Local Man Suspected In Seattle Rape Case

Thompson Being Held On $250,000 Bond

PITTSBURGH, Updated 11:44 p.m. EDT October 25, 2000 -- A western Pennsylvania man who police say apparently admires serial killer Ted Bundy has been arrested in Seattle.

WTAE reports that Damien Thompson, 23, formerly of Natrona Heights, Pa., is suspected in the brutal attempted rape of a college student. Thompson has not yet been charged with the rape. Greiner said that Thompson is being held on an illegal weapons charge and other charges while police investigate.

The incident appears to be patterned after Bundy's methods. Someone violently attacked a freshman at the University of Washington in September as the 18-year-old victim returned to her room in a sorority house after taking a shower. The attacker dislocated the victim's jaw by putting his fist and a towel in her mouth.

Sam Merrill Reports Sheldon Ingram Looks At Damien Thompson's Past

Serial killer Ted Bundy used to do that when he killed his suspected 28 victims. The attack in September was just blocks away from where Bundy killed a student in the 1970s.

University of Washington police pulled Thompson over for a traffic violation on Oct. 12 and found unusual items in his car, including handcuffs, shackles and women's pantyhose, Sgt. Randy Stegmeier said. Police said that they also found a handgun in a backpack that was in the vehicle.

While the search was under way, Thompson slipped his handcuffed wrists from behind to in front of him, published reports said. Thompson escaped from the police cruiser he was in. He was arrested the next morning at an airport as he was waiting to board a flight to Houston.

When police searched Thompson's apartment, they said that they found Ted Bundy paraphernalia, photos of Bundy's victims, descriptions of his crimes and a police uniform and badge.

Thompson graduated or left Highlands High School in 1995 and was charged with attempted murder later that year, WTAE-TV reports. Police said that he offered a woman a ride, then slit her throat. He was later acquitted of that charge.

According to published reports, Thompson has a prior conviction for a property crime in Washington state.

Thompson is being held on $250,000 bond.

Bundy was executed Jan. 29, 1989, in a Florida electric chair.

Related Story:

• October 25, 2000: A Look At Thompson's Troubled Past

Copyright 2000 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.