I always thought that Bundy got away with it for so long because he was just a non-descript average guy, the tech wasn't there like cheeseburger said, and being a psychopath does require a certain level of charm. That's part of the psychological profile of a sociopath. This "Bundy was brilliant" narrative is news to me.
He did some things well. He spread out his murders so he'd be harder to track down, and managed to escape from a courtroom and stay on the lamb for multiple days. Then he managed to escape from his locked cell. The cell escape was impressive because A) it wasn't an act of opportunity and B) of all the people locked in that cell, only he was cunning/methodical/inventive enough to figure a way out.
In many other ways, Bundy was a complete fuck up. He introduced himself to a victim using his actual name
in front of other witnesses minutes before he murdered her. He was smart enough for disguises... but kept the same car. He opted for a bench trial on his first arrest. He rejected the offer of life in prison during the jury trial, despite the immense public pressure for justice for the victims. He antagonised the judge during the trial. Once arrested and on death row, he still thought there was a chance for acquittal and refused to confess until it was too late (there was a chance that he could have avoided the death penalty by convincing the right people that he would be useful for psychological evaluation.)
