She testified in his defense, married him in a courtroom loophole, and had his child on death row. Then he told her the truth.
Carole Ann Boone was Ted Bundy's wife, marrying him during his 1980 murder trial and later giving birth to his only known child while he sat on Florida's death row. She remains one of the more unusual and lesser-known figures connected to one of America's most notorious serial killers.
An Unlikely Friendship
Boone and Bundy met in 1974 while both worked for Washington State's Department of Emergency Services in Olympia. She was a divorced mother of a teenage son at the time; he was, unknown to her, already in the midst of the abductions and murders that would eventually be tied to at least 30 victims across seven states. Their relationship remained platonic for years, even as Bundy was arrested, escaped custody twice, and was ultimately recaptured in Florida.
Growing Closer During Trial
Boone became a devoted presence at Bundy's 1979 and 1980 Florida trials, appearing as a character witness on his behalf and maintaining that she believed the charges against him were unfounded. She relocated from Washington to Florida with her son to be closer to him, and the two exchanged increasingly intense letters as his legal situation worsened.
A Courtroom Marriage
Requests for Bundy and Boone to marry through conventional means, including through a prison chaplain, were repeatedly denied. During his 1980 trial for the murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, Bundy — drawing on his own law school background — took advantage of an old Florida statute stating that a declaration of marriage made in court before a judge was legally binding. While questioning Boone as a witness, he proposed; she accepted, and the judge recognized the marriage as valid. The following day, Bundy was sentenced to death for Leach's murder.
A Daughter on Death Row
In October 1982, Boone gave birth to a daughter, Rose. Conjugal visits weren't permitted for death row inmates, and accounts from people connected to the case have suggested prison staff didn't always enforce restrictions on physical contact during visits, though the exact circumstances have never been officially confirmed.
The Relationship Ends
Boone's support for Bundy began to erode as his execution date approached. According to a friend of Boone's who later spoke publicly about the relationship, Bundy called Boone at one point to gauge whether disclosing information about additional undiscovered victims might help delay his execution — effectively confirming to her, for the first time in his own words, that he actually had killed the women he'd long denied harming. The revelation devastated her. Boone divorced Bundy in 1986 and stopped bringing Rose to visit him in prison. The two reportedly never spoke again before his execution by electric chair on January 24, 1989.
Life After Bundy
Boone and Rose left Florida and largely disappeared from public life afterward, with even biographers who covered the case closely saying they deliberately avoided learning their whereabouts out of respect for their privacy. According to a 2020 documentary series, Boone died in a retirement home in Washington state in 2018. Rose's current life and whereabouts remain unknown; those who've spoken about her in the years since have generally described her, secondhand, as having grown into a private and by all accounts well-adjusted adult.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Carole Ann Boone still alive?
No. She reportedly died in a Washington state retirement home in 2018.
Did Carole Ann Boone know Ted Bundy was guilty when she married him?
No. She maintained a belief in his innocence for years and only came to understand the full truth shortly before his execution, according to people close to her.
What happened to Ted Bundy and Carole Ann Boone's daughter?
Rose Bundy has remained almost entirely out of public view since childhood, and her current whereabouts and identity are not publicly known.