PUTNAM COUNTY
At about 3 a.m. on Jan. 15, 1978, Ted Bundy broke into the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University. Bundy, who escaped from a Colorado jail cell two weeks earlier, went on a violent rampage, fatally attacking two women by bludgeoning them with firewood and strangling them with stockings.
On the evenings of January 12-13, 2024 – nearly to the day, the 46th anniversary of these murders – Georgia Writers Museum (GWM) is partnering with the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI) to bring back its popular Crime & Wine experience, this time at The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton.
Attending these two special evenings will be Kathy Kleiner. Bundy murdered at least 30 women between 1974 and 1978, and Kleiner was potentially seconds away from becoming one of his victims, too.
But passing headlights saved Kathy and her roommate from the notorious serial killer in 1978. Hear her firsthand account and learn details of the attack at the Chi Omega House, Kathy’s health battles, and other extraordinary life-changing events.
Hundreds of visitors have enjoyed GWM’s special “whodunit” series over the last couple of years, complete with compelling real props, witnesses, investigators, and great snacks. The host for the evening will be Sheryl McCollum, founder and director of CCIRI and author of Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.
McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning crime scene investigator (CSI) from CBS46’s “CSI Atlanta,” a writer for Crime-OnLine, a forensic and crime scene expert for “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,” and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department.
McCollum holds a master’s degree in criminal justice with an emphasis on policing and has received the Metro Atlanta Crime Commission Award, Department of Justice Award, and the President’s Innovation Award. She also was recently inducted into the Law Enforcement Hall of Fame.
Meet Kathy and take pictures with this hero who testified against Ted Bundy, ultimately helping to send him to the electric chair. Kathy’s amazing life of survival is outlined in her book, A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy, which will be for sale at GWM.
Tickets to Crime & Wine, featuring the Bundy/ Chi Omega case, are $45 per person, or $40 each for two or more tickets. Doors at The Plaza open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start each night. Half of the proceeds go to CCIRI to help fund cold case investigations. Gourmet snacks will be served and Kleiner will be signing copies of her book following her presentation.
Contact Georgia Writers Museum online at georgiawritersmuseum. org to register for one or both evenings and to pre-order a copy of A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy.
- Contributed