William George Bonin

Serial Killer

William George Bonin – The “Freeway Killer”

Overview

William George Bonin was an American serial killer who abducted, sexually assaulted, tortured, and murdered teenage boys and young men in Southern California during 1979 and 1980. He became known as the “Freeway Killer” because many of his victims were abandoned beside freeways, highway ramps, industrial roads, and other locations connected to Southern California's freeway system. Bonin was ultimately convicted of 14 murders: ten in Los Angeles County and four in Orange County. His legally established victim count should therefore be listed as 14 confirmed by conviction. A larger group of deaths was attributed to him during the investigation, and Bonin made statements indicating responsibility for additional killings. Several of those cases, however, resulted in dismissed charges, acquittals, or no prosecution at all. For accuracy, those victims should be separated from the 14 murders for which Bonin was actually convicted. Bonin usually approached boys and young men while driving his van. Some victims were hitchhiking or walking alone, while others were encountered near businesses, bus stops, or other public places. Once a victim was inside the vehicle, Bonin frequently restrained him and subjected him to physical and sexual violence. Ligature strangulation became the most consistent method of murder, although several victims suffered additional fatal injuries.

Early Criminal History

William George Bonin was born on January 8, 1947. His history of sexual violence began long before the murders that made him nationally infamous. During the late 1960s, he committed a series of sexual attacks against teenage boys and was convicted of crimes including kidnapping, sodomy, molestation, and forcible oral copulation. He was initially committed to Atascadero State Hospital as a mentally disordered sex offender before eventually being transferred to prison. Bonin was released in the 1970s but soon committed another serious sexual assault against a 14-year-old boy. He was convicted again and returned to prison. After being paroled in 1978, his behavior escalated from sexual violence to murder. By the summer of 1979, boys and young men were beginning to disappear and turn up dead near Southern California highways. ...

Confirmed Victims: (14)

Markus Grabs Age: (17), Date of Death: August 5, 1979

Suspected Victims:

Thomas Glen Lundgren Age: (13), Date of Death: 1979-05-28

Mark Duane Shelton Age: (17), Date of Death: 1979-08-04

Robert Christopher Wirostek Age: (18), Date of Death: 1979-09

John Frederick Kilpatrick Age: (15), Date of Death: 1979-12-10

Michael McDonald Age: (16), Date of Death: 1980-01-01

Sean King Age: (18), Date of Death: 1980-06-02

Survivors:

David Allen McVicker Age: (14), Date of Attack: September 8, 1975

William Bonin - Wikipedia