Biography[]
Early life[]
Kenneth Alessio Bianchi was born on May 22, 1951, in Rochester, New York. Raised in an unstable environment, he experienced strained relationships within his family. As a teenager, he faced legal troubles, including theft and forging checks.
Military Service[]
In an attempt to avoid criminal charges, Bianchi enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1969. He served in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and later stationed in West Germany. During his time in the military, he faced disciplinary issues and was eventually discharged.
Move to Los Angeles[]
After his discharge, Bianchi moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. There, he developed a scheme of impersonating a police officer, engaging in various criminal activities such as theft and fraud.
Collaboration with Angelo Buono[]
In 1977, Bianchi joined forces with his cousin, Angelo Buono. Together, they embarked on a series of heinous crimes that would later be known as the Hillside Strangler murders.
Hillside Strangler Murders[]
Between October 1977 and February 1978, the duo kidnapped, raped, and murdered ten women in the Los Angeles area. The victims ranged in age and backgrounds, making it challenging for investigators to identify a pattern.
Solo Murders[]
After the arrest of Angelo Buono, Bianchi continued his murderous spree. In Bellingham, Washington, he killed two more women, Karen Mandic and Diane Wilder, in 1979. These were his last known solo murders before his capture.
Arrest and Trial[]
The Hillside Strangler case attracted widespread media attention, putting immense pressure on law enforcement. In 1979, Kenneth Bianchi was arrested in Bellingham, Washington, after attempting to commit a similar crime. He later confessed to the Hillside Strangler murders and implicated Angelo Buono. He would also attempt to use a false multiple personality disorder defense.
During the trial, Bianchi struck a deal to testify against Buono in exchange for a reduced sentence. In 1981, he pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and received a life sentence.
Manipulation from Prison[]
While incarcerated, Bianchi attempted various schemes to gain attention, including feigning mental illness. In the 1980s, he orchestrated a series of violent crimes from prison, leading to additional charges.
He also attempted to use Veronica Compton, a woman he befriended, to carry out copycat crimes. In 1980, Compton was arrested for attempting to strangle a woman in a manner similar to the Hillside Strangler murders. The authorities uncovered the plot, and Bianchi's attempts at manipulation were exposed.
Bianchi is currently serving multiple life sentences and is held in the Washington State Penitentiary. His crimes and the Hillside Strangler case continue to be studied by criminologists and law enforcement agencies. The case remains a dark chapter in the history of serial killings in the United States.
Victims[]
Name | Age | Date of Death | Cause of Death |
---|---|---|---|
Yolanda Washington | 19 | October 17, 1977 | Strangulation |
Judy Miller | 15 | October 31, 1977 | Strangulation |
Lissa Kastin | 21 | November 5, 1977 | Strangulation |
Jane King | 28 | November 9, 1977 | Strangulation |
Dolores "Dolly" Cepeda | 12 | November 13, 1977 (body found November 20, 1977) | Strangulation |
Sonja Johnson | 14 | November 13, 1977 (body found November 20, 1977) | Strangulation |
Kristina Weckler | 20 | November 20, 1977 | |
Lauren Wagner | 18 | November 28, 1977 | |
Kimberley "Kim" Martin | 17 | December 13, 1977 | |
Cindy Lee Hudspeth | 20 | February 16, 1978 (body found Feb 17, 1978) | Strangulation |
Karen Mandic | 22 | January 11, 1979 | Strangulation |
Diane Wilder | 27 | January 11, 1979 | Strangulation |
Timeline[]
Bibliography[]
Literature[]
- O'Brien, Darcy (1990). Two of a Kind: The Hillside Strangler, Signet. ISBN 978-0451163028
- O'Brien, Darcy (2017). The Hillside Stranglers: The Inside Story of the Killing Spree That Terrorized Los Angeles, Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1504047883
Articles[]
- Bardsley, Marilyn. Buono and Bianchi, the Hillside Stranglers. Crime Library. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015.
- "Kenneth Bianchi". Biography (April 2, 2014). Archived from the original on December 2, 2021.
- Mark Oliver (May 13, 2023). The Hillside Stranglers, The Predators Who Raped And Murdered 10 Victims. All That's Interesting.
Documentaries[]
Television[]
- Mugshots: The Hillside Strangler on IMDb
- Born to Kill?: Kenneth Bianchi & Angelo Buono Jr: The Hollywood Hillside Strangler (October 2012) on IMDb
- World's Most Evil Killers: The Hillside Stranglers - Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono (July 2020) on IMDb
- City of Angels, City of Death (2021 — ) on IMDb
- The Hillside Strangler (2021–2022) on IMDb
- The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise (2022) on IMDb
YouTube Documentaries[]
- Hillside Stranglers: The Deadly Cousin Duo (World's Most Evil Killers), Real Crime on YouTube
- Who Were The Hollywood Stranglers? (Born To Kill), Our Life on YouTube
- The Horrifying Case Of The Hillside Stranglers, Our Life on YouTube
- The Case of the Hillside Strangler, That Chapter on YouTube
Podcasts[]
- The Hillside Stranglers - Part 1. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
- The Hillside Stranglers - Part 2. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
- The Hillside Strangler’s Copycat Girlfriend. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
- The Real-Life Harley Quinn, The Casual Criminalist on YouTube
In popular culture[]
Film adaptations[]
- The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989) on IMDb
- The Hillside Stranglers (2001) on IMDb
- The Hillside Strangler (2004) on IMDb (The Hillside Strangler trailer on YouTube)
- Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders (2006) on IMDb
Related Articles[]
- The Hillside Stranglers
- Bianchi was also a person of interest in the Rochester Alphabet murders of 1971–73 case.
See also[]
- The Killing Cousins are also a pair of Serial Killer cousins.
Links[]
- Kenneth Bianchi at Wikipedia
- Kenneth Bianchi on IMDb
- Kenneth Alessio Bianchi. Radford University.
- Hillside Strangler victims: a Virtual Cemetery at Find a Grave
- Hillside Strangler / The Rampage of Cousins in the Hills of LA. WickedWe.
- The Mind of a Murderer, Parts 1 and 2 (1985). PBS documentary. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016.