The Hillside Stranglers were cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr.

These serial killers terrorized Los Angeles from October 1977 to February 1978, murdering at least 10 young women by raping, torturing, and strangling them before dumping their bodies on hillsides around Glendale and Highland Park--earning their grim nickname from the media. Posing as police officers with fake badges, they lured victims ranging from sex workers to middle-class women and girls as young as 12, exploiting the era's fears in a city gripped by panic.

Key Players

  • Kenneth Bianchi (born 1951): The more impulsive cousin who moved from Rochester, NY, to LA in 1976 to live with Buono; he later killed two more women alone in Washington state before his arrest.
  • Angelo Buono Jr. : The older cousin (aged 42 at the time) who owned an upholstery shop and turned their shared fantasies of power into reality at his home, where much of the torture occurred.

Their partnership unraveled when Bianchi fled to Washington, committed further murders, and tried faking multiple personalities ("Steve Walker") in court--a ploy debunked before he testified against Buono to dodge execution. Bianchi got life without parole; Buono died in prison in 2002.

The Gruesome Timeline

  1. October 1977 : First victims Yolanda Washington (19, sex worker) and Judith Ann Miller (15, runaway) found strangled on hillsides.
  1. November-December : Elissa Kastin (21, dancer), Dolores Cepeda (12), and Sonja Johnson (14)--abducted near a laundry--escalated public terror.
  1. Peak horror : Five more, including Jane King (28), Lauren Wagner (18), and Kimberly Martin (17, call girl), killed in quick succession.
  1. February 1978 : Final LA victim Cindy Hudspeth (20); Bianchi's solo crimes followed soon after.

Imagine the LAPD's desperation: Bodies posed with legs spread, some injected with chemicals to mimic death, dumped in plain sight as if taunting investigators--one of the longest trials in U.S. history ensued.

Motives and Multiple Views

Forums like Reddit speculate on twisted misogyny fueled by rejection (Buono's failed romances, Bianchi's insecurities), power trips over vulnerable women they deemed "disposable," and sadistic thrills from torture. Some accounts highlight Bianchi's charm masking rage; others pin Buono as the dominant sadist. No single "motive" explains it--psych profiles point to antisocial personality disorders amplified by their cousinly bond.

Cultural Echoes Today

Even in 2026, Bianchi's recent MGM+ docuseries interview reignites debates on evil's roots. True crime pods like Crime Junkie keep it trending, reminding us how this duo shattered LA's glamour myth. No "latest news" on releases--both caged for life.

TL;DR : Cousins Bianchi and Buono raped/tortured 10+ women in 1970s LA, posing as cops; caught via Bianchi's blunders, they died or linger in prison.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.