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She tried to save his life.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Feb 19, 2019
At the end of his life, Ted Bundy had few people in his corner, and it's not hard to see why this was the case. Ted, after all, is one of the world's most infamous serial killers. Over the span of just four years, he murdered 30 women...and those are just the cases where the bodies were found or where Ted bothered to confess to police. Think about all of the other murders he might have committed that we will quite simply never even have a chance to know about. It's no small wonder that in the days leading up to his death there was really just one person rooting for him: one of his attorneys, Diana Weiner.
While Bundy was "technically" married (using a loophole in the Florida legal system to tie the knot with girlfriend Carole Anne Boone as he interrogated her on the witness stand while acting as his own defense), his relationship with his wife had soured greatly by the time he was finally sentenced to be executed. In fact, prior to his death, Ted was allowed to make two phone calls. He called his mother and he called his wife, Carole Anne. When she didn't answer, he simply called his mother a second time.
But though his wife wanted nothing to do with him at the end, it was his attorney Diana who kept visiting him, fighting for him, and supporting him and because of this, her name is often connected to Bundy's as a potential love interest. Here's what you really need to know about Diana, who she was, her relationship with Bundy, and what the truth is behind their complicated and dark relationship. Who is Diana Weiner?
She Was Happily Married
While many people have no problem with cheating on their spouse, it's important to note that Diana Weiner was happily married when she became a part of the Ted Bundy defense team.
The man to whom Diana was married to during this case, Nevin Weiner, is still her husband to this day, so if Diana did have an affair with Ted, their marriage was able to recover from the trauma of that. In fact, if they had an affair, it had such a low impact on her marriage to Nevin that she was still able to conceive a child with him, their daughter, Shay, who was born in 1982.
Ted was a difficult man to control, particularly in the courtroom where he believed he had special skills due to his time in law school. In order to get him a fair trial, his team had to employ unusual tactics, including hiring pretty, intelligent women who Ted was more like to become enamored with and thus, listen to as well.
She Fought For His Rights
Many of Bundy's lawyers have discussed how they were keen to get him the trial that he deserved, but how they felt unmoved to help him in his daily life in prison. This was a major issue for Ted because he found the conditions in prison totally unbearable.
Ted frequently complained about the lighting, the food, the treatment of the guards, and of his separation from other prisoners. While these complaints mostly fell on the deaf ears of his attorneys, Diana, a young lawyer at the time who was passionate about prisoners' rights, did everything she could to make sure that Ted was treated well during his time in prison. It's no small wonder that Ted began to hold a special place for her in whatever the equivalent of a heart is in a total monster.
She Was His Final Love Interest
Ted's feelings for Diana were so obvious it became a bit of annoyance to other members of his legal team, including lawyer Polly Nelson. Nelson eventually confronted Ted about his feelings for Weiner, which Polly was beginning to suspect were making her own job more difficult. In the book Polly wrote about her time working with Ted, she shared the following exchange with the killer about her suspicions:
"Ted, quit giving me this ‘Ms. Weiner’ stuff. I know why you see her, and it has nothing to do with any lawsuit. She’s beautiful, she’s interested, she can come during lawyer’s visiting hours, and you can have unsupervised visits with her.”
Apparently, after hearing this mini tirade from Polly, Ted knew that he was caught. According to Polly's account, after her words, Ted paused and then grinned coyly, saying, "That about sums it up."
According to prison records, Diana spent a total of 70 hours visiting Ted in prison. On the surface this might sound like a very high number, but broken down it amounts to less than three visits a month. When compared to the visits of Carole Anne Boone, this number is very low for a lover. Although the two were allowed to be left alone because she was his lawyer, the chances are seriously slim that the two enjoyed anything other than a professional relationship, in spite of rumors to the contrary.
Ted Left Her Everything
While Diana has never admitted to a relationship with Ted, nor has she ever spoken fondly of him, or as anything other than a client, it's clear that she definitely caught Ted's eye. He was besotted with his attorney, and if he didn't make that clear when he was alive, he certainly made it clear in his death.
According to the legal documents he left behind, Ted left Diana everything that he had. This included his wedding ring and about $700. That may not sound like much but when it's all you have in the world, it's clear that the person you're leaving it to meant something to you.
In addition to that, and perhaps the most telling detail of them all, Ted also left his ashes to Diana, asking her to spread them around Taylor Mountain. This seemingly sweet request was marred by the fact that this mountain was where he attempted to conceal the remains of several of his victims.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cat, Batman. Her work focuses on relationships, pop culture and news. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.
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