[33][34] Bonin was to remain at the convent until May 31, 1955, when he returned to live with his parents in a home owned by Bonin's maternal grandfather located at 465 Stafford Road in Mansfield, Connecticut. For the next several decades, San Quentin was the David McVicker had also contacted authorities by this time to report his suspicions Bonin may be the Freeway Killer. [322], Charvet repeatedly reminded the jury he had exposed myriad inconsistencies in the testimony of Munro's account of the murder of Wells in the various statements he had given, and had compelled him to admit that he lied on numerous occasions. Profile of Serial Killer Richard Angelo. I pulled a knife on him and he got scared. Years later, I still wake up in the middle of the night, experiencing flashbacks. He left no suicide note. Shelton was then twice strangled over a fifteen-minute period with Butts' assistance. [393] He was later sentenced to a concurrent term of 25 years to life by an Orange County court judge for the abduction and murder of James Macabe. [n 21], Shortly after Bonin's arrival at San Quentin State Prison, he became close friends with serial killer Lawrence Bittaker, whom he had previously been incarcerated with at Los Angeles County jail. I think I've accepted the fact that this may come about, and I've made my peace with it and if it happens, it happens. Actively bisexual and frequently abusing drugs and alcohol, Butts performed public magic acts at schools, privately for small groups,[133] and for children's parties in which he charged $30 per show to perform for audiences. It is full of quotes from the police, victims, and the perpetrators, which make it a real story rather than just facts. In early 1966, Bonin dropped out of high school and obtained employment with the help of his father. After Pugh had bludgeoned and beat Turner about the head and body for several minutes,[240] Bonin strangled Turner to death with his own T-shirt and a tire iron before discarding his body at the rear delivery door to a Los Angeles business. A drifter who had been in and out of penal institutions, Butts was later speculated by court prosecutors to have developed a fascination with sadistic homosexual activity while in jail. Bonin also corresponded with numerous individuals, including the mothers of some of his victims,[317] although he never expressed any regret or remorse over having murdered their sons, purposefully withholding information his victims' families sought and seemingly deriving pleasure from their discontent. His body was found on May 18, and his autopsy revealed that in addition to being bound and sodomized, Sharp had been extensively beaten about the face and body, then strangled with a ligature. But saving a fellow airman at great personal risk and being awarded a Good Conduct Medal doesn't necessarily make you a good man. Shortly after McVicker entered Bonin's Opel Kadett, he asked him whether he had engaged in homosexuality or was homosexual. Beating the youth into submission, McDonald orally copulated Bonin before being subject to genital squeezing and rape in the van. Police had been searching for a suspect responsible for the murders of 42 boys during an eight . Bonin was not a first offender. [73], At approximately 4:07p.m. the same day, 15-year-old Russell Duane Rugh was abducted from a bus stop in Garden Grove. [222] He then bound Macabe, telling him he was being kidnapped for ransom. That may not happen, but it's clear he won . [194] Prior to his death by ligature strangulation, Hyden had been bound, beaten about the face, sodomized, then stabbed in the neck and genitalia and bludgeoned about the skull. He clocked up almost 1,000 hours of active patrol time in the conflict, even winning a medal for bravery. Mark Duane Shelton (17): Disappeared on August 4, 1979, and found on August 11, 1979, in San Bernardino County; sodomised with various objects and unintentionally killed after he went into shock. [264], While at the Angell Street residence, Munro who was bisexual and preferred sexual relations with females began a consensual sexual relationship with Bonin. In one article published in the San Francisco Chronicle three days prior to Bonin's execution, editor Robert Morse opined: Bonin was abused as a child. Describing the murders as "a gross, revolting affront to human dignity", Keene further ordered at this hearing that if Bonin's death sentence were commuted to one of life imprisonment, the sentences should run consecutively. [300] He initially pleaded innocent to two charges of first-degree murder on December 18,[215] but pleaded guilty at two separate pretrial hearings in May 1981. People believe there were many more victims. Thomas Glen Lundgren (13): Disappeared and found on May 28, 1979, in Los Angeles County; emasculated, bludgeoned, stabbed, slashed his throat, and fatally strangled. [58], Following these events, Bonin lured and molested several neighborhood children,[43] pleading guilty to a petty theft charge for which he was fined $56 in late 1965. William Bonin "The Freeway Killer" was executed on February 23, 1996 by lethal injection. In a matter-of-fact tone, Bonin then informed Pugh: "If you want to kill somebody, you should make a plan and find a place to dump the body before you even pick a victim. This incident wounded his self-esteem and increased Bonin's belief that he "just couldn't make it with girls" as romantic partners; he resolved to never allow a female to hurt him this deeply again. As they had eaten the burgers at Bonin's home, Bonin laughed and mused: "Thanks, Steve, wherever you are"[118] before Munro had also joined in the laughter. Michael Francis McDonald (16): Disappeared and found on January 1, 1980, in San Bernardino County; mutilated and strangled to death with ligature after being assaulted. [333] This security measure was largely due to the fact he had previously received a severe beating by an incarcerated gang member with whom he had shared a cell. [65][66] According to Bonin, he engaged in allegedly consensual relations with four young girls and had a "number of homosexual encounters" in Vietnam, as well as a 25-year-old female prostitute in Hong Kong,[67][63] although he also confessed to sexually assaulting two soldiers under his command at gunpoint during the period of the Tet Offensive. [19][17], Frequently arguing with his wife who obtained a job at a local thread mill to supplement for his gambling habit over finances, Bonin's father lost their home in Andover, Connecticut, in a high stakes poker game in January 1950, forcing the family to reside with Bonin's maternal grandmother in Willimantic and continuing to spend his money each night by gambling and drinking at local bars. He shares this epithet with two separate and unrelated serial killers active in and around southern California in the 1970s: Patrick Kearney and Randy Kraft. [21] In spite of this dysfunctional environment, Bonin and his brothers were actively raised Catholic by their parents and baptized according to church doctrine. His reporting on the Bonin story earned him the first of several Emmy Awards. [330] Bonin was then ordered to be remanded to the warden of San Quentin State Prison, to await execution in the gas chamber. According to Douglas, Bonin had held a newspaper article aloft before saying to him: "These are the little boys I got ahold of". Retrieving the youth from his vehicle and handcuffing him, Bonin choked him in the parking lot before threatening to murder and sodomize Jones if he did not comply with orders. As far as how I'm going to feel at that very moment, I can't answer that question. Returning home, his mother promptly reported Bonin to police. [349] Alice Benton subsequently agreed to pay restitution for receiving these payments in March 1996, claiming neither she or her son were aware of the illegality of their actions.[383]. On one occasion, he was humiliated and rejected by a girl whom he had worked up his courage to approach and ask for a date. [141] Raised in Lakewood, Miley's mother had a series of reportedly dysfunctional marriages and severely neglected him. [252] Moreover, the inner handles from the passenger-side and rear doors of his vehicle had been removed in an obvious effort to prevent victims from escaping the vehicle. When arrested, he informed law enforcement that "next time there won't be any more witnesses. [310], Miley and Munro testified against Bonin at his Los Angeles County trial, describing in graphic detail the murders in which they had accompanied Bonin. [96] He also sought to raise money for the family of another prisoner, and reportedly applied willingly for at least one treatment program. At about 6 p.m., he was escorted into the death watch cell. [360] According to several of these witnesses, Bonin's execution passed without complications, and he was heavily sedated throughout the latter stages of the procedure. I particularly like the way the facts are given in a fresh, clean way, with . The first execution of a prisoner took place in the prison way back in 1893. [160][n 11], In a minimum of twelve of the murders, Bonin who considered murder a "group sport"[162] was assisted by one or more of his four known accomplices. This administrative error totaling approximately $79,424 was only discovered after a funeral director notified the Social Security Administration of Bonin's death. According to Bonin and Munro, upon learning Wells was bisexual, Bonin engaged in consensual relations with Wells in the rear of his van before persuading the youth to accompany him to his parents' house, where the two engaged in further sexual relations on Bonin's parents' bed. Charvet then hearkened towards the credibility of some of the delivered testimony, pouring particular scorn upon Miley and Munro, whom he emphasized had turned state's evidence and thus, he alleged, had tailored their testimony to the desires of the police. [84] He also expressed a belief that his Vietnam service contributed to his criminal behavior, emphasizing his difficulties in seducing female partners since his return. Butts was adamant he had had only a limited role in the actual torture of the victims, but confessed to actively participating in the torture of one victim. [57] Despite this, Bonin desiring to please his mother and appear normal soon began dating a young girl at his high school named Linda shortly after turning seventeen, with whom he was never "completely comfortable". As far as I know, I'm the only surviving victim. [299] On August 22, Miley by this stage 19 years old was arrested in Texas and subsequently charged by California authorities with the murders of Miranda and Macabe. LOS ANGELES -- Freeway Killer William Bonin, convicted of luring 10 youths into his 'death van' for sessions of sex, torture and murder, predicts he will be condemned to die in the gas chamber.. Reaching an abandoned gas station, Bonin parked the vehicle and coaxed Shelton to orally copulate him and endure rape. Serial Killer - William bonin. [154] Later that evening, Bonin drove from Downey to Hollywood with Gregory Miley with the specific intention of committing a murder with him. [261] Upon hearing the confidential tip from the counselor, St. John conducted an extensive interview with Pugh the following day. [396] Initially, he was evaluated at the prison medical facility before returning to his cell; he was later airlifted to hospital after falling into unconsciousness two hours after the attack. He remained unmoved upon receipt of this sentence, having earlier informed his attorney he fully expected to formally receive the death penalty. Bonin then retrieved a Buck Knife, proceeding to intimidate Grabs as Butts drove toward Bonin's home[180] where the youth was again sodomized and beaten. Bonin would later allege he had been intimately involved with Sharp, and had taken him out to Knott's Berry Farm for a date when his (Bonin's) girlfriend was absent. Bonin became known as the "Freeway Killer", as well as the Freeway Strangler,[8] due to the fact that the majority of his victims' bodies were discovered alongside numerous freeways in southern California. William Bonin, who grew up in a dysfunctional home, was allegedly a victim of child abuse. My father used to beat the shit out of me. Robert Christopher Wirostek (18): Disappeared on September 17, 1979, and found on September 27, 1979, in Orange County; raped and strangled to death with ligature after being assaulted with a tire iron. [111] Months later in April 1979, Bonin's parole supervision concluded. [275][268], At approximately 9p.m., the two drove to Butts' Lakewood apartment[276] as Bonin informed Munro that he, Butts, and others had committed many of the "Freeway Killer" murders. A search of Kraft's vehicle revealed an envelope containing over fifty Polaroid pictures of young men either drugged or deceased in suggestive poses. Video unavailable. [137], Months later, Bonin suggested that they rape and murder a teenage hitchhiker during one of these discussions. 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