Kenneth Bianchi & Angelo Buono The Hillside Stranglers “I put women in their place.” -Buono “he was a compulsive liar who had risen from the cradle dissembling” - Bianchi’s Mother

Early Life for Bianchi Born on May 22, 1951 in Rochester, New York ( Kenneth Alessio Bianchi) His mother was a prostitute who gave him up for adoption at 2 weeks old. At age 5: diagnosed with petit mal seizures – Age 10: had a passive aggressive disorder – Also had trance like daydreams – He had urine problems and he got really embarrassed when he had to go to the doctors and they would examine his genitals His father later died of pneumonia (1964) His mother started working and often kept Bianchi out of school for long periods of time. Graduated high school and married his high school sweetheart. Marriage lasted 8 months; she left without an explanation

Early Life continued….. Dropped out of college and became a security guard at a jewelry store He would often steal from the stores and give the jewelry to his girlfriends and prostitutes Had many petty thefts* (a type of theft crime that is based on the low value of the stolen property.) He moved to LA – Bianchi wanted to be a cop so he signed up with the LAPD – started to hang out with his cousin Angelo Buono Buono had a large influence on Bianchi (he was older and impressive with his nice close and jewelry) They soon became pimps by late 1977 Then the crimes started

The Victims: 10/17/1977: Yolanda Washington – prostitute – She was raped and strangled 10/31/1977: Judith Lynn Miller – 15 year old runaway prostitute – Strangled and raped 11/6/1977: Lissa Teresa Kastin – 21 year old waitress – Strangled and raped 11/13/1977: Dolores Cepeda, 12 and Sonja Johnson, 14 – Murdered on 11/13 found on 11/20 – Raped and strangled 11/20/1977: Kristina Weckler – 20 years old – She was sexually assaulted and injected with Windex then strangled The victims ranged from the ages They were all premeditated* (meaning that it was committed after planning or "lying in wait" for the victim.) The men would often times dress as LAPD to lure their victims into their car. The men often experimented with different torture techniques before strangling their victims: Lethal injection, electric shock, and carbon monoxide poisoning

Continued… 11/23/1977: Jane King – 28 years old – Strangled and rape 11/29/1977: Lauren Wagner – 18 years old – Strangled with a ligature*(look at top) – Tortured with electricity She had burn marks that covered her body 12/9/1977: Kimberly Martin – 17 year old prostitute – Strangled and raped 2/16/1978: Cindy Hudspeth – 20 years old – Strangled and raped ***sometime in 1977 the men gave a ride to a woman they planned on killing until they learned that she was the daughter of an actor they liked, so they let her go. She had no idea about what the two men have done until their arrests*** All of the victims were left on a Hillside in LA.. That is how they got their nickname. *a thing used for tying or binding something tightly

The Partnership Ended?.. Since applying to the LAPD; Bianchi would often take a ride along with the police while they were searching for the Hillside Stranglers. Bianchi told Buono, who got really mad and told Bianchi to move to Bellingham, WA or else he was going to kill him. – Bianchi moved in May 1978 – He then became a security guard at a college Which lead to…..his most recent crime……

His most recent crime: 1/11/1979: Karen Mandic, 22 and Diane Wilder, 27 – They both were pushed down a flight of stairs, strangled, and raped He was arrested the next day – 1/12/1979

The Evidence After being arrested – Bianchi’s previous residence in LA was quickly established – a liaison* (a person who is employed to form a working relationship between two organizations to their mutual benefit) with the LAPD soon flagged up the similarity in MO* (the way a particular person tends to do things) to the Hillside Strangler killings – A search of his Bellingham home also produced jewelry belonging to a couple of the LA victims – Forensic* (scientific methods and techniques to the investigation of crime.) evidence eventually tied Bianchi to five of the LA killing (semen and hair) He was charged with these murders in June 1979.

Trial and Conviction Pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Bianchi did everything possible to avoid prosecution – at first saying he had multiple personalities to support an insanity plea – He convinced a number of mental health experts but was thwarted* (oppose (a plan, attempt, or ambition) successfully) by a shrewd prosecution psychiatrist, who tricked him Bianchi agreed to testify against his cousin in exchange for leniency* (the fact or quality of being more merciful or tolerant than expected; clemency) – Bianchi gave a detailed statement about the LA murders, including being with Bouno – pleading guilty to five counts of homicide in LA. He was convicted of murder

Sentencing and Placement He was sentenced to life in prison in the Washington State Penitentiary – Diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder/ mentally ill with sexual sadism* (the condition of experiencing sexual arousal in response to the extreme pain, suffering, or humiliation of others.) – He was denied parole* ( the release of a prisoner temporarily (for a special purpose) or permanently before the completion of a sentence, on the promise of good behavior.) on 8/18/2010 Will be able to apply for parole again in 2025 The Largest Correctional Institution in the State - also known as Walla Walla

Veronica Compton: she was the girlfriend of Kenneth Bianchi. After he was arrested she attempted to strangle a woman to make it seem like the hillside strangler was still on the loose. She then smuggled semen and planted it on the women to be considered rape. She was later convicted and was released in 2003

Angelo Buono Born: Rochester, NY on 10/05/1934 (Angelo Anthony Buono Jr.) – first generation Italian-American emigrants from San Buono, Italy – Women referred to him as “The Italian Stallion” In the time leading up to him and Bianchi, he already had a list of crimes – Failure to pay child’s support – Grand Theft Auto – Rape – Sexual assault He was 41 when he started hanging out with Bianchi and convinced him to prostituting women and holding them captive – Ended up strangling and raping 10 women Buono was arrested on 22 October 1979 – He was convicted of 10 counts of murder in the 1 st degree* (is defined as an unlawful killing that is both willful and premeditated) – Also charged for failure to pay child’s support, grand theft auto, assault, and rape In 1986, Buono married Christine Kizuka, a mother of three and a supervisor at the California State Employment Development Department

Buono’s Trial The legal case was based on Bianchi’s testimony – Bianchi was uncooperative and unreliable All the charges were dismissed by LA county district court attorney John Van de Kamp Buono was set free – The presiding judge, Ronald M. George » denied the motion to dismiss » He refused to release Buono » he reassigned the case to California Attorney General George Deukmejian's office He was convicted of 10 counts of murder in the 1st degree* – Also charged for failure to pay child’s support, grand theft auto, assault, and rape Buono was sentenced to life in prison without parole – Sent to Calipatria State Prison His trial would become the longest in American legal history – Lasting from November On 9/21/2002 he was found dead in his cell – He died from a heart attack – He was alone in his cell In 2007, Buono's grandson, Christopher Buono, committed suicide shortly after shooting his grandmother, Mary Castillo, in the head – Former wife of Buono – She had 5 children with Buono including Chris’s father Christopher Buono

Movies and Books A Crossing of Paths (novel) – Ron Crisp The Hillside Strangler (film) – Starring: C. Thomas Howell and Nicholas Turturro Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders (film) – Starring: Clifton Collins Jr. and Brittany Daniel Two Of A Kind: The Hillside Strangler (novel) – Darcy O’Brien

Differential-Association Theory I chose this theory, because Bianchi started hanging out and learning from his cousin, Buono. Before Bianchi would commit petty theft and little crimes like that, but then once he and Buono started talking more he started to murder. He looked up to his cousin, because Buono had nice clothes, expensive jewelry, and he was mesmerized with the way Buono could control and get the condition and “love” from various women. Bianchi never really had a male influence around, because his father died when he was only a teenager. He was raised by his mother who was never really around while she worked long hours to provide for him, and he never really went to school. He didn’t have many friends only his on and off again girlfriend who also hurt him. So turning to Buono was his only way to feel accepted and wanted. Nothing seemed to be going his way since he dropped out of college and when everything started going down hill; Buono was there.

Differential-Association Theory but…. It is difficult to choose between the differential-association theory and the behavioral theory. Growing up he became angry at his mother, because she wasn’t around often enough to teach him. His wife leaving him for no reason upset him as well. Also, he learned about his biological mother as a teenager and that mad him mad. Most of the victims he murdered were prostitutes, and that tied back to his real mother. She was a prostitute, and she gave him away like he was nothing to her. Seeing that weak spot; Buono jumped in on that. He convinced Bianchi that these women are just like his real mother, that the women with jobs were like him adoptive mother who worked a lot, and some of them may have left their husbands or they reminded him of his ex-wife. But when it came down to the final decision I chose the differential- association theory because there is higher evidence of that. Since all Bianchi really had after his dad passing, mom missing, no education, wife leaving him for no reason, and jumping from job to job was Buono. Buono taught him that crime was the only way to take his anger out.