't restore much to them, if anything. I won't pretend to, and I don't even expect them to forgive me. I'm not asking for it. That kind of forgiveness is of God; if they have it, they have it, and if they don't, maybe they'll find it someday.

*** TED BUNDY WAS POMPOUS AND UNREMORSEFUL TO THE END ***

At 7:06 a.m. local time on January 24, 1989, Ted Bundy was executed in the electric chair. His last words were, "I'd like you to give my love to my family and friends." Then, more than 2,000 volts were applied across his body for less than two minutes. He was pronounced dead at 7:16 a.m. ** Wikipedia **