No Man of God Director Amber Sealey on Ted Bundy’s Real Persona and Friend Bill Hagmaier

“[FBI agent Bill Hagmaier] was smart enough to know that if Bundy was going to confess, the way he was going to do it was if Bill really offered something of himself as well. They did forge a real friendship. Bundy certainly thought that Bill was his best friend … there was a love there, in a sense. —Amber Sealey

For those of us who have seen enough of serial killer Ted Bundy portrayed as a charismatic genius on screen, Amber Sealey’s No Man of God is a welcomed change of pace. Instead of focusing on Bundy’s heinous murders, Sealey tells the little-known story of his strange and complicated relationship with FBI agent Bill Hagmaier, who became genuine friends with Bundy through a series of interviews while he was on death row. Listen is as we talk with Sealey, who shared her fascinating thoughts on what was going on in Hagmaier’s mind as his relationship with a serial killer progressed, what was real vs. manipulation in their friendship, and how at the end of the arduous process to understand why Bundy did what he did, time and time again, Hagmaier won.

Bill Hagmaier and Ted Bundy
FBI agent Bill Hagmaier and serial killer Ted Bundy during their last conversation on death row the day before his execution in 1989. Photo: FBI

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