Megan Hutchinson
Staff Reporter
This article will contain mentions of rape, abuse, and the murders of women and young girls. If these topics bring any type of discomfort to you, the reader’s discretion is advised.
As previously mentioned, Kenneth Bianchi was a severely troubled kid who moved frequently. In his younger years, Bianchi could not secure a place of employment or follow a career path in college.
But Kenneth Bianchi’s crimes could not be completed without the mention of Angelo Buono, his adoptive cousin who lived in Los Angeles, he eventually became his accomplice. In 1975, Bianchi had lost two suitcases on his grueling trip from Rochester to Los Angeles and would not retrieve them for several days. Meeting him at the terminal was Angelo Buono.
Angelo Buono was a dysfunctional, violent, sadistic adult. His mother and father split when he was young. Buono was eventually sucked into petty crimes while still in school. As a child, he idolized rapist Caryl Chessman, who lured victims in by posing as police officers.
When Bianchi arrived in L.A. his first priority was finding a way to “pay his way with Angelo”. Bianchi managed to score a job as a real estate customer service clerk with Cal Land.
In 1977 at a New Year’s Eve party, he met Kelli Kae Boyd who worked at the company’s head office in Universal City. Boyd was a stunning brunette with large brown eyes who quickly fell for Bianchi’s smooth approach. However, she quickly ended the relationship because of Bianchi’s insecurity and immaturity.
With enough cash, Kenneth left Buono’s and rented rooms at Tamarind Apartments. He would later reward Kelli again by sending her frequent flowers. Before long, she was pregnant with his child.
Kenneth Bianchi would later become “Dr. Bianchi” after purchasing fraudulent diplomas in hopes of receiving business. Long story short, Kelli frequently kicked him out and Ken frequently came back.
Buono and Bianchi after some time bought a “trick list” from a sex worker, Deborah Noble, and Yolanda Washington with names of men who regularly visited sex workers. This would be the cousin's idea of a way to fast cash. But they would soon discover this list was fake and Noble and Washington had no plan to work for the cousins.
At 1:34 p.m. on Monday, October 18, 1977, a naked body was found lying on its stomach along Forest Lawn Drive, just south of the Ventura Freeway. The body was lying in a crucifixion position, which appeared that the body had been dragged by two men in a vehicle and dropped near a broken pile of concrete. The body was immediately identified as Yolanda Washington by Vice officers. She was a tall, leggy, black woman with almond-shaped eyes and medium-length black hair. She was a part-time waitress and sex worker. She was last seen alive around midnight as she was solicited for business at Vista and Sunset Boulevards. The autopsy showed she had been raped; one of the men was a non-secretor. A non-secretor is a condition in which individuals of blood groups A, B, or AB do not secrete antigen characteristics in bodily fluids ( saliva, semen, etc.). This condition makes up 20 percent of the U.S. population. There were marks around Yolanda Washington’s wrists. She was strangled in the backseat of Bianchi’s car, taking her turquoise ring ( he would later gift this to Kelli Boyd).
Sometime after midnight on Monday, October 31, 1977, a white female was abducted from the Hollywood region of Howard and Wilcox. The female was later identified as Judith “Judy” Ann Miller, a 15-year-old unattractive girl with medium-length reddish-brown hair. She lived in the ramshackle hotel, her base as a part-time sex worker. Her naked body laid close to the curb, covered by a tarp by the property owner, to avoid neighborhood children from seeing the corpse. Her neck was badly bruised, proving she was strangled. She had ligature marks on her ankles and wrists. Detectives determined Miller was not murdered at that location; but rather around midnight, six hours before she was discovered. It was clear she had been additionally raped and sodomized.
The strangler's third victim was 21-year old Terrisa Kastin, a part-time sex worker and waitress. She was moderately attractive with a Roman nose and bushy dark hair. Kastin was stopped by Buono and Bianchi at 9;15 p.m. on Saturday, November 5 , 1977, who were posing as police officers and ordered her into their black over the white sedan. Buono was repulsed by her hairy legs and had raped her with what was later identified to be a foreign object. At 1;15 a.m. the next day, Kastin’s body was found at Chevy Chase and Linda Vista.
Jill Barcombe, an 18-year-old sex worker who had moved to Hollywood. She was last seen alive at Pico and Ocean Boulevards around 7:00 p.m on Wednesday, November 9, 1977. She was found naked and strangled at 5:00 a.m. at Franklin Canyon Drive and Mulholland. Jill had put up a severe fight; severe head trauma was present.
Jane King, a 28-year-old aspiring actress who was last seen alive at 9500 Lemona at 10:10 p.m. on Wednesday, November 9, 1977. Bianchi and Buono posed as police officers and “arrested” her on suspicion of prostitution. She was brought back to Bueno's home where she was raped and suffocated over a four-hour time period. Her naked body was found on a “bed of dead leaves undergrowth of the Los Feliz exit ramp of the Golden State Freeway on Wednesday, November 23. King was found on her back with her right knee drawn up.
14-year-old Sonja Johnson and 12-year-old Dolly Cepeda were last seen alive on Sunday, November 13, 1977, boarding a bus at the Eagle Plaza, a quarter-mile from Buono’s house. Once again, posing as police officers, the cousins lured the girls by accusing them of shoplifting. The girls were found at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 20th by children playing on a dumpster at Landa and Stadium Way.
Kimberly Martin, another woman to fall victim to the Hillside Stranglers at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16, 1977. Buono and Bianchi once again posed as police officers and lured Martin into their car. She was found fully clothed, strangled, with her throat cut the following day at 8:30 a.m. at Burnside and Curson.
20-year-old Kristina Weckler was formerly pestered for a date by Bianchi who had met her at his previous apartment complex. Knowing Bianchi was with Kelli Boyd, she politely declined. Her naked body was found on Ranon’s Way and Nawona on Sunday, November 20th. Obvious enough to note, there were two puncture marks on her arm, but no signs pointed to drug addiction. Bianchi said that at around 6:00 p.m. they lured her out as police officers claimed someone had crashed into her car. Once outside, the cousins dragged her to Buono’s home to try a new method. They had intended to inject Weckler with cleaning fluid. However, their bestial method failed, they covered her head with a plastic bag and piped coal gas into her lungs. Kristina Weckler convulsed to death, dying from strangulation by ligature for over an hour.
Three other women fell victim to The Hillside Stranglers' horrific rape and torture methods leaving these women dying in agony. However, one of those women, Cindy Hudspeth, a 20-year-old college student who was found in the trunk of an orange Datsun over a cliff close to the ravine of Angeles Crest Highway. She was also found nude and raped with ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. This would be the last murder Buono and Bianchi committed together and Buono’s last murder before he would be arrested.
In 1978, Kenneth Bianchi had moved to Bellingham, Washington to be with Kelli Boyd and his son Ryan. There he was employed as a security guard. From there, he applied to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Reserve. This was his last known place of employment, the actual dates are unknown.
On January 12, 1978, the police were made aware that two young women, Karen Mandic and Diane Wilder were missing from Western Washington University. Later, they discover that Bianchi had offered the two women to house sit for him in exchange for $100. Eventually, the police are led to an abandoned car in a remote area in a heavily wooded area. Inside the car, they discovered the bodies of Mandic and Wilder, both women had been strangled and their bodies had multiple bruises that were apparent. Using probable cause, the police were able to gather a warrant to search Kenneth Bianchi’s house. During their search, they had found the jewelry belonging to Kimberly Martin and Yolanda Washington that was gifted to Kelli Boyd. Finally, the police had something. They had Kenneth Bianchi for the murders and or the association with the murders of twelve women.
On October 22, 1978, Angelo Buono was arrested for his involvement in the murder of 10 women after Bianchi told police his involvement.
Today, 70-year-old Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono would be 87 years old if not for his heart attack in 2002. He was 64. The men were both apprehended in 1979; Bianchi, who testified against Buono to receive a lighter sentence pled guilty to five counts of murder. Buono was charged with nine counts of first-degree murder. Angelo Buono was sent to Calipatria State Prison to serve his life sentence without the possibility of parole. Currently, the still-living Kenneth Bianchi resides in the Washington State Penitentiary. May the victims mentioned in this article rest in peace and if your Bianchi or Buono rest in a fiery hell forever.
employment or follow a career path in college.
But Kenneth Bianchi’s crimes could not be completed without the mention of Angelo Buono, his adoptive cousin who lived in Los Angeles, he eventually became his accomplice. In 1975, Bianchi had lost two suitcases on his grueling trip from Rochester to Los Angeles and would not retrieve them for several days. Meeting him at the terminal was Angelo Buono.
Angelo Buono was a dysfunctional, violent, sadistic adult. His mother and father split when he was young. Buono was eventually sucked into petty crimes while still in school. As a child, he idolized rapist Caryl Chessman, who lured victims in by posing as police officers.
When Bianchi arrived in L.A. his first priority was finding a way to “pay his way with Angelo”. Bianchi managed to score a job as a real estate customer service clerk with Cal Land.
In 1977 at a New Year’s Eve party, he met Kelli Kae Boyd who worked at the company’s head office in Universal City. Boyd was a stunning brunette with large brown eyes who quickly fell for Bianchi’s smooth approach. However, she quickly ended the relationship because of Bianchi’s insecurity and immaturity.
With enough cash, Kenneth left Buono’s and rented rooms at Tamarind Apartments. He would later rewoo Kelli again by sending her frequent flowers. Before long, she was pregnant with his child.
Kenneth Bianchi would later become “Dr. Bianchi” after purchasing fraudulent diplomas in hopes of receiving business. Long story short, Kelli frequently kicked him out and Ken frequently came back.
Buono and Bianchi after some time bought a “trick list” from a sex worker, Deborah Noble, and Yolanda Washington with names of men who regularly visited sex workers. This would be the cousin's idea of a way to fast cash. But they would soon discover this list was fake and Noble and Washington had no plan to work for the cousins.
At 1:34 p.m. on Monday, October 18, 1977, a naked body was found lying on its stomach along Forest Lawn Drive, just south of the Ventura Freeway. The body was lying in a crucifixion position, which appeared that the body had been dragged by two men in a vehicle and dropped near a broken pile of concrete. The body was immediately identified as Yolanda Washington by Vice officers. She was a tall, leggy, black woman with almond-shaped eyes and medium length black hair. She was a part-time waitress and sex worker. She was last seen alive around midnight as she was solicited for business at Vista and Sunset Boulevards. The autopsy showed she had been raped; one of the men was a non-secretor. A non-secretor is a condition in which individuals of blood groups A, B, or AB who do not secrete antigen characteristics in bodily fluids ( saliva, semen, etc.). This condition makes up 20 percent of the U.S. population. There were marks around Yolanda Washington’s wrists. She was strangled in the backseat of Bianchi’s car, taking her turquoise ring ( he would later gift this to Kelli Boyd).
Sometime after midnight on Monday, October 31, 1977, a white female was abducted from the Hollywood region of Howard and Wilcox. The female was later identified as Judith “Judy” Ann Miller, a 15 year old unattractive girl with medium length reddish brown hair. She lived in ramshackle hotel, her base as a part time sex worker. Her naked body laid close to the curb, covered by a tarp by the property owner, to avoid neighborhood children from seeing the corpse. Her neck was badly bruised, proving she was strangled. She had ligature marks on her ankles and wrists. Detectives determined Miller was not murdered at that location; but rather around midnight, six hours before she was discovered. It was clear she had been additionally raped and sodomized.
The stranglers third victim was 21 year old Terrisa Kastin, a part time sex worker and waitress. She was moderately attractive with a Roman nose and bushy dark hair. Kastin was stopped by Buono and Bianchi at 9;15 p.m. on Saturday, November 5 , 1977 who were posing as police officers and ordered her into their black over white sedan. Buono was repulsed by her hairy legs and had raped her with what was later identified to be a foreign object. At 1;15 a.m. the next day, Kastin’s body was found at Chevy Chase and Linda Vista.
Jill Barcombe, an 18 year old sex worker who had moved to Hollywood. She was last seen alive at Pico and Ocean Boulevards around 7:00 p.m on Wednesday, November 9, 1977. She was found naked and strangled at 5:00 a.m. at Franklin Canyon Drive and Mulholland. Jill had put up a severe fight; severe head trauma was present.
Jane King, a 28 year old aspiring actress who was last seen alive at 9500 Lemona at 10:10 p.m. on Wednesday, November 9, 1977. Bianchi and Buono posed as police officers and “arrested” her on suspicion of prostitution. She was brought back to Buonos home where she was raped, and suffocated over a four hour time period. Her naked body was found on a “bed of dead leaves undergrowth of the Los Feliz exit ramp of the Golden State Freeway on Wednesday, November 23. King was found on her back with her right knee drawn up.
14 year old Sonja Johnson and 12 year old Dolly Cepeda were last seen alive on Sunday, November 13, 1977, boarding a bus at the Eagle Plaza, a quarter mile from Buono’s house. Once again, posing as police officers, the cousins lured the girls by accusing them of shoplifting. The girls were found at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 20th by children playing on a dumpster at Landa and Stadium Way.
Kimberly Martin, another woman to fall victim to the Hillside Stranglers at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16, 1977. Buono and Bianchi once again posed as police officers and lured Martin into their car. She was found fully clothed, strangled, with her throat cut the following day at 8:30 a.m. at Burnside and Curson.
20 year old Kristina Weckler, was formerly pestered for a date by Bianchi who had met her at his previous apartment complex. Knowing Bianchi was with Kelli Boyd, she politely declined. Her naked body was found on Ranon’s Way and Nawona on Sunday, November 20th. Obvious enough to note, there were two puncture marks on her arm, but no signs pointed to a drug addiction. Bianchi said that at around 6:00 p.m. they lured her out as police officers claimed someone had crashed into her car. Once outside, the cousins dragged her to Buono’s home to try a new method. They had intended to inject Weckler with cleaning fluid. However, their bestial method failed, they covered her head with a plastic bag and piped coal gas into her lungs. Kristina Weckler convulsed to death, dying from strangulation by ligature for over an hour.
Three other women fell victim to The Hillside Stranglers horrfiic rape and torture methods leaving these women dying in agony. However, one of those women, Cindy Hudspeth, a 20 year old college student who was found in the trunk of an orange Datsun over a cliff close to the ravine of Angeles Crest Highway. She was also found nude and raped with ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. This would be the last murder Buono and Bianchi committed together and Buono’s last murder before he would be arrested.
In 1978, Kenneth Bianchi had moved to Bellingham, Washington to be with Kelli Boyd and his son Ryan. There he was employed as a security guard. From there, he applied to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Reserve. This was his last known place of employment, the actual dates are unknown.
January 12, 1978 the police were made aware that two young women, Karen Mandic and Diane Wilder were missing from Western Washington University. Later, they discover that Bianchi had offered the two women to house sit for him in exchange for $100. Eventually, the police are led to an abandoned car in the remote area in a heavily wooded area. Inside the car, they discovered the bodies of Mandic and Wilder, both women had been strangled and their bodies had multiple bruises that were apparent. Using probable cause, the police were able to gather a warrant to search Kenneth Bianchi’s house. During their search, they had found the jewelry belonging to Kimberly Martin and Yolanda Washington that was gifted to Kelli Boyd. Finally, the police had something. They had Kenneth Bianchi for the murders and or the association with the murders of twelve women.
On October 22, 1978 Angelo Buono was arrested for his involvement in the murder of 10 women after Bianchi told police his involvement.
Today, 70 year old Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono would be 87 years old if not for his heart attack in 2002. He was 64.The men were both apprehended in 1979; Bianchi, who testified against Buono to receive a lighter sentence pled guilty to five counts of murder. Buono was charged with nine counts of first degree murder. Angelo Buono was sent to Calipatria State Prison to serve his life sentence without the possibility of parole. Currently, the still living Kenneth Bianchi resides in the Washington State Penitentiary. May the victims mentioned in this article rest in peace and if your Bianchi or Buono rest in a fiery hell forever.
Image Credit Etsy
Comments