Alcatraz East Crime Museum to Open Temporary Exhibit: From Car to Incarceration-Ted Bundy’s Final Arrest

Alcatraz East Crime Museum, located in Pigeon Forge, will open a temporary exhibit on October 10, 2020, on Ted Bundy’s final arrest and links to pornography concerns

A temporary exhibit will open October 10, 2020, at Alcatraz East Crime Museum titled, From Car to Incarceration: Ted Bundy’s Final Arrest. Bundy was known as one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century, and his crimes are still discussed in books and films today. The exhibit will feature information about his final murders, arrest, conviction, and death. This exhibit also spotlights that a serial killer can look just like anyone else in your community, and provides warnings against pornography addiction. “This is such an important part of our country’s crime history, because it reminds us to take measures to keep safe,” says Candice Cook, director of operations at Alcatraz East. “In addition, we hope this exhibit helps raise awareness on fighting the $15 billion dollar pornography addiction our country faces.”Ted Bundy’s heinous crimes spanned cross-country. His first arrest was in Utah in August 1975, but he managed to flee and continue his crime spree until his final arrest in Florida on February 15, 1978. Bundy had two Florida trials, one in Miami, for his murders around Florida State University and one in Orlando, for the murder of his last victim, 12-year-old, Kimberly Leach. As is true for many other criminals, Bundy’s final arrest was made in a traffic stop by Pensacola Police Officer, David Lee. “It’s important for people to remember that many hardened criminals are caught from a routine traffic stop, said Cook. “Bundy was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, and yet his final arrest was done by an unsuspecting patrol officer.” 

While the museum’s collection includes existing Bundy objects like his 1968 VW Bug, this two-year exhibit includes: 

• Bundy’s dental cast used in the Miami trial 
• Prison letters 
• Pensacola Police Uniform 

The day before Bundy was put to death, he gave an interview where he warned people about the dangers of pornography. He explained that pornography wasn’t to blame for what he did but stated that it contributed to his violence. Bundy warned to beware of pornography and graphic television content, as he felt this started his vicious behaviors. According to varying sources, the pornography industry is estimated to be a $15 billion dollar industry in the United States and $97 billion worldwide, those numbers are expected to increase with the COVID shelter-in-place mandates. The museum partnered with several resources to provide information and assistance to victims or volunteers. Here are some of the startling statistics provided by Cultured Reframed: 

• Porn sites get more visitors each month than Netflix, Amazon, and Twitter combined 
• About one-third of all web downloads in the U.S. are porn-related 
• Pornhub — self-described as “the world’s leading free porn site”— received 42 billion visits in 2019 
• 50% of parents underestimate how much porn their teens have seen 
• 39% of 14-year-olds report having seen porn, with about one-third of young people saying they had seen it for the first time at age 12 or younger 
• Minors who view pornography and other sexualized media are more accepting of sexual violence, and more likely to believe “rape myths” (such as the myth that “women enjoy being raped”) 
• Increased use of online porn decreases boys’ academic performance six months later 
• 15 is the average of age of receiving a sext 
• 75% of 18-year-old women say “pornography has led to pressure on girls and young women to act a certain way” 
• 70% of 18-year-olds say “pornography leads to unrealistic attitudes” about sex and that “pornography can have a damaging impact on young people’s views of sex or relationships” 
• In a study of young teens, 66 percent of boys reported porn consumption in the past year; this early porn exposure was correlated with perpetration of sexual harassment 

To learn more about the Ted Bundy temporary exhibit, visit the site: https://www.alcatrazeast.com/temporary-exhibits/ted-bundy-final-arrest/.