Wicked Attraction

Narrator: ON JUNE 12, 1980,

THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT

RECEIVES A DISTURBING CALL.

WHILE PICKING UP TRASH ALONG A FREEWAY RAMP,

A HIGHWAY WORKER FINDS THE BODIES OF TWO YOUNG GIRLS.

Orozco: THEY WERE BOTH SEMINUDE, HIDDEN UNDER SOME BRUSH,

BUT YOU COULD SEE THEM FROM THE ROADWAY.

Narrator: THEY BOTH APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN SHOT IN THE HEAD.

Orozco: THERE WASN'T A LOT OF BLOOD AT THE CRIME SCENE,

WHICH INDICATED THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY KILLED SOMEWHERE ELSE...

...AND THEN BROUGHT HERE AND DUMPED.

Narrator: POLICE SCOUR THE AREA

BUT FIND NO EVIDENCE THAT IDENTIFIES THE VICTIMS

OR THEIR KILLER.

THE TWO VICTIMS, THEY WERE YOUNG.

THEY WERE MINORS.

AND SO A CHECK WAS MADE ON POSSIBLE RUNAWAYS, MISSINGS,

AND THROUGH THAT PROCESS,

IT WAS FOUND THAT THEY WERE BOTH RUNAWAYS

FROM THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH.

Narrator: THEY ARE IDENTIFIED AS STEPSISTERS,

16-YEAR-OLD CINDY CHANDLER AND 15-YEAR-OLD GINA MARANO.

POLICE ARE SURPRISED BY THE VIOLENCE OF THE CRIME.

Orozco: THERE WAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS BECAUSE OF THEIR AGE,

THE METHOD OF HOW THEY WERE KILLED,

AND THE ISOLATION AREA WHERE THEY WERE DUMPED.

Narrator: GINA WAS SHOT TWICE IN THE HEAD.

THE CORONER RECOVERS TWO .25-CALIBER BULLETS

FROM CINDY CHANDLER'S SKULL AND CHEST

AND REVEALS SHE HAS BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.

INVESTIGATORS QUESTION FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF THE GIRLS

AND LEARN THEY FREQUENTLY RAN AWAY FROM HOME.

WITH NO OTHER LEADS,

POLICE FOCUS ON THE BULLETS AND TRY TO IDENTIFY THE GUN.

WE ASKED, THROUGH THE STATE, ALL REGISTERED OWNERS

OF THE .25-CALIBER WEAPON WE'RE LOOKING FOR,

AND IT WAS A HORRENDOUS LIST.

Narrator: TWO DAYS LATER, ON JUNE 14th,

LAPD GETS ANOTHER STRANGE CALL.

A WOMAN CLAIMS

THAT HER BOYFRIEND IS BRAGGING ABOUT KILLING THE STEPSISTERS

AND WANTS TO CONFIRM THE DETAILS HE TOLD HER.

Orozco: BUT THERE WAS NO EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION,

SO SHE, OUT OF FRUSTRATION, JUST HUNG UP.

Narrator: CAROL BUNDY SEEMED TO BE DOOMED FROM THE START.

BORN IN 1943, SHE WAS RAISED IN LOS ANGELES.

SHE HAD A TERRIBLE CHILDHOOD,

AND BOTH PARENTS WERE ABUSIVE ALCOHOLICS.

CAROL WAS REGULARLY PUNISHED VERY, VERY BADLY,

VERY SEVERELY BEATEN, AND REJECTED BY HER MOTHER.

Narrator: WHEN CAROL WAS 14 YEARS OLD,

HER MOTHER DIED FROM A HEART ATTACK.

Farr: THAT SAME NIGHT,

CAROL'S FATHER TOOK HER INTO HIS BED

AND SAID THAT SHE HAD TO TAKE OVER NOW FOR HER MOTHER.

HER FATHER CROSSED BOUNDARIES

AND SORT OF SET HER WORLD INTO A WHOLE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

Narrator: AFTER HER FATHER REMARRIED A YEAR LATER,

CAROL WENT TO A SERIES OF FOSTER HOMES,

AND HER EYESIGHT STARTED TO FAIL.

SHE BECAME VERY, VERY PROMISCUOUS IN HIGH SCHOOL

AS A WAY TO GET ATTENTION

AND TO MAKE HERSELF FEEL LOVED BY MEN,

AND BASICALLY THAT BECAME HER SENSE OF IDENTITY.

CAROL BUNDY SEEMED TO BE ATTRACTED TO MEN

WHO SHE THOUGHT WOULD BE SORT OF HEROIC FOR HER,

WHO WOULD TAKE HER OUT OF HER LIFE AND RESCUE HER

AND THEN PROVIDE A VERY STRONG MODEL FOR HER.

SHE JUST ENJOYED THE FEELING

THAT THESE MEN COULD TAKE CHARGE.

Narrator: IN 1970, CAROL, ALREADY DIVORCED,

MARRIED HER SECOND HUSBAND IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

SHE WORKED AS A NURSE UNTIL HER VISION DETERIORATED

AND HAD TO RESIGN.

AFTER NINE YEARS,

CAROL'S HUSBAND BECAME PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE.

SHE LEFT AND MOVED INTO A SHELTER FOR BATTERED WOMEN.

Farr: CAROL PUT A GLOSS ON IT

THE WAY SHE PUT A GLOSS ON ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.

SHE MANAGED TO IDEALIZE THE MOST UNPLEASANT SITUATIONS.

SHE WOULD MAKE EXCUSES FOR EVERYBODY

AND COULD NEVER REALLY SEE REALITY.

THE VISION PROBLEMS

ALMOST BECAME SYMBOLIC OF HER EMOTIONAL BLINDNESS.

Narrator: IN JANUARY 1979,

CAROL BUNDY MOVED INTO A LOS ANGELES APARTMENT COMPLEX.

SHE SOON FELL FOR THE BUILDING'S MARRIED MANAGER, JACK MURRAY.

Farr: JACK WAS CHARISMATIC.

HE WAS A SINGER

AT THE LITTLE NASHVILLE COUNTRY-AND-WESTERN CLUB,

AND HE HAD SCORES OF WOMEN WHO ADMIRED HIM GREATLY

AND NOT NECESSARILY FROM AFAR.

HE WAS MARRIED.

HE HAD TWO BEAUTIFUL LITTLE CHILDREN.

AND CAROL WAS DETERMINED TO GET HIM AWAY FROM HIS WIFE.

Narrator: IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE CAROL AND JACK BECAME LOVERS.

Farr: JACK TOOK HER TO A DOCTOR

SO THAT SHE COULD GET HER VISION CHECKED.

SHE FOUND OUT THAT SHE WAS NOT AS BLIND AS SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS,

THAT HER VISION COULD BE SOMEWHAT CORRECTED,

AND THAT WITH GLASSES, THE PROPER EYEGLASSES,

SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO RETURN TO WORK.

Narrator: CAROL WAS EVENTUALLY HIRED AS A VOCATIONAL NURSE

AT A NEARBY HOSPITAL

AND CONTINUED HER AFFAIR WITH JACK.

Farr: HE USED HER SEXUALLY.

HE PRETENDED THAT HE WOULD LEAVE HIS WIFE FOR HER.

SHE STUPIDLY GAVE HIM ACCESS TO HER SAFETY-DEPOSIT BOX,

AND HE TOOK QUITE A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM HER.

AND CAROL, OF COURSE, WAS VERY ANGRY AND BETRAYED.

Narrator: AFTER A YEAR OF WAITING,

SHE PLEADED WITH JACK TO GET DIVORCED.

WHEN HE REFUSED, CAROL TRIED TO BRIBE HIS WIFE,

OFFERING HER $1,500 TO LEAVE HIM.

Farr: JACK EXPLODED, ABSOLUTELY EXPLODED,

AND ORDERED HER OFF THE PROPERTY IMMEDIATELY

WHEN HE FOUND OUT THAT CAROL HAD MADE THIS OFFER,

PAYING HER OFF WITH $1,500.

Narrator: ON DECEMBER 28, 1979,

CAROL WENT TO THE BAR WHERE JACK PERFORMED.

SHE INSTANTLY BECAME INFATUATED WITH A MAN NAMED DOUG CLARK.

Ramsland: SHE, IN FACT, WAS AN EASY PREY, AN EASY TARGET,

BECAUSE SHE WAS SUCH A CONFUSED, NEEDY INDIVIDUAL

WITH SUCH LOW SELF-ESTEEM THAT SHE WAS EASY TO MANIPULATE.

Farr: HE ZEROED IN AND ASKED HER TO DANCE,

AND CAROL WAS IMMEDIATELY SMITTEN.

HE JUST KIND OF MURMURED IN HER EAR.

SHE THOUGHT HE WAS INTELLIGENT. HE WAS NICELY DRESSED.

AND SHE THOUGHT PERHAPS THIS WAS FINALLY THE MAN OF HER DREAMS.

Narrator: IN JUNE 1980,

LOS ANGELES POLICE INVESTIGATING THE GRUESOME MURDER

OF TWO TEENAGE RUNAWAYS

RECEIVE A CALL FROM A WOMAN

CLAIMING HER BOYFRIEND MIGHT BE THEIR KILLER.

CAROL BUNDY THOUGHT SHE MET THE PERFECT MAN

WHEN SHE MET DOUG CLARK.

DOUG WAS GRANDIOSE. HE WAS FULL OF HIMSELF.

HE WAS A BRAGGART.

HE WOULD IMPRESS WOMEN

BY SPRINKLING FRENCH PHRASES THROUGHOUT HIS CONVERSATION

AND TALKING ABOUT HIS TRAVELS.

HE WAS ALWAYS SO FULL OF HIMSELF,

BUT IT WORKED ON THE WOMEN THAT HE WAS PREYING UPON.

HE KNEW TO CHOOSE LONELY WOMEN.

HE HAD AN INSTINCT FOR THAT.

Narrator: DOUG CLARK GREW UP IN A MILITARY FAMILY

THAT MOVED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

HE OFTEN HAD NO REAL SUPERVISION,

NO SENSE OF ROLE MODELS.

HE WAS KIND OF A SLACKER IN SCHOOL.

HE WAS CLEVER, AND HE WAS SMART,

BUT HE TRIED MERELY GETTING AWAY

WITH AS LITTLE EFFORT AS POSSIBLE.

HE WAS INITIATED INTO SEXUAL THINGS

WHEN HE WAS FAIRLY YOUNG

AND ESPECIALLY INTO DEVIANT THINGS.

Farr: THERE WAS AN INCIDENT... OR A COUPLE OF INCIDENTS...

IN HIS CHILDHOOD

WHERE HIS MOTHER CAUGHT HIM WEARING HER UNDERWEAR

OR HIS SISTER'S UNDERWEAR.

Narrator: IN HIGH SCHOOL, DOUG WAS POPULAR WITH THE GIRLS.

DOUG TOLD ME HE HAD THIS TASTE FOR KINKY SEX,

WHICH IS A LITTLE UNUSUAL IN A HIGH-SCHOOL BOY, I THINK,

WHO WOULD TAKE THE TROUBLE

TO SET UP A TAPE RECORDER UNDERNEATH THE BED

AND RECORD HIS AMOROUS LIAISONS

AND PLAY THEM BACK FOR HIS FRIENDS LATER ON.

Narrator: DOUG'S FETISHES SOON ESCALATED

TO ROLE-PLAYING, SEX TOYS, AND SADOMASOCHISM.

Ramsland: THESE THINGS ARE NOW BECOMING VERY MUCH PART OF HIS IDENTITY,

AND THEN THEY BECOME ADDICTIONS.

LIKE ANY ADDICTION,

YOUR BODY GETS USED TO WHATEVER IT IS YOU'RE USING,

AND YOU WANT MORE, YOU WANT MORE.

IT'S NEVER ENOUGH TO STAY AT THE LEVEL YOU'RE AT.

YOU EITHER WANT A GREATER CHALLENGE

OR YOU WANT TO EXPLORE MORE THINGS LIKE THAT

OR YOU WANT TO HAVE IT MORE OFTEN,

BUT NO ADDICTION STAYS STATIC.

IT ALWAYS HUNGERS FOR MORE.

Narrator: IN 1967, CLARK WAS DRAFTED INTO THE MILITARY.

HE CHOSE THE AIR FORCE

AND MOVED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

HE WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED FOUR YEARS LATER

AND TOOK A JOB AS A STEAM ENGINEER IN LOS ANGELES.

Farr: HE ALSO HAD A HIGH I.Q.

FOR SOMEONE WHO HADN'T BEEN TO COLLEGE,

SO HE WAS A STRANGE MIXTURE

OF SOOTHING SORT OF CHARM AND THIS PURRING VOICE

AND THOSE FRIGHTENING, EMPTY EYES, REALLY,

THAT EVERYBODY WHO MET HIM COMMENTED UPON.

THE EYES, YOU COULD JUST GET LOST IN THEM.

Narrator: WHEN DOUG SAW CAROL LOOKING VULNERABLE,

HE KNEW HE COULD CHARM HER.

Ramsland: CAROL WAS, TO HIS MIND, AN EASY TARGET

BECAUSE SHE WAS SITTING IN A BAR.

SHE WAS 37.

SHE WAS OVERWEIGHT, THICK GLASSES,

COMPLAINING, DRINKING.

SHE WAS EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR