Kenneth Alessio Bianchi

Serial Killer

Kenneth Alessio Bianchi: The Hillside Strangler

Background

Kenneth Alessio Bianchi, born May 22, 1951, in Rochester, New York, became one of the two men responsible for the notorious series of murders known as the Hillside Strangler killings. Bianchi committed the Los Angeles murders with his older cousin, Angelo Buono Jr., before later killing two additional women on his own in Bellingham, Washington. Altogether, Bianchi has been linked to twelve confirmed murder victims between October 1977 and January 1979. Bianchi moved from Rochester to the Los Angeles area in January 1976 and spent considerable time with Buono, who operated an automobile upholstery business from his property in Glendale. Bianchi wanted to work in law enforcement and applied to police agencies, but he was not hired as an officer. He nevertheless cultivated the image of someone connected with law enforcement, an interest that later became an important part of the crimes. Bianchi and Buono sometimes used fake badges and impersonated plainclothes police officers to gain control over victims.

The Hillside Strangler Murders Begin

The killings began in October 1977. Bianchi and Buono targeted girls and young women from different backgrounds, including students, waitresses, aspiring performers, and sex workers. The men sometimes approached victims while pretending to be police officers conducting an investigation or vice arrest. Once a victim believed she was dealing with law enforcement, the killers could order her into a vehicle or place her in handcuffs without immediately attracting attention. Many of the victims were taken to Buono's Glendale residence and upholstery business. They were restrained, sexually assaulted, tortured, and ultimately killed, most commonly through strangulation. In several cases, investigators found evidence that different methods of torture or asphyxiation had been attempted. The bodies were then transported away from the murder location and abandoned along hillsides, roads, ravines, or freeway embankments throughout the Los Angeles area. Because bodies repeatedly appeared on hillsides, newspapers and television reports began referring to the unidentified murderer as the "Hillside Strangler." Investigators eventually concluded that evidence suggested more than one person was involved, although the singular nickname had already become nationally recognized. The discovery of one victim after another during the final months of 1977 created widespread fear throughout Los Angeles. ...

Confirmed Victims: (12)

Yolanda Washington Age: (19), Date of Death: 1977-10-17

Kenneth Bianchi - Wikipedia