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In the late 1970s, Los Angeles was a hotbed for serial killers. Randy Kraft roamed Southern California's seemingly endless network of highways, murdering young men. William Bonin, the “Freeway Killer,” prowled the streets in a beat-up van, killing at least 21 boys and young men. Scene near 2006 N. Alvarado Street in Silver Lake where ...
William George Bonin (January 8, 1947 – February 23, 1996), also called the Freeway Killer [2] and the Freeway Strangler, [3] was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured, and murdered young men and boys between November 1968 and June 1980 in southern California. He was convicted of 14 murders, but he confessed to 21 and ...
Photo date: September 21, 1989. "Freeway Killer" William George Bonin, who had been accused of the murder of one boy, was charged on July 30, 1988, with an additional 13 counts of murder. A second suspect, Vernon Butts, was charged with being an accomplice in six of those killings.
- Childhood - Teen Years
- A Vow to Never Get Caught Again
- Freeway Killer Victims
- Co-Defendants
- Arrest, Conviction, Execution
Born in Connecticut on January 8, 1947, Bonin was the middle child of three brothers. He grew up in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father and a grandfather who was a convicted child molester. Early on he was a troubled kid and ran away from home when he was eight years old. He was later sent to a juvenile detention center for various smal...
He was first arrested at age 22 for sexually assaulting young boys and spent five years in jail. After his release, he molested a 14-year-old boy and was returned to prison for an additional four years. Vowing never to get caught again, he began killing his young victims. From 1979 until his arrest in June 1980, Bonin, along with his accomplices, w...
Thomas Lundgren, age 14, murdered on May 28, 1979. Accomplices Vernon Butts and William PughMark Shelton, age 17, murdered on August 4, 1979Marcus Grabs, age 17, murdered on August 5, 1979. Accomplice Vernon ButtsDonald Hayden, age 15, murdered on August 27, 1979. Accomplice Vernon ButtsVernon Butts: Butts was 22 years old and a factory worker and part-time magician when he met Bonin and began participating in raping and murdering at least six boys. He hung himself while awaiting...Gregory Miley: Miley was 19 years old when he got involved with Bonin. He pled guilty to participating in one murder for which he received a sentence of 25 years to life. He is currently in prison.James Munro: Bonin was Munro's boss and landlord when Munro participated in the murders of two boys. In a plea bargain, he pled guilty to one murder and received a sentence of 15 years to life. He...William (Billy) Pugh: was the most active accomplice who was charged with one murder, although he confessed to killing two victims. He received six years for voluntary manslaughterin a plea bargain.After William Bonin's arrest, he confessed to killing 21 young boys and young men. Police suspected him in an additional 15 other murders. Charged with 14 of the 21 killings, Bonin was found guilty and sentenced to death. On February 23, 1996, Bonin was executed by lethal injection, making him the first person to be executed by lethal injection in ...
- Charles Montaldo
Oct 30, 2021 · In just one year between 1979 and 1980, "Freeway Strangler" William George Bonin murdered at least 21 victims, though some suspect he killed over a dozen more. Los Angeles Public Library Archives Pedophile and serial killer William George Bonin raped and murdered up to 36 victims while prowling the freeways of southern California.
- John Kuroski
Aug 11, 2023 · RELATED: 5 Serial Killers Who Terrorized Orange County. Bonin was dubbed the Freeway Killer because his victims were found dumped alongside major highways and roads. As far as authorities know, he was 32 the first time he took a life, but the two-time parolee already had stints in jail with a rap sheet a mile long for kidnapping, assault, and rape.
Execution Day. William Bonin. On February 23, 1996, the people of the state of California finally followed through on their decision that the world would be a better place without William Bonin. After fighting for his life for 17 years, the notorious "Freeway Killer" became the first person to be executed by lethal injection in California.
