Ted Bundy's victims who survived - What happened to the members of the Chi Omega sorority?

Ted Bundy is one of America's most infamous serial killers. On the morning of January 15, 1978, Bundy arrived at the Chi Omega sorority house on the Florida State University campus while the inhabitants were asleep.

About 15 minutes later, Bundy had killed two women and injured two more. Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman were murdered, and Karen Chandler and Kathy Kleiner survived.

The survivors later testified against Bundy, providing information about the incident that ultimately became part of a greater narrative about survivors of violence.

The Hulu docuseries Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil premieres on August 7, 2025, and consists of six episodes that cover the interviews Bundy gave to investigators while on death row.

The series features more than 12 hours of footage from previously unseen recordings between Ted Bundy and members of the Green River Task Force.

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What happened to the members of the Chi Omega sorority who survived Ted Bundy's attack?

Karen Chandler’s experience during and after the attack

Karen Chandler, a senior in clothing and textiles, reportedly spent the evening with her ailing mother, returned to the Chi Omega house, completed a class project, and went to bed alongside her roommate, Kathy Kleiner.

In an episode of NYU's You Matter! podcast (published on 21st September, 2021), Chandler recounted that she never woke up until it was over. Her first memory is being carried down the stairs on a stretcher. In the hospital, her dad told her the true stories: She had been attacked while asleep by a stranger.

"I was just glad I didn't remember it," Karen Chandler said.

CBS News (published on June 5, 2021) reported Chandler's injuries were extensive. Not only was every bone in her face broken, but her arm was broken, and they were flying in a doctor to wire her jaw. She was in intensive care for days, and the doctors were worried about brain damage. Luckily, she recovered with no significant cognitive problems.

A still from Surviving Ted Bundy (Image via Youtube/@48 Hours)

Later that year, Chandler went back to the Chi Omega house. For pure healing, she decided to live in the space where Margaret Bowman lived, right next door to the room where Lisa Levy was murdered. "It was peaceful," she told You Matter! podcast.

"I didn't feel scared, or haunted... If their spirits were still in the house, they were good spirits. They would have wanted to protect us." said Karen Chandler.

Ted Bundy, who represented himself at trial, reportedly questioned Chandler, referring to himself in the third person, during a pre-trial deposition. Chandler told You Matter! podcast that he asked her whether she thought he was guilty, but he always spoke in the third person, asking questions like, "Have you ever met Theodore Robert Bundy?"

The trial testimony she gave led to his conviction for murder and attempted murder.

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Kathy Kleiner’s experience during and after the attack

At the time of the attack, Kathy Kleiner was only 20 years old. She had been feeling ill, so she and Karen had gone to bed early. Bundy snuck into their room and hit her in the face with the log. Her jaw was broken, her cheekbone fractured, and her face was mangled.

The headlights of another woman coming home likely startled Bundy and allowed them to escape with their lives. As she described the night's events to CBS News:

"I was asleep, and then I wasn't. The pain was excruciating. I didn't know what was happening. There was blood everywhere."

Kleiner told You Matter! podcast (published on 10th June, 2021) that she remembered being surrounded by cops and paramedics, but could not speak because they had to wire her jaw shut. Although she could not remember the blows, she was entirely aware she had been attacked.

Kleiner said that she remembered being surrounded by cops and paramedics, but could not speak because they had to wire her jaw shut (Image via Unsplash)

After multiple surgeries and months of recovery, she decided to return to school and rebuild her life. In the years that followed, Kleiner became a vocal advocate for survivors of abuse and violence, and a motivational speaker.

“He tried to murder me, but he didn’t win.” she said in the podcast.

Kathy testified at Ted Bundy's 1979 trial in Miami, which became the first nationally televised trial in U.S. history.

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Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil will be available in the U.S. on Hulu for streaming from August 7, 2025, and is expected to stream internationally on Disney+ at a later date.

Edited by Maithreyi S