Did Ted Bundy Propose In the Courtroom In Real Life?

By now you've probably seen Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil (opens in new tab) on Netflix, right? It's the new true crime movie starring a handsome Zac Efron as the conniving and manipulative mass murder, Ted Bundy. The story is based on a memoir (opens in new tab) written by his former girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall (played by Lily Collins) and depicts Bundy's transition from a charming, doting boyfriend to a nationally-known serial killer.

The film shows a relationship filled with lies, deceit, and incredibly uncomfortable moments— one of them being Bundy's courtroom proposal during his own trial.

In the movie, Efron's Bundy is in the midst of his 1970s Florida trial and acting as his own legal representation, when he approaches his then-girlfriend, Carole Anne Boone (Kaya Scodelario), who's on the witness stand. In front of the judge, prosecutor, jury, and a host of other courtroom officials, he asks her to marry him. She says yes and over the courtroom's gasps and the prosecutor's objection, the judge declares the marriage legitimate. And as wild and dramatized as that sounds, that's exactly what happened.

In fact, Bundy even had a little help pulling the stunt off. Author Stephen Michaud, who visited Bundy many times in prison and wrote Ted Bundy: Conversations With a Killer (opens in new tab) about his experience, admitted to arranging the surprising courtroom proposal with Bundy. In an interview with Inside Edition (opens in new tab), Michaud said that he not only picked out a proper outfit for the day—"I went to a men's store and bought Ted a pair of khakis and a bow tie and some Argyle socks so he could look spiffy for the occasion," he said—but he also went as far as securing wedding rings for Bundy and Boone from none other than Tiffany and Co.

You can watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil (opens in new tab) on Netflix now.

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