The Capture of Ted Bundy
Expert Forensic Testimony Wins the Most Famous Bite Marks Case
Apr 12, 2008
Many believe that Ted Bundy probably eliminated at least 100 women. Bundy’s MO was to bludgeon his victims, then strangle them till they stopped breathing.
Expert Testimony of a Forensic Dentist
The middle class, good looking and highly intelligent Bundy was never caught, until he left bite marks on Florida student, Lisa Levy's buttock.
The expert testimony of forensic odontologist (dentist), Dr. Richard Souviron regarding the bite marks found on Lisa Levy, was crucial in securing Bundy’s conviction and subsequent execution.
Even today, when people talk about bite mark evidence, they usually mention the case of Theodore Robert Bundy (November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989). A gifted law student at one time, Ted Bundy, became one of America's most feared men.
Bite Mark Testimony History
This was the first case in Florida's legal history that relied on bite mark testimony. It was also the first time that a piece of physical forensic evidence that actually linked Bundy to one of his crimes.
Bundy’s Crime Spree in Tallahassee
In the middle of a crime spree, Bundy entered the Florida State University's Chi Omega sorority house in Tallahassee at approximately 3 a.m. on January 15, 1978 and attacked two sleeping women, Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman.
No fingerprints or physical evidence were found at the crime scenes. Yet there was a piece of evidence that was to become a centerpiece during the trial: an odd bite mark on the left buttock of Lisa Levy.
Scene of the Crime Evidence
One of the officers at the scene of the crime had the forethought to place a yellow ruler in the photo to show scale next to the bite marks on Levy’s buttock when they were photographed. Following Bundy’s arrest in Pensacola, police obtained a search warrant allowing them to take a dental impression from Bundy. They then photographed his mouth.
Dr. Richard Souviron, a forensic dentist from Coral Gables, took photographs of Bundy's front upper and lower teeth and gums. He noted the uneven pattern, which he knew would make a match easier.
Forensic Dentist, Souviron’s Expert Testimony
Crimelibrary's Kathleen Ramsland writes in The Most Famous Bite Mark, “In his expert testimony, Souviron described the bite mark on Lisa Levy as the jury examined the photographs. He pointed out how unique the indentation mark was and showed how it matched the dental impressions of Bundy's teeth. He showed them the structure of alignment, the chips, the size of the teeth, and the sharpness factors of the bicuspids, lateral, and incisor teeth. Then he put up on a board an enlarged photo of the bite-mark and laid over it a transparent sheet with an enlarged picture of Bundy's teeth.”
Souviron went on to explain that there was a double bite involved: The attacker had bit once, then turned sideways and bit again. The top teeth remained in the same position, but the lower teeth left two rings.
Bundy bit Lisa Levy's buttock twice. The first bite showed a full and complete bite mark. The second bite was rotated so that there were two impressions of the lower teeth.
In the trial, the prosecution produced the photographic evidence of the bite marks and of Bundy’s teeth. They then proceeded to place an acetate overlay of the bite mark on the photo of the teeth. This left no reasonable doubt that it was Bundy’s highly irregular teeth that left the impressions.
More Expert Testimony from Dr Lavine
Finally, the chief consultant in forensic dentistry to New York City's Medical Examiner, forensic odontologist (dentist) Dr. L. Lavine , confirmed Souviron's findings. He testified that from the position and measurements of the bite mark he could tell that Lisa was no longer struggling when it was made. The jury was convinced by this expert testimony that Ted Bundy was the one who bit Lisa Levy.
On this evidence Bundy was convicted and sentenced to the electric chair.
Sources:
Issues in Human and Animal Bite Mark Analysis (View only in IE)
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