William Bonin
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Too long Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox serial killer William George Bonin (January 8, 1947 – February 23, 1996), also called the Freeway Killer<ref name="Gregory">Template:Cite news</ref> and the Freeway Strangler,<ref name="McDougal 1991 145">Template:Harvnb</ref> was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured, and murdered numerous young men and boys between May 1979 and June 1980 in southern California. He was convicted of 14 murders, but he confessed to 21 and is suspected of even more.<ref name="Justia1980">Template:Cite web</ref>
Bonin's first known murder victim was killed in May 1979. He generally operated by luring his victims into his van under the pretense of having consensual sex. He became known as the "Freeway Killer" because most of his victims' bodies were discovered beside freeways. On many occasions, he was helped by one of his four known accomplices. One of them, Vernon Butts, was listed in court as an accomplice for 12 murders; he died via suicide before his trial in 1982.
Described by the prosecutor at his first trial as "the most arch-evil person who ever existed",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he spent 14 years on death row before his execution by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison in 1996. He was the first prisoner in California to die by this method.
Early life
Childhood
William George Bonin was born in Willimantic, Connecticut, on January 8, 1947, the second of three sons to Robert Leonard Bonin Sr. and Alice Dorothy Cote. Both parents were alcoholics, and his father an ill-tempered World War II veteran who physically abused his wife and children.<ref name="harvnbMcDougal1991p=161">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="justia2">Template:Cite web</ref> His mother suffered from severe mood swings<ref name="harvnbMcDougal1991p=161"/><ref name="Defense Still Fighting as 'Freeway Killer'">Template:Cite news</ref> and frequented a bingo parlor while her sons remained unattended.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 27">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Pelto 2007 122">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="sfgate.com">Template:Cite news</ref> She was regarded as being a domineering and emasculating presence in Bonin's early life.<ref name="Munro">Template:Cite web</ref>
In January 1950, Bonin's Template:Nowrapa compulsive gamblerTemplate:Nowrapgambled away their home in Andover, Connecticut, forcing the family to reside with Bonin's maternal grandmother in Willimantic.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 26-28">Template:Harvnb</ref> In spite of this dysfunctional environment, Bonin and his brothers were actively raised Catholic and baptized according to church doctrine.<ref name="Pelto 2007 306">Template:Harvnb</ref> They attended St. Mary's Catholic School, where staff repeatedly made complaints of Bonin's aggression toward other students, truancy, and other misbehavior. After riding his bike into a group of young girls, he was briefly placed in juvenile hall.<ref name="Pelto 2022 29">Template:Harvnb</ref> After returning home, he was reportedly more uncooperative toward his parents than before.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 30"/>
In September 1953, Bonin and his older brother, Robert Jr., were placed at the Franco-American School, a Catholic convent, in Lowell, Massachusetts.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 31">Template:Harvnb</ref> The convent enforced harsh discipline by staff, with extreme assault being commonplace.<ref name="Reading Eagle">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Radford"/> Bonin recalled nuns forcing him to punch a fence when he misbehaved.<ref name="Pelto 2022 32">Template:Harvnb</ref> Records indicate he was observed to function well in this structured environment.<ref name="justia2"/>
According to witnesses, Bonin was bullied,<ref name="The Freeway Tapes">Template:Cite web</ref> and was once sexually assaulted by an older boy in 1955. According to Bonin, the older boy approached Bonin for sex, and Bonin asked the boy to tie his hands behind his back, which he said would allow him to feel "secure and less frightened."<ref name="Pelto 2022 29"/><ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past"/> Bonin was then bound and sexually assaulted.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 30">Template:Harvnb</ref>
During this time at the convent, neither parent visited Bonin or his brother, and Bonin became worried his parents had died.<ref name="Pelto 2022 32" /><ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5" /> Bonin was to remain at the convent until May 1955, when he returned to live with his parents in a home owned by Bonin's maternal grandfather in Mansfield.<ref name="Reading Eagle" /><ref name="The Hour">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Pelto 2022 38">Template:Harvnb</ref>
In Mansfield, Bonin attended Annie Vinton Elementary School with his younger brother Paul, where he was ridiculed as "Bugsie Bonin".<ref name="The Freeway Tapes"/> He became a juvenile delinquent who quarreled with students. Bonin recalled feeling shame at his sexual attraction to younger children and male teachers.<ref name="Radford">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 38-40">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="justia3">Template:Cite web</ref> Neighbors later failed to recollect his parents spending time with their children,<ref name="O'Kane 2017 178">Template:Harvnb</ref> and one worried neighbor, observing they were unkempt and hungry, provided meals and clean clothes to Bonin and Paul out of sympathy.<ref name="sfgate.com" /><ref name="Reading Eagle" />
Until Bonin's first incarceration, Bonin's mother often left the children with their maternal grandfather, a known child molester who had sexually abused her. She later speculated her father molested his grandsons.<ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past" /><ref name="sfgate.com" /><ref name="Rosewood 2015 5">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin and Paul were also left with Robert Jr., Template:Nowraphaving received the brunt of their father's abuse<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 39">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Nowrapoften beat and belittled his siblings.<ref name="Reading Eagle" />
Largely devoid of consequences and parental supervision, Bonin stole hubcaps, license plates and metal tags off vehicles around town.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 40">Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1957 he was placed in a juvenile detention center for these and other petty crimes.<ref name="sfgate.com" /><ref name="harvnb|McDougal|1991|p=161-162">Template:Harvnb</ref> While incarcerated, Bonin was molested by an adult counselor.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 5"/><ref name="McDougal 1991 162">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Refn Following his release, he began sexually fondling his younger brother Paul.<ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past" /><ref name="The Los Angeles Times">Template:Cite news</ref> After six months, however, Paul informed their mother of Bonin's fondling, and Bonin was forced to sleep in a separate bedroom.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 30"/> Bonin later confessed to molesting young boys<ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past" /> and exposing himself to a 10-year-old girl.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 40"/>
Adolescence
In 1959, Bonin attended middle school adjacent to Coventry High School. Despite showing a strong aptitude for math and science, he had otherwise mediocre grades. In late 1960, the family faced the prospect of foreclosure, and Bonin's mother kicked their father out of the home, winning custody of the siblings.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past"/> The parents reconciled however, after their father was offered lucrative employment as a machinist in Downey, California. In early 1962, they purchased a tract home in nearby Torrance.<ref name="Reading Eagle"/><ref name="The Hour"/><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Bonin attended North High School in Torrance, where he was regarded as a social outcast. However, Paul later recalled him as an outwardly well-behaved teenager.<ref name="The Vietnam War is to blame for the 14...">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Rosewood 2015 81">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin was uncomfortable around his peers, and is not known to have formed any friendships throughout his adolescence.<ref name="Pelto 2007 232">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> He spent his time frequenting a local bowling alley.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 44"/>
By his teenage years, Bonin held an intense interest in pedophilia,<ref name="McDougal 1991 162" /> but kept his emerging feelings a secret.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 44">Template:Harvnb</ref> His pederasty became the basis of conflict with his mother, leading to frequent arguments.<ref name="McDougal 1991 162"/><ref name="justia2"/><ref name="Death by Execution">Template:Cite news</ref> He rarely attempted to interact with girls, but once reluctantly dated a girl named Linda to please his mother.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 45">Template:Harvnb</ref>
After dropping out of high school in 1966, Bonin molested several neighborhood children.<ref name="The Los Angeles Times"/> His mother reportedly refused to acknowledge these acts, or his escalating antisocial behavior,<ref name="McDougal 1991 161">Template:Harvnb</ref> but frequently worried he would be arrested. She prayed for him and warned him often, much to his frustration.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 47">Template:Harvnb</ref> Eventually, she evicted him from their house, for undisclosed reasons.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 73">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="McDougal 1991 162" /><ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past" />
Lacking motivation, and frequently borrowing money from his parents, Bonin joined the United States Air Force (with his mother's encouragement) in December 1966.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 47"/> He became engaged to Linda, a decision largely determined by Bonin's mother, who felt it would quell his attraction to pubescent boys.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 48">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="justia2"/> During the engagement, he repeatedly told Linda that he had recurring nightmares about the sexual assault and murder of a young woman.<ref name="Gregory" />
Engagement and U.S. Air Force
During his military service, Bonin completed a General Equivalency Diploma, and served as a cook for four months in Alaska. He was arrested for theft on October 25, 1967, but the charges were dropped due to his imminent deployment to Vietnam.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 48"/> Stationed in Phu Loi Base Camp, he served five months of active duty in the 205th Assault Support Helicopter Unit as an aerial gunner, logging over 700 hours of combat and patrol time.<ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past"/><ref name="Victim">Template:Cite web</ref>
Bonin later claimed that his wartime experiences instilled misanthropic beliefs.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 9">Template:Harvnb</ref> Despite this, he is known to have risked his own life on one occasion while under enemy fire to save a wounded fellow airman.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> For this act, Bonin received a medal in recognition of his gallantry, among other medals.<ref name="auto4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bonin said he engaged in allegedly consensual relations with four young girls, and had a "number of homosexual encounters" in Vietnam, and once in Hong Kong.<ref name="Bonin arrest - Newspapers.com">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 50">Template:Harvnb</ref> He also confessed to sexually assaulting two soldiers under his command at gunpoint, around the time of the Tet Offensive.<ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Defense Still Fighting as 'Freeway Killer'"/>
Bonin served nearly three years, before receiving an honorable discharge on October 25, 1968, at age 21.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 52">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="harvnbMcDougal1991p=161"/> Upon returning home, he discovered that Linda, who had given birth to their son,<ref name="Gregory"/> had left him to marry another man.<ref name="justia2"/> The end of their relationship reportedly left him extremely frustrated.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 52"/> Working as a gas station attendant, Bonin returned to Downey to live with his parents, whom he resented for frequently requesting his help.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 85">Template:Harvnb</ref> Several family members noted differences in his behavior after his military service, although Bonin refused to explain these changes.<ref name="Death by Execution" /><ref name="justia2" />
First convictions
On November 17, 1968, Bonin picked up 14-year-old Billy Jones in Arcadia, California, while driving his mother's car.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 53">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin offered to take him home, but Jones attempted to flee the vehicle in response to Bonin's repeated questions regarding homosexuality. Driving him to a nearby shopping center, Bonin handcuffed and raped him, knocking him unconscious in the process.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 54">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="cjlf">Template:Cite web</ref> He then dropped Jones off at a park. Returning home, Jones' mother promptly reported Bonin to police.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 55">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="GArtesia">Template:Cite web</ref>
On November 26, Bonin picked up 17-year-old hitchhiker John Treadwell of Torrance. Bonin began asking him about "fags" and homosexuality before accelerating the vehicle and producing a handgun. Bonin parked in a secluded area. He then raped Treadwell and bludgeoned him with a tire iron. Bonin threatened that he had friends who would aid in avenging him if Treadwell told "The Man" of what had happened.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 56">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="GArtesia"/>
On December 4, it was reported to the Torrance Police Department by 17-year-old Allen Pruitt that a man with medium-length dark hair and olive complexion had offered him a ride before deviating from the highway and handcuffing the boy, who was extensively sexually assaulted in the vehicle.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 56"/>
On January 1, 1969, Bonin offered a ride to 12-year-old Lawrence Brettman in Hermosa Beach. Ignoring the boy's pleas to let him go, Bonin began threatening Brettman. He parked, and forced Brettman to perform oral sex on him, molesting and robbing him at gun point. He then threatened to kill Brettman if he ever reported the incident.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 57">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="cjlf"/>
On January 12, Bonin reportedly picked up 18-year-old hitchhiker Jesus Monge, asking him about homosexuality before offering him twenty dollars to perform oral sex. When Monge attempted to exit the vehicle, Bonin physically and sexually assaulted him. He was then handcuffed and raped. Bonin threatened Monge, stating, "I'll rip your nuts off if you don't cool it."<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 57"/>
By this point, extensive efforts were being made by local police to locate a potential serial rapist that fit Bonin's description. On the 28th an El Segundo policewoman confronted Bonin,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 57"/><ref name="cjlf"/> who had frightened 16-year-old runaway Timothy Wilson, who was present with Bonin in Bonin's mother's vehicle. Noting Bonin's frantic state and similar profile to the rapist, she searched and handcuffed him.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 58">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="McDougal 1991 162" /> Bonin repeatedly advised her to incarcerate him, before insisting he was not responsible for his actions.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 59">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Refn He was indicted on five counts of kidnapping, four counts of sodomy, one count of oral copulation, and one count of child molestation against the five individuals he had abducted and assaulted (or attempted to assault) since the previous November.<ref name="McDougal 1991 162" />
In March, Bonin underwent two psychiatric examinations, after which he was determined as being a sexual psychopath, who had little control over his impulses and showed signs of depression and inappropriate emotional responses. Initially denying childhood abuse, Bonin confessed to being molested at age eight, and suspected he was molested on various occasions between 9 and 12 years old.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 60-61">Template:Harvnb</ref> In May, Bonin recounted to a probation officer his recent stressful separation, and admitted his guilt in molesting male youths, although he also expressed desire to start a family and become a pilot upon his release.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 62-63">Template:Harvnb</ref> He said that his Vietnam service contributed to his criminal behavior, emphasizing his difficulties in seducing female partners since his return.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 64">Template:Harvnb</ref> He was evaluated to be "seriously lacking insight and responsibility" for crimes committed since his childhood. He pleaded guilty to molestation and forced oral copulation, and was sentenced to the Atascadero State Hospital in June 1969 as a mentally disordered sex offender considered amenable to treatment.<ref name="justia1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 65">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Incarceration at Atascadero and Vacaville prison
Bonin arrived at the Atascadero State Hospital on June 17, 1969;<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 67">Template:Harvnb</ref> he was subjected to a battery of psychiatric examinations<ref name="McDougal 1991 162"/> which revealed that he possessed an IQ of 121 and displayed traits of manic depression, sexual sadism disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. A physical examination revealed extensive scars on Bonin's head and buttocks, which he claimed to have no memory of obtaining, but were likely sustained in the Franco-American Orphanage.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 9"/> This lack of acknowledgement led experts to conclude Bonin repressed memories of the more extreme aspects of his childhood abuse.<ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past" /><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 74">Template:Harvnb</ref> They also noted the psychological and emotional implications of Bonin's unhealthy relationship with his mother, upon whom he remained emotionally dependent, in spite of her low opinion of him (she considered him "worthless as a human being"<ref name="McDougal 1991 162" />).<ref name="Death by Execution"/>
Bonin regularly attended group therapy sessions while incarcerated. Psychiatrists noted his defensive, aggressive attitude toward other patients, and his refusal to acknowledge his homosexuality.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 67"/>Template:Refn Bonin divulged his intentions to eliminate any future victims of his sexual assaults, if he deemed it necessary.<ref name="Accused Freeway Killer William Bonin Vowed">Template:Cite news</ref> He was classified as an extreme sociopath with a high probability of recidivistic behavior under periods of psychotic breakdown.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 76">Template:Harvnb</ref> He was regarded as "extremely disturbed" and his poor social skills with others were also viewed as hindering his own treatment.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 77-78">Template:Harvnb</ref> Despite this, Bonin willingly participated in experimental programs and was generally considered a non-violent, helpful, and conscientious patient by staff.<ref name="justia1" /> He had recited what he perceived psychiatrists desired to hear from him, believing he could manipulate them into granting him an early release.<ref name="Pelto 2007 235">Template:Harvnb</ref> One psychiatrist wrote of Bonin that he "wanted to straighten himself out, but doesn't know how to go about it."<ref name="Rosewood 2015 10">Template:Harvnb</ref>
In 1971, Bonin was sent to the California Medical Facility, having been declared unsuitable for further treatment due to repeated sexual engagement with inmates (two of whom were mentally challenged). This, as well as alienating and irritating fellow patients, resulted in Bonin being beaten on several occasions.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 79-84">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin was subject to further psychiatric examination, which dealt with hostility toward his father and older brother. It was noted that his sexual behaviors were compulsive in response to stress.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 85-86">Template:Harvnb</ref> He also sought to raise money for the family of another prisoner, and reportedly applied willingly for at least one treatment program.<ref name="justia1"/> Bonin was released from prison on June 11, 1974, after doctors concluded he was "no longer a danger to the health and safety of others".<ref name="McDougal 1991 162" />
Further offenses and imprisonment
In July, Bonin rented an apartment in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with intentions of circulating within the local gay community, but was largely unsuccessful due to poor social skills and soon relocated to his parents' new house on 10282 Angell Street in Downey.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 92-93" /> He briefly worked as a bartender in Fountain Valley,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 92-93">Template:Harvnb</ref> and switched to being a truck driver for a Montebello delivery firm named Dependable Drive-Away in December 1974. He was fired from the job in February 1975 for wrecking a trailer. In March, Bonin attended community college classes for two semesters. Around this time, he would pick up hitchhikers for the purposes of having sex, eventually establishing a serious relationship with a single mother.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 93-94">Template:Harvnb</ref>
While cruising for young boys on the night of September 8, 1975,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 93-94"/> he encountered 14-year-old David Allen McVicker hitchhiking in Garden Grove.<ref name="Resource.org">Template:Cite web</ref> McVicker accepted Bonin's offer to drive him to his parents' home in Huntington Beach. Shortly after McVicker entered the car, Bonin asked him if he had engaged in homosexuality. McVicker replied that he had not. He asked to leave the vehicle, which prompted Bonin to accelerate it.<ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5"/> When McVicker attempted to leave, Bonin produced a gun and drove him to a deserted field. Bonin ordered him to undress, and then beat and raped him.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5" /> Bonin strangled him with his T-shirt and a tire iron. McVicker pleaded for his life. Bonin immediately stopped and apologized, before reverting to casual conversation.<ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5" />Template:Refn He then drove McVicker to his home,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 93-94" /> stating on the way, "You know what? You're an alright guy. I was going to kill you but I want to come back for you and use you again."<ref name="Rosewood 2015 46">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Soon, McVicker phoned his mother, who promptly informed Garden Grove police of the incident.<ref name="McDougal 1991 162"/> On October 11, 1975, Bonin was arrested for two assaults months later. Upon arrest, he informed law enforcement that "next time there won't be any more witnesses."<ref name="cjlf"/><ref name="LA Times.com">Template:Cite news</ref> He was charged with the rape and forcible oral copulation of a minor, and the attempted abduction of a 15-year-old boy two days after Bonin's assault on McVicker.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This second victim rejected Bonin's offer of $35 for sex, before exiting Bonin's van and telling him to leave. In response, Bonin drove the van onto the sidewalk in an attempt to strike him.<ref name="justia1" />
Bonin pleaded guilty to both charges and on December 31, 1975, he was sentenced to serve between one and fifteen years' imprisonment at the California Men's Facility in San Luis Obispo.Template:Refn In 1977, Bonin was subject to further psychiatric examination. It was indicated his sexual involvement with young boys related to his mother's micromanagement of his life.<ref name="Death by Execution"/> In March 1978, Bonin's father suffered a major stroke (presumably induced by his alcohol addiction<ref name="Munro"/>) causing him to be hospitalized at the Long Beach Veterans Administration Hospital, where his mother worked as a vocational nurse. In prison, Bonin completed mathematics courses and training as a machinist, in order to secure employment. He also showed significant progress in individual therapy sessions.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 93-94"/> As a result, he was released from detention on October 11, with eighteen months' supervised probation.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1988">Template:Cite web</ref>
Release
On November 1, 1978,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 112">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin moved to an apartment in the Kingswood Village complex, located approximately one mile from his parents' house.<ref name="McDougal 1991 147"/> He became acquainted with his 43-year-old neighbor, Everett Scott Fraser.<ref name="justia2"/> Bonin became a regular attendee at Fraser's parties, where young men, drugs, and alcohol were rife.<ref name="McDougal 1991 147"/> Fraser considered him a respectful and placid individual and frequently introduced Bonin to his young male acquaintances.<ref name="justia2"/> The two also talked about their homosexuality.<ref name="McDougal 1991 147"/> The following month,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 142">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin established a relationship with a married mother who held a criminal record for child cruelty.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 435">Template:Harvnb</ref> He would take trips to Anaheim with her and her kids.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 435" /><ref name="McDougal-163" /><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 219">Template:Harvnb</ref>
In April 1979, Bonin's parole supervision concluded.<ref name="Mejdrich">Template:Cite news</ref> Later, Bonin and his brother Paul relocated to Silverado, and ran a bar called the Alpine Inn. It was continually under scrutiny for noise violations. An incident occurred involving Bonin reportedly locking a 16-year-old runaway in a room of the building,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 116-117">Template:Harvnb</ref> threatening at knife-point to bury his body in the hills.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 391">Template:Harvnb</ref> Unable to obtain a permanent liquor license due to Bonin's criminal record, the business venture was short-lived.<ref name="3rd 'Freeway' suspect will waive extradition">Template:Cite news</ref> Later, Bonin purchased a Ford van while working at his older brother's plumbing business.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 116-117"/>
Acquaintance with Vernon Butts and Gregory Miley
Template:PbTemplate:Quote box Template:NpTemplate:Pb Through his frequent attendance at Fraser's parties,<ref name="McDougal-163" /> Bonin became acquainted with 21-year-old Vernon Robert Butts<ref name="autogenerated4">Template:Harvnb</ref> and 18-year-old Gregory Matthews Miley.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Born and raised in Norwalk, Butts was nine years old when his father died,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 113">Template:Harvnb</ref> and reportedly hailed from a broken home.<ref name="Rosewood 1996 p. 64">Template:Harvnb</ref> Described by acquaintances as "shy and easily led" by others, Butts attempted suicide on three occasions prior to meeting Bonin.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 314-316">Template:Harvnb</ref> At the time of his initial acquaintance with Bonin, Butts had developed a local reputation as an eccentric figure<ref name="McDougal 1991 173" /> who had recently been fired from his employment as a magic store clerk due to his unkempt appearance and increasingly strange and unpredictable behavior. He was bisexual and frequently abused drugs and alcohol.<ref name="Freeway Killer Defendant Links Bonin to Slayings">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="harvnb|McDougal|1991|p=156">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Butts was a drifter who had been in and out of penal institutions and held an extensive criminal record for offenses such as burglary and arson.<ref name="N.Y. Daily News March 25, 2008">Template:Cite news</ref> Prosecutors later speculated he had developed a fascination with sadistic homosexual activity while incarcerated.<ref name="Killer">Template:Cite web</ref> He claimed to have been both enamored with and terrified of Bonin,<ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5" /> whom he claimed held a "kind of hypnotic" control over him.<ref name="UPIJan111981" /> In contrast, Bonin held Butts in high regard for his social popularity, dominance, and intelligence.<ref name="Pelto 2007 232" /><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 429">Template:Harvnb</ref> Although both lived externally heterosexual lifestyles,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the two soon became lovers.<ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5" /> Butts also held "Mystery Parties" in which up to sixteen people searched for various murder artifacts in the city of Downey, such as a hairpin or ice pick.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 113" /> As a result, Bonin and Butts frequently discussed the subject of death.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 119">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Miley was an illiterate Texas native and high school dropout with an IQ of 56.<ref name="ReferenceC">Template:Harvnb</ref> Raised in Lakewood, Miley's mother reportedly had a series of dysfunctional marriages and severely neglected him. Miley viewed Bonin as something of a father figure,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 193">Template:Harvnb</ref> and he often spent time with Bonin in exchange for a sexual relationship.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 197-200">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Murders
Bonin usually selected young male hitchhikers, schoolboys or, occasionally, male prostitutes as his victims. The victims, aged 12 to 19, were predominantly Caucasian or Latino, slender, pale,<ref name="McDougal 1991 154"/> and long-haired.<ref name="McDougal 1991 173">Template:Harvnb</ref> He either enticed or forced them into his Ford Econoline van,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> where they were overpowered and had their limbs bound with a combination of handcuffs,<ref name=McDougal-153>Template:Harvnb</ref> wire, or cords.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They were then sexually assaulted, extensively beaten, and tortured, before typically being killed by strangulation with their own T-shirts and a tire iron.<ref name="Clarksdale">Template:Cite news</ref>
In order to minimize the chances of a victim escaping from the van, Bonin removed the door handles on the passenger-side and rear-door.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 2">Template:Harvnb</ref> He stowed ligatures, knives, pliers, wire coat hangers, and other such instruments in his vehicle to restrain and torture his victims. The victims were usually killed inside his van, before their bodies were discarded around and near various freeways.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 15">Template:Harvnb</ref> In an apparent effort to mislead investigators, Bonin often discarded his victims' bodies in counties far from their abduction.<ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5" />
One attorney present for Bonin's eventual court case said the escalating levels of brutality he had exhibited toward his victims had been similar to that of a drug addict, requiring an ever-greater increase of dosage to maintain their euphoria.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin also likened his urges to addiction, emphasizing to neurologists his feelings of extreme restlessness and sexual frustration in the hours prior to his murders,<ref name="Pelto 2007 233">Template:Harvnb</ref> and that he had felt an intense sense of excitement as he drove in search of his victims.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 84" /> Reserving Sundays for his girlfriend, he typically cruised the freeways on Fridays and Saturdays.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin also later described his feeling pleasure at hearing his victims scream, and sodomizing them.<ref name="Pelto 2007 118">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="justia1" /> Dr. Albert Rosenstein, a forensic psychologist, predicted the killer was an intelligent sex offender in his late twenties or early thirties, had spent time in a psychiatric facility, and was abused as a child. He said that, while bisexual, the killer has never been comfortable with their homosexuality, and is repulsed by his actions.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 31-33">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Refn
In a minimum of twelve of the murders, Bonin was assisted by one or more of his four known accomplices.<ref name="CDCR.gov. Bonin, William">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bonin later confessed that he felt a sense of social belonging with his accomplices that he had never experienced with anyone else.<ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5" /> Butts is suspected of accompanying or assisting Bonin on at least nine of Bonin's murders.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 15" />
He would scrapbook newspaper clippings of his murders, and boast to Butts and Fraser about them.<ref name="Freeway Killer Defendant Links Bonin to Slayings" /><ref name="Testimony Graphic In 'Freeway Killi">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Refn Following media coverage of the murders, Bonin enthusiastically mentioned them to co-workers at Dependable Drive-Away.<ref name="McDougal 1991 154">Template:Harvnb</ref> To those unaware of his crimes, Bonin seemed obsessed with the case. He made daily trips to Orange County to buy newspapers.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 44">Template:Harvnb</ref> He would also tell people, "this guy is giving good gays like us a bad name."<ref name="Death" />
1979
May
The first murder for which Bonin was charged was that of 13-year-old Thomas Glen Lundgren.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lundgren was last seen leaving his parents' house in Reseda on May 28, 1979. Shortly before his abduction, Lundgren had reportedly told friends a man had offered to meet him at a skatepark to take photos of him for a skateboarding magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Lundgren's partially-clothed body was found the same afternoon in Agoura.<ref name="McDougal-153" /> His clothes and severed genitals were discovered in a nearby field.<ref name="McDougal-153" /><ref name="Rosewood 2015 15" /> An autopsy revealed that Lundgren had suffered emasculation and extensive bludgeoning.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 122">Template:Harvnb</ref> In addition, he had been slashed across the throat, stabbed, and strangled to death.<ref name=McDougal-153 /> An expert postulated that Bonin's brutality was likely an attempt to "silence" his homosexual attraction to Lundgren. Bonin was assisted by Butts.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 15" />
August
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On August 4, Bonin drove from Silverado Canyon to Westminster to spend time with Butts. He soon suggested that they rape and murder a teenage hitchhiker. Butts was amenable to this suggestion,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 124-125">Template:Harvnb</ref> and Bonin encountered 17-year-old boy Mark Shelton near Beach Boulevard. Bonin offered $400 for sexual services. According to Bonin, he masturbated Shelton before Butts began sexually assaulting him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 126-127">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin drove into Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, as Shelton had oral sex with him. Bonin soon parked the vehicle and raped him. Enraged with his fear and resistance, Bonin sexually assaulted him, and Bonin and Butts physically assaulted him until he lost consciousness.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 128">Template:Harvnb</ref> He was violated with foreign objects, including a stick, causing him to enter a state of shock which proved fatal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was discarded beside a gravel road in Cajon Pass.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 129">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The night of the following day, Bonin and Butts encountered 17-year-old West German student Markus Grabs,<ref name="Killer" /> attempting to hitchhike along the Pacific Coast Highway. According to Bonin, he engaged in consensual relations with the youth, who agreed to be bound with lengths of cord and ignition wire. Bonin then retrieved a knife, and intimidated Grabs, as Butts drove toward Bonin's home.<ref name="McDougal-174">Template:Harvnb</ref> There, Grabs was again raped and beaten, and Grabs reportedly broke loose and punched Bonin. This caused Bonin to strangle him and stab him 77 times.<ref name="McDougal-174" /><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 134-135">Template:Harvnb</ref> His body was discarded in Malibu Creek the following day.<ref name="World's Most Evil Killers: Season 5" /><ref name="Testimony Graphic In 'Freeway Killi" /><ref name="McDougal-174" />
On August 9,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 141">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin was again detained for molesting a 17-year-old boy from Dana Point.<ref name="McDougal-163" /> This violation of the conditions of his parole should have resulted in Bonin being returned to prison at Orange County Jail; however, an administrative error committed prior to Bonin's scheduled court date resulted in his release.<ref name="McDougal-163" /><ref name=":6" /> On August 13,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 128"/> Fraser drove to collect Bonin from jail. He later recollected that as he drove Bonin home, Bonin said, "No one's going to testify again. This is never going to happen to me again." At the time, Fraser had interpreted this as a statement of remorse.<ref name=":6">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Resuming his murder spree, Bonin did not show at his court appointment.<ref name="Witnesses">Template:Cite web</ref> Bonin had also returned to his parents' house. He gradually developed a reputation as a child molester among local residents, due to his habit of inviting young boys into his house, under the guise of providing alcohol and viewing pornography with them. Some neighbors recalled observing young boys accompany Bonin inside, and they would later hear screaming and crying.<ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bonin's family, who were occasionally present, claimed to have never witnessed Bonin abuse them.<ref name="Death by Execution" />
On August 27, Bonin and Butts abducted 15-year-old Hollywood boy Donald Ray Hyden on Santa Monica Boulevard.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Butts was driving the van. Bonin offered him $50 for consensual sex. When Butts made an accidental wrong turn, Hyden became frantic, causing Bonin to beat, bind, torture, and sodomize him.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 155-156">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin then strangled him to death.<ref name="justia1" /><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 157">Template:Harvnb</ref> Butts performed oral sex on his corpse before the pair dumped his body at a construction site near the Ventura Freeway. It was discovered hours later.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 158">Template:Harvnb</ref> Hyden's rectal damage lead to a coroner's theory that he had been impaled by a large object.<ref name="justia1" />
September through December
On September 9, Bonin and Butts encountered a 17-year-old boy from La Mirada, David Louis Murillo, cycling.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After Murillo entered the van, Bonin offered him money for sex, which was refused. He then attempted to fondle Murillo before binding him and driving to Butts' residence. As Butts drove, Bonin sexually assaulted and raped him. He then traded places with Butts, who performed oral sex on and beat Murillo.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 164">Template:Harvnb</ref> They then parked the vehicle, bound him, and raped him more. He was extensively bludgeoned,<ref name="Pelto 2007 245">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> then strangled. His body was discovered alongside Highway 101 on the 12th.<ref name="McDougal-153" /><ref name="Pelto 2007 245" /><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 165">Template:Harvnb</ref>
On September 17, Bonin picked up 18-year-old Robert Wirostek in Newport Beach. Bonin allegedly coaxed him to perform oral sex by offering him $50.<ref name="Highway71">Template:Cite news</ref> At knife-point, Bonin bound and raped him, and then drove to Butts' residence.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 150">Template:Harvnb</ref> On the drive, Butts performed oral sex on Wirostek, before striking him and taking Bonin's place as driver. Bonin then tortured Wirostek by bending his fingers, then sexually assaulting and bludgeoning him, before strangling him.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 151">Template:Harvnb</ref> Wirostek's body was found on September 27,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> alongside Interstate 10.<ref name="Highway71" />
Bonin is not known to have killed again until on or about November 1. He and Butts abducted and murdered an unidentified young man with brown hair, whom Bonin claimed to be Template:Nowrap tall, and 18-years-old.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 176">Template:Harvnb</ref> At some point, Bonin allegedly said the man was to die because "your folks paid us to find you and kill you". The two beat him,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 179">Template:Harvnb</ref> and Bonin strangled him to death before inserting an ice pick into his head. His body was discarded alongside State Route 99, south of Bakersfield.<ref name="SantaCruzKernC">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Rosewood 2015 107">Template:Harvnb</ref>
On November 30, an unassisted Bonin abducted 17-year-old Frank Dennis Fox, from Bellflower.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bonin sodomized him and strangled him until he died.<ref name="cjlf"/> His body was found two days later alongside the Ortega Highway, five miles east of San Juan Capistrano.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The body bore signs of binding and blunt force trauma. Ten days later, a 15-year-old boy from Long Beach, John Fredrick Kilpatrick, left his home and was offered money for sexual services by Bonin. After engaging in mutual oral sex, Kilpatrick was bound and raped by Bonin before being transported to his parents' house, where he was flagellated with string, and then strangled to death with it.<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 185-186">Template:Harvnb</ref> His body was discarded near Rialto.<ref name="Kilpatrick">Template:Cite news</ref> It was found on December 13, but Kilpatrick remained known as a John Doe until August 5, 1980.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Because of his troubled background, which had previously caused him to disappear for days at a time, his mother hesitated to report the disappearance. His friends also mistakenly reported seeing him at the mall. As a result, he was not reported missing until February 1980.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
1980
January and February
On January 1, 1980, Bonin encountered 16-year-old Ontario boy Michael Francis McDonald near the Chino Airport. Under the guise of providing drugs for him to sell, Bonin parked behind an apartment building. In the van, Bonin bound, beat, and raped him. His body was found alongside Highway 71 in the outskirts of Chino,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 pp. 188-189">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Highway71" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and his body was not identified until March 24.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
On the morning of February 3, Bonin invited a 16-year-old boy into his parents' house to drink and have sex. Bonin allegedly caught him stealing $100 from his billfold, and furiously resolved to commit a murder.<ref name="Pelto 2007 233"/> Later that evening, he drove to Hollywood with Gregory Miley with the specific intention of committing a murder with him. They encountered 15-year-old Charles Miranda nearby the Starwood nightclub along Santa Monica Boulevard.<ref name="UPIArchives1980" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to Miley, Bonin and Miranda had consensual sex in the van as he drove. Bonin then told Miley that Miranda was going to die.<ref name="Palmerp.203">Template:Harvnb</ref> Miley asked why Bonin would not just let him go. Bonin replied, "because he'll know us and know the van."<ref name="Rosewood 2015 23">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin beat, bound, and gagged Miranda,<ref name="Confessed Accomplice of William Bonin Testifies">Template:Cite news</ref> and informed him that he had to be killed due to his earlier robbery. Miranda began begging for his life.<ref name="Pelto 2007 234">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin began sexually assaulting Miranda, and Miley unsuccessfully attempted to rape him. In frustration, the two started physically assaulting him and Bonin strangled him to death. His body was later dumped in a Los Angeles alleyway.<ref name="ReferenceC" />
Five minutes after discarding the body, Bonin suggested to Miley to "do another one".<ref name="Confessed Accomplice of William Bonin Testifies" /> Miley initially protested and stated he wanted to go home, but eventually complied.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 24">Template:Harvnb</ref> A few hours later, in Huntington Beach, the pair encountered 12-year-old James Macabe.<ref name="Confessed Accomplice of William Bonin Testifies" /> Macabe had been dropped off at a corner bus stop by his older brother, who had given him money to take the bus to Disneyland.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 24" /> He was lured into Bonin's van on the promise he would be driven to his intended destination, and that he would be given marijuana.<ref name="A Confessed Accomplice of Accused Freeway Killer William Bonin" />
According to Miley, Macabe got in the van, and Bonin drove to a grocery store. Bonin parked the van, and began hugging and kissing Macebe,<ref name="A Confessed Accomplice of Accused Freeway Killer William Bonin" /> before binding him, and telling him he was being kidnapped for ransom.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1989">Template:Cite web</ref> Bonin began punching him,<ref name="A Confessed Accomplice of Accused Freeway Killer William Bonin" /> and as Miley drove around, Bonin raped him and bludgeoned him with a tire iron.<ref name="UPIArchives1980">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Freeway Killer Crime Magazine" /><ref name="Fox 1996 p9">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin then forced him to sleep in his arms.<ref name="LA Times.com" /> Upon Macabe's waking, Miley and Bonin beat him into unconsciousness, and Bonin crushed his neck with a tire iron.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1989" /><ref name="Confessed Accomplice of William Bonin Testifies" /> Bonin then strangled Macabe to death, and he and Miley discarded the corpse at a construction site in Walnut.<ref name="A Confessed Accomplice of Accused Freeway Killer William Bonin">Template:Cite news</ref> Macabe's body was discovered three days later.<ref name="The Freeway Killer Crime Magazine">Template:Cite web</ref> The next day, Bonin was arrested for violating the conditions of his parole; he was remanded in custody at the Orange County Jail until March 4.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
March
Following his release,<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 218">Template:Harvnb</ref> he was hired as a truck driver at Dependable Drive-Away.<ref name="McDougal-163">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="McDougal 1991 147">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin angered his boss (who was unaware of his status as a sex offender) by picking up hitchikers in his presence on one occasion, and by taking long, unnecessary routes (which detectives later took interest in).<ref name="Pelto-Butler 2022 p. 219"/> On March 14, Bonin abducted 18-year-old Van Nuys man Ronald Gatlin. Bonin beat and sodomized him, and hacked at him with an ice pick.<ref name="GArtesia"/><ref name="Rosewood 2015 26">Template:Harvnb</ref> The following day, his bound body was found behind an industrial building.<ref name="cjlf"/>
On March 21, Bonin offered a ride to 14-year-old hitchhiker Glenn Norman Barker.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 28-29">Template:Harvnb</ref> Barker was beaten and raped with objects,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> then strangled with a ligature, burned with a cigarette<ref name="Rosewood 2015 28-29"/> and had his rectum distended.<ref name="cjlf"/> Later that day, 15-year-old Russell Duane Rugh was abducted in Garden Grove.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 28-29" /> He was bound, beaten, and strangled to death, after an estimated eight hours of captivity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The two boys' bodies were discarded in Cleveland National Forest, close to the Ortega Highway,<ref name="Clarksdale" /> and found on the 23rd.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
One Friday evening in March, Bonin offered 17-year-old William Ray Pugh a ride home, as the pair left Fraser's residence.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref> Pugh accepted, and during the ride, Bonin asked him to have sex. According to Pugh, he attempted to leave the van once Bonin had slowed down at a stoplight. Bonin grabbed him, dragged him back inside,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and admitted that he enjoyed abducting, restraining, torturing, and strangling hitchhikers. Bonin then informed Pugh how to murder without getting caught.<ref name="McDougal 1991 164">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin said that he had chosen to refrain from sexually assaulting and murdering Pugh not out of sentiment, but because the pair had been seen leaving Fraser's party together.<ref name="Pugh">Template:Cite news</ref> Pugh was driven to what he claimed was his home, and when the van left, he ran to his house.<ref name="Darkness' p 165" />
Pugh kept associating with Bonin. On March 25,<ref name="Pelto 2007 245"/> Bonin and Pugh abducted 15-year-old runaway Harry Todd Turner from a Los Angeles street. Turner had escaped a boys' home in Lancaster four days prior.<ref name="ReferenceC" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pugh later testified that he and Bonin lured Turner into Bonin's van with an offer of $20 for sex.<ref name="ReferenceB">Template:Cite web</ref> After binding and sodomizing Turner,<ref name="ReferenceC" /> Bonin bit into his penis until it tore,<ref name="Rosewood 2015 27">Template:Harvnb</ref> and then ordered Pugh to beat him up. After Pugh bludgeoned and beat him,<ref name="ReferenceB" /> Bonin strangled him to death. His body was discarded behind a Los Angeles business.<ref name="ReferenceC" />
April
On April 10, Bonin was discharged from parole.<ref name="Pelto 2007 245" /> He encountered 16-year-old Bellflower youth Steven John Wood walking to school. Wood's older brother had introduced him to Bonin, so he willingly entered Bonin's van.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His hogtied body was discarded in a Long Beach alleyway,<ref name="Steven Wood Report">Template:Cite web</ref> close to the Pacific Coast Highway.<ref name="San Francisco Chro">Template:Cite news</ref> Bonin allegedly waited until dusk to discard it.<ref name="Steven Wood">Template:Cite web</ref> Wood's autopsy revealed he had been killed by strangulation.<ref name="San Francisco Chro" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On April 29, Bonin encountered 19-year-old Darin Kendrick at his workplace in Stanton.Template:Refn Bonin lured Kendrick into the van on the pretext of selling him drugs.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Identifies">Template:Cite news</ref> Bonin then drove to Butts' apartment in Lakewood. There, he asked Kendrick whether he was gay. Kendrick attempted to flee;<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin and Butts bound him,<ref name=McDougal-174 /> and Butts sodomized him. Bonin raised the volume of Butts' sound system to cover Kendrick's screams. Butts then held Kendrick's mouth open while Bonin poured chloral hydrate down his throat, causing him to sustain chemical burns.<ref name="CDCR.gov. Bonin, William" /><ref name="Pelto 2007 170">Template:Harvnb</ref> Template:PbTemplate:Quote box Template:NpTemplate:Pb Kendrick fought his attackers, but stopped, before complaining of dizziness. Bonin then strangled him,<ref name="Pelto 2007 170"/> and Butts drove an ice pick into his ear, fatally wounding his cervical spinal cord.<ref name="GArtesia"/> His body was discarded behind a warehouse close to the Artesia Freeway.<ref name="McDougal-174" /><ref name="Identifies" />
May
On May 12,<ref name="Justia1988">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bonin abducted and murdered an acquaintance of his; he later stated that he decided to kill them when he had awoken that morning, because he was "tired of having him around".<ref name="caselaw.findlaw.com">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The body of 17-year-old Lawrence Sharp<ref name="The mother and two brothers of convicted Freeway Killer"/>Template:Refn was discarded behind a Westminster gas station. His body was found on the 18th, and his autopsy revealed that he had been bound, sodomized, beaten, and strangled.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On May 19, Bonin asked Butts to accompany him on a killing. However, Butts reportedly refused. Unassisted, Bonin abducted 14-year-old South Gate boy Sean King in Downey. King was strangled to death before his body was discarded in Yucaipa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bonin then visited Butts' apartment and bragged to him about the murder.<ref name="Highway71"/>
By early 1980, Bonin's murders were receiving considerable media attention, and leading gay rights activists had offered a reward totaling $50,000 for information leading to the conviction of the suspect or suspects.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Having by this stage determined a definitive link between many of the recent murders, investigators from the jurisdictions where victims had been abducted or discovered had begun sharing information in their hunt for the suspect or suspects. Six officers from three of the jurisdictions formed a task force dedicated to their apprehension.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 46" />
By May, Pugh had been arrested for auto theft.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> On May 28, he overheard the details of the ongoing murders on a local radio broadcast, and confided to a counselor that he knew the perpetrator's modus operandi, which was described to him by Bonin two months prior.<ref name="Darkness' p 165">Template:Harvnb</ref> This counselor reported Pugh's suspicions to the police, who in turn relayed a confidential tip to Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) homicide sergeant John St. John. St. John conducted an extensive interview with Pugh the next day. Although Pugh withheld the fact that he had accompanied Bonin on one of his murders, the information he provided led St. John to deduce that Bonin might be the Freeway Killer.<ref name="Darkness' p 165" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> David McVicker, whom Bonin had spared in 1975, had also contacted authorities by this time to report his suspicions Bonin may be the Freeway Killer.<ref name="Mejdrich"/> His suspicions were not dismissed, but regarded as one of numerous public tips to be investigated.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
That same day, Bonin invited 18-year-old homeless drifter James Michael Template:Nowrapwhom he had encountered while cruising for young male prostitutes<ref name="Pelto 2007 132"/>Template:Nowrapto move into his family's home in exchange for sex. Munro was a runaway from St. Clair, Michigan, who had been evicted from his family's home in early 1980.<ref name="Pelto 2007 262">Template:Harvnb</ref> Munro had gone to California to meet a friend, but became homeless after he was robbed of money that he earned as a male prostitute in Hollywood.<ref name="Pelto 2007 132">Template:Harvnb</ref>
June
While at Bonin's home, Munro (who was bisexual) began a consensual sexual relationship with him. He accepted an offer of employment at Dependable Drive-Away.<ref name="Pelto 2007 133">Template:Harvnb</ref> Munro later described his initial impression of Bonin as being "a good guy" and "really normal".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> On June 1, Bonin informed Munro that he wanted them both to abduct, sexually assault, and murder a hitchhiker.<ref name="Hicks">Template:Cite web</ref>
A police investigation into Bonin's background revealed his extensive history of convictions for sexually assaulting teenage boys. St. John assigned a surveillance team to monitor his movements. They began surveilling Bonin on the evening of June Template:Nowrapone hour prior to Bonin and Munro discarding the body of Bonin's final victim.<ref name="auto3">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Hours earlier, Bonin and Munro<ref name="autogenerated4" /> encountered 18-year-old Steven Jay Wells on El Segundo Boulevard. Bonin and Munro enticed him into the van. According to the pair, upon learning Wells was bisexual, Bonin had consensual sex with Wells, before persuading him to go to his parents' house. There, the two continued having sex.Template:Refn Later, Bonin paid Wells $200 to allow himself to be bound with clothesline.<ref name="autogenerated4" /><ref name="Pelto 2007 136" /> Wells became suspicious of their intentions, and frantic.<ref name="Pelto 2007 136">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin retreated to the kitchen, telling Munro they were both going to kill Wells.<ref name="Death">Template:Cite web</ref> They then gagged and beat him in a hallway. Wells pleaded for his life,<ref name="McDougal 1991 150">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Pelto 2007 137">Template:Harvnb</ref> but Bonin strangled him to death.<ref name="Clues From a Condemned Man's Past" /><ref name="Darkness' p 165" /> Bonin ordered Munro to retrieve a cardboard box, which the two placed Wells' body inside of, and carried to Bonin's van.<ref name="Pelto 2007 138-139">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Hicks" />
Later, while driving to Butts' apartment<ref name="McDougal 1991 149" /> Bonin informed Munro that he, Butts, and others had committed many of the "Freeway Killer" murders. At the apartment, Bonin invited Butts to view Wells' body in the van.<ref name="Pelto 2007 140">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin then asked where he should dispose of the corpse. Munro later testified that Butts dissuaded Bonin from discarding it in the nearby canyons, and recommended discarding him near a gas station.<ref name="Pelto 2007 141">Template:Harvnb</ref> They drove to a disused gas station in Huntington Beach, and discarded him there.<ref name="McDougal 1991 149" /> The body was discovered five hours later, by two brothers who had parked nearby.<ref name="McDougal 1991 149">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin and Munro returned to Bonin's house.<ref name="McDougal 1991 150" /> Later that night, Bonin hinted to Munro (who was fearful for his life<ref name="Pelto 2007 138-139" />) that he should stay quiet regarding Wells' murder, or else face potential death.<ref name="Confess">Template:Cite web</ref>
Arrest
After nine days of uneventful surveillance,<ref name="Confess"/> on June 11, plainclothes police observed Bonin driving throughout Hollywood, unsuccessfully attempting to lure five separate boys into his van,<ref name="trutv1">Template:Cite web</ref> before succeeding in luring one. The police followed Bonin until he parked at a service station close to the Hollywood Freeway, then discreetly approached the vehicle. Upon hearing screams and banging sounds coming from inside the van, the officers forced their way inside.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> They discovered Bonin raping 17-year-old Orange County runaway Harold Eugene Tate, whom he had handcuffed and bound.<ref name="trutv1" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Bonin was initially charged with the rape of a minor,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and held on suspicion of Miranda's murder.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Ottawa Citizen July 30, 1980">Template:Cite news</ref> He was detained in lieu of $250,000 bond. Later, Bonin's girlfriend notified his boss of his arrest, adding that the arrest was in connection to the Freeway Killer case. This caused Munro (who was already apprehensive at Bonin's absence from work that day) to become frantic.<ref name="'Freeway Killer' Suspects Were Co-Workers, Pals">Template:Cite news</ref> The next day, Munro stole Bonin's car and fled back to Michigan,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> where he temporarily resided before being arrested.<ref name="Pelto 2007 262"/>
Inside Bonin's van, investigators discovered numerous artifacts which proved his culpability in the Freeway Killer murders. These included various restraining devices, knives, and a tire iron. They also noted the removed door handles. A forensic examination of the van and Bonin's home revealed extensive traces of bloodstains.<ref name="caselaw.findlaw.com" /> Inside the glove box, investigators discovered a scrapbook of newspaper clippings related to the murders.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin's 61-year-old father died of cirrhosis of the liver on October 11, 1980, four months after Bonin's arrest. His condition sourced from his excessive alcohol addiction.<ref name="harvnbMcDougal1991p=161" />
Confession
Template:Quote box Although initially alleging his innocence in the murders, Bonin confessed his guilt to St. John after reading a letter from Sean King's mother, imploring him to reveal the location of her son's body.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bonin made sure to clarify, however, that it was not to ease the mother's pain,<ref name="Rosewood 2015 54-56"/> but on the knowledge that, because King was buried in San Bernardino County, police would likely buy him a hamburger for lunch on the extensive trip.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 43">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Over the course of several evenings, Bonin confessed to abducting, raping, and killing 21 young men and boys in graphic detail. He expressed no remorse for his actions, but showed extreme embarrassment and regret over being caught. An Orange County investigator recalled that there "was not a policeman in that room that did not want to kill Bonin" for his confession.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 54-56">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bonin stated that his primary accomplice in the murders had been Butts while Miley and Munro were accomplices in other murders.<ref name="Newton 2006 82">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Bonin was physically linked to many of the murders by blood and semen stains.<ref name="caselaw.findlaw.com" /> Numerous carpet fibers found upon seven of the victims' bodies were a precise match with the carpeting in Bonin's van.<ref name="Justia1980"/> Furthermore, on three bodies, investigators found hair samples which were a precise match with Bonin. Medical evidence revealed that six of the murders for which he was charged were committed by a unique windlass strangulation method, which was later referred to by Bonin's prosecutor as "a signature" or "a trademark".Template:Citation needed
Initially formally arraigned for the murder of Grabs on July 25,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> by July 29, Bonin had been charged with an additional 15 murders to which he had confessed, and upon which the prosecution believed they had sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction.<ref name="Ottawa Citizen July 30, 1980" /> In addition to the 16 murder indictments, he was also charged with 11 counts of robbery, one count of sodomy, and one count of mayhem. He was held without bond.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Bonin was not brought to trial for the murders of Mark Shelton, Robert Wirostek,<ref name="Orozco" /> John Kilpatrick, Michael McDonald, or the November 1979 John Doe,<ref name="Kilpatrick" /> because police did not find sufficient evidence linking him alone to the crimes.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref> This is despite Bonin confessing to the murders of Kilpatrick and McDonald.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 66" />
On August 8, all charges were formally submitted against Bonin. Three days later, attorney Earl Hanson was appointed as his legal representative. He remained Bonin's attorney until October 1981, when, at Bonin's request, he was replaced by William Charvet and Tracy Stewart.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1989" />
Accomplices' arrest
Based on Bonin's confession, police obtained a warrant authorizing a search of Butts' Lakewood property on the same date as Bonin's initial arraignment; this July 25 search uncovered evidence linking Butts to several murders which Bonin had already confessed to. Butts was brought before a Municipal Court on July 29, and charged with accompanying Bonin on six murders, and with three counts of robbery. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told the press: "Bonin and Butts are believed to be responsible for the kidnapping, torture and murder of at least 21 young males between May 1979 and June 1980", 14 of which had been committed in their jurisdiction.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Despite initially proclaiming his innocence, Butts soon confessed to having accompanied Bonin upon each of the murders he was charged with, and to have sexually abused several victims. Butts claimed to have participated in the murders primarily out of fear, claiming, "It was either go, or become the next victim",<ref name="Butts'Confession">Template:Cite news</ref> adding he only found the courage to confess upon learning Bonin was in custody. Butts was adamant he had had only a limited role in the victims' torture, but confessed to actively torturing one of them.<ref name="Butts'Confession" /> He claimed that, upon their successfully luring a victim into the van, he would typically drive a short distance, before stopping the vehicle in order to assist Bonin in restraining and torturing their captive.<ref name="McDougal 1991 173" /><ref name="UPIJan111981">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Fox 1996 10">Template:Harvnb</ref> He claimed his participation in the murders was typically limited to restraining the victims, but he admitted to mutilating one victim with a wire coat hanger.<ref name="Detail">Template:Cite news</ref> He said that some victims had been subjected to more extensive blunt force trauma than others because Bonin would escalate the beatings if the victim resisted his sexual advances.<ref name="Detail" />
Butts rejected an offer to plead guilty to all charges filed against him in exchange for a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years before the possibility of parole.<ref name="Freeway Killer Defendant Links Bonin to Slayings" /> He did not agree to accept any form of plea bargain, or to testify against Bonin.<ref name="Tuscaloosa News1981">Template:Cite news</ref> He was brought before Orange County Municipal Court Judge Richard Orozco on November 14, 1980, where he was formally charged with participating in three further murders committed in the county.<ref name="Orozco">Template:Cite web</ref> His trial was scheduled for July 27, 1981.<ref name="UPIJan111981" />
On July 31, 1980, Munro was arrested in his hometown, Port Huron, Michigan. He was extradited to California, and charged with Wells' murder.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He pleaded innocent to all charges against him on August 14.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Miley, who was in Texas, discussed his role in the Miranda and Macabe murders in a recorded phone conversation with a friend, thus substantiating Bonin's earlier confession. On August 22, Miley was arrested, and he was charged by California authorities with the murders of Miranda and Macabe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On December 18, he pleaded not guilty to two charges of first-degree murder,<ref name="UPIArchives1980" /> but at two pretrial hearings in May 1981, he pleaded guilty.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
First-degree murder charges were brought against the 20-year-old acquaintance of Bonin, Eric Marten Wijnaendts, in December 1980. After police learned Pugh had willingly accompanied Bonin in Harry Todd Turner's murder, Wijnaendts' charges were dropped in January 1981,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with the county prosecutor citing insufficient evidence as the cause.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Refn
Preliminary hearings
At a preliminary hearing held in Los Angeles County before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Julius Leetham on January 2, 1981, Bonin formally pleaded innocent to 14 first-degree murder charges and numerous counts of sodomy, robbery and mayhem. In eleven of these indictments, a felony-murder-robbery special circumstance was also alleged. Bonin was ordered to return to court on January 7 for pretrial motions and the formal setting of a trial date.<ref name=":0" />
On the 7th, Butts was arraigned on five counts of murder, and three counts of robbery.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> By this point, he had been listed as an accomplice in the murders of Lundgren, Shelton, Grabs, Hyden, Murillo, Wirostek, Kendrick, Wells, and the November 1979 John Doe.<ref name="SantaCruzKernC" /><ref name=":2">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref> Four days after his formal plea, he committed suicide by hanging himself with a towel in his cell.<ref name="ReferenceC" /> He had attempted suicide at least four times prior to his arrest;<ref name="Fox 1996 10" /> his attorney, Joe Ingber, theorized that his depressive state had been magnified by the impending release of transcripts of his client's testimony at the preliminary hearing, in which Butts had graphically described his victims' torture.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> He was worried about the effect it would have on his friends and family.<ref name="Fox 1996 10" /> The suicide rendered Butts' recorded testimony in three cases inadmissible as evidence. The charges against Bonin in relation to Shelton, Wirostek and the John Doe were therefore dropped in early 1981.
Both Miley and Munro agreed to testify against Bonin in court in exchange for being spared the death penalty,<ref name="McDougal 1991 171–172">Template:Harvnb</ref> and the dismissal of additional charges of sodomy and robbery filed against Munro.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the case of Miley, Norris agreed to accept two separate pleas of guilty to first-degree murder. This was in exchange for two concurrent sentences of life imprisonment, with a possibility of parole after 25 years if Miley agreed to testify against Bonin at both upcoming trials.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1989" /> William Pugh also agreed to testify, having pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter, for which he later received six years in prison.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Murder trials
Los Angeles County
On October 19, Bonin was brought to trial in Los Angeles County, charged with the murder of 12 of his victims whose bodies had been found within the county. He was tried before Superior Court Judge William Keene.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The trial commenced on November 5.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1989" />
Norris, acting as prosecutor, sought the death penalty for each count of murder for which Bonin was tried. Norris described Bonin's routine and technique with regards to his victims' torture, and how he would reach the "climax of the orgy" by killing them.<ref name="Fox 1996 p12">Template:Harvnb</ref> He asserted that Bonin murdered as a group sport,<ref name="McDougal 1991 164" /> with accomplices that he had groomed because of their "low mentality".<ref name="San Francisco Chronicle">Template:Cite news</ref> Miley and Munro testified against Bonin, describing their murders in graphic detail.<ref name="autogenerated4" /><ref name="Petitioner-appellant1995">Template:Cite web</ref> Miley testified to his participation in the murders of Miranda and Macabe,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> describing how the two victims were beaten and tortured before being murdered. He said that Bonin had pressed a tire iron against Miranda's neck, and Miley "jumped down on him", killing him.<ref name="Fox 1996 p9" />
The strategy of Charvet and Stewart was to challenge the credibility of the prosecution's witnesses, and to suggest that significant mitigating factors as to the causes of Bonin's behavior lay in the extensive physical, sexual, and emotional abuse he had endured throughout his early life. They summoned Dr. David Foster, an expert on the developmental effects of abuse on children, to testify as to the conclusions of his psychological examinations of Bonin. He stated that, as a result of repeated abandonment as a child, Bonin had not received the nurturing, protection, and behavioral feedback necessary for sufficient psychological development. He said the abuse of Bonin had been so consistent and prevalent that he was confused as to the differences between violence and love.<ref name="caselaw.findlaw.com" />
In a direct rebuttal, the prosecution summoned forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz, a noted expert in impulse control disorder and sexual sadism disorder, who testified that Bonin's behavior was inconsistent with an inability to control his impulses, and that his actions were reflective of planning as opposed to impulsive behavior. He concluded that Bonin was a sexual sadist, and that although he suffered from an antisocial personality disorder, neither of these conditions had impaired his ability to control his actions.<ref name="caselaw.findlaw.com" />
On November 24, prison inmate Lloyd Douglas testified that Bonin had bragged to him of his culpability in the Freeway Killer murders, while both were in Los Angeles County Jail in 1980. Douglas then alleged salacious details regarding Bonin's torture of victims that were otherwise not supported with valid evidence.<ref name="justia3" /> In cross-examination, Douglas conceded he had only related these claims to authorities after pleading guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and second-degree burglary against him. He also testified to being Lawrence Sharp's uncle.<ref name="One of Freeway Killer Victims Was His Nephew, Witness Against Bonin Reveals">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Refn
Against overruled objections from the defense, Fresno-based reporter David Lopez waived his previously sought immunity under California's shield law, and agreed to testify on behalf of the prosecution as to the details of seven interviews Bonin had granted him (between December 1980 and April 1981).<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Lopez testified that Bonin had said he would refuse to talk with any other reporter if Lopez would agree not to broadcast the precise details of the interview. When Lopez had agreed to these conditions, Bonin confessed to him that he was the Freeway Killer, and that he had killed 21 victims. Allegedly, Bonin had confided that although he resented the prospect of being executed, he had opted to commit murder simply because he had enjoyed the "sound of kids dying".<ref name="Rosewood 2015 66">Template:Harvnb</ref> When Lopez asked Bonin what he would be doing if he were still at large, Bonin had replied he would still be killing, because "it got easier with each one we did."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Lopez initially refused to disclose Bonin's confession, but changed his mind after Bonin broke his own promise by talking to other reporters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Upon cross-examination, Bonin's defense attorney ensured that Lopez conceded that his testimony was based upon what he had recalled from the interviews, as opposed to any handwritten notes. He also denied he had received any form of payment to testify.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 73" />
Closing arguments
Closing arguments were in late December. Norris described Bonin as someone who derived extreme pleasure from his victims' suffering, and that he acted with malice aforethought. Norris outlined the torture Bonin's victims had endured, before concluding his closing arguments by urging the jury to "give him what he has earned".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Charvet did not specifically ask the jurors to find Bonin not guilty,<ref name="nytimes.com">Template:Cite news</ref> instead requesting they only return the "reasonable verdict you can bring". This indicated a likelihood of not guilty verdicts on at least some counts Bonin was charged with. Charvet doubted the credibility of some of Miley and Munro's testimony; he emphasized their turning state's evidence made them tailor their testimony to the desires of the police.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He reminded the jury he had exposed inconsistencies in Munro's account of Wells' murder, that Munro lied on numerous occasions, that Bonin had been extensively abused as a child, and of the diagnoses the doctors in Atascadero had reached. He said the prosecution's case was "full of holes", and alleged they had resorted to "revulsion tactics", in the hope Bonin would be convicted upon that basis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Conviction
On December 28, the jury formally began their deliberations.<ref name="nytimes.com" /> On January 6, 1982, they convicted Bonin of ten of the murders for which he was tried.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was found not guilty of the murders of Lundgren and King, of committing sodomy upon Grabs, of committing mayhem upon Lundgren,<ref name="ReferenceD">Template:Cite news</ref> and of robbing one other victim. Later, the prosecution and defense made alternate pleas for the actual sentence the jury should decide, with Norris requesting the death penalty and Charvet requesting life imprisonment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The jury further found that the special circumstances required within California state law (multiple murders and robbery) had been met in the cases for which Bonin was found guilty, and thus unanimously recommended he receive the death penalty.<ref name="Fox 1996 p12" />
Bonin was cleared of King's sodomy and murder, because he had led police to King's body in 1980 under the agreement that his doing so could not be used against him in court. Therefore, the prosecutors had discussed King's disappearance at the trial, but not the discovery of his body.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was cleared of the charges of mayhem and murder against Lundgren because, according to López, he had strenuously denied committing this particular killing in their interviews.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:PbTemplate:Quote box Template:NpTemplate:Pb
Sentencing
In February, Charvet argued against imposition of the death verdict returned by the jury.<ref name="ReferenceD" /> Despite his impassioned appeal, Keene formally sentenced Bonin to death for the ten murders, and ordered that if his death sentence were commuted to one of life imprisonment, the sentences should run consecutively.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bonin was then ordered to await his execution via the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison. He remained unmoved upon learning of the sentence, having earlier informed his attorney he fully expected to receive the death penalty.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Refn
Prior to his scheduled second trial in Orange County, Bonin was temporarily removed from death row and held in solitary confinement, where he remained until the conclusion of this trial.<ref name="Facing" /> This 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.<ref name="Pelto 2007 120-121">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Refn While Bonin was in solitary confinement, Charvet attempted to secure a change of venue, saying the extensive pretrial publicity surrounding the case in Orange County would minimize the chances of securing an untainted jury within the jurisdiction. This motion was refused by Judge Kenneth Lae, who ruled in November that there had only been minimal publicity surrounding Bonin's case in Orange County following his earlier convictions.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Orange County
Bonin was brought to trial in Orange County on March 21, 1983. He was charged with the robbery and murder of four further victims whose bodies had been found within the jurisdiction.<ref name="Facing">Template:Cite news</ref> He was tried before Superior Court Judge Kenneth Lae.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Two hundred and four prospective jurors were subjected to voir dire jury selection, until sixteen were picked in June. Bonin's attorney then renewed an earlier filed motion that the trial should be moved outside of Orange County due to pretrial publicity tainting the jury pool. This motion was again rejected by Judge Lae, who ruled that the trial would begin on June 14.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1988" />
The prosecutor, Bryan Brown, contended that all four victims killed within the constituency had been abducted while hitchhiking, then ordered to strip before being bound, raped, beaten, tortured, and strangled. In each instance, the ligature had left an impression upon the victim's neck. He also noted similarities in each murder, and between these and two of those for which Bonin had earlier been convicted in Los Angeles County: Miranda and Wells.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1988" /> Emphasis was placed upon the fibers found upon each of the Orange County Template:Nowrapand three Los Angeles County Template:Nowrapbeing a precise match to the carpeting in Bonin's van.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As such, Brown stated, the four Orange County victims had been killed by the same individual who had killed Miranda and Wells, and his accomplices in the Miranda and Wells murders, Miley and Munro, would testify as to their participation.<ref name="autogenerated4" /> The prosecution presented forensic experts who testified on the matching fibers, and blood found in the van.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Charvet refuted these contentions, saying that any similarities in modus operandi did not automatically prove his client's guilt, and that the evidence presented did not support the prosecution's contention, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Bonin had murdered any of the four Orange County victims, or the two Los Angeles County victims. Charvet attacked the credibility of Munro, and contended Bonin was simply a scapegoat for four unsolved murders.<ref name="Facing" /> He also argued that Brown had "spent more time discussing the two Los Angeles cases" Bonin had been convicted for more than actually proving Bonin had committed any of the Orange County murders.<ref name="OrangeDeliberations">Template:Cite news</ref>
During the six-week trial, Bonin's attorneys called two witnesses in his defense. One of them was Munro, who conceded Bonin had communicated with him prior to his testifying in this second trial, requesting that he lie when testifying.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Second conviction
On August 1, both counsels delivered their closing arguments, and the jury retired. They deliberated for less than three hours, before announcing on the 2nd that they had found Bonin guilty of each count of murder and robbery.<ref name="OrangeDeliberations" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After three days deliberating Bonin's penalty, on August 22, the jury announced their recommendations that he be sentenced to death on each count.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite news</ref> On August 26, Bonin received four further death sentences.<ref name="Pelto 2007 133"/><ref name=":7" /> Following these convictions, Bonin was transferred from the Orange County jail back to San Quentin State Prison, to await execution via the gas chamber.<ref name="Freeway Killer William Bonin, What He Did & Why?">Template:Cite web</ref>
Death row
In his years on death row, Bonin undertook painting and writing. He wrote a series of short stories called Doing Time: Stories from the Mind of a Death Row Prisoner.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He became close friends with convicted murderers Lawrence Bittaker, Randy Kraft (who shared the nickname "Freeway Killer"), Douglas Clark, and Jimmy Lee Smith.<ref name="One of Freeway Killer Victims Was His Nephew, Witness Against Bonin Reveals" /><ref name="Freeway Killer William Bonin, What He Did & Why?" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also corresponded with numerous individuals, including the mothers of some of his victims.<ref name="San Francisco Gate" /> To the mothers, he never expressed regret or remorse over the murders, purposefully withholding information his victims' families sought, and seemingly deriving pleasure from their discontent.<ref name="nytimes1" /> Bonin once informed the mother of Sean King that her son had been his favorite victim as "he was such a screamer".Template:Refn
Bonin told both his defense attorneys and several people with whom he corresponded that Butts had been the actual ringleader behind the murders, and that he had simply been Butts' accomplice.<ref name="San Francisco Chronicle" />Template:Refn These claims would be disputed Stirling Norris, the prosecutor at Bonin's Los Angeles County murder trial, who said before Bonin's execution: "He was the leader, and he chose weak people he could use."<ref name="San Francisco Chronicle" />
Bonin was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in 1992, following the execution of Robert Alton Harris (the first inmate California had executed since 1967).<ref name="The Execution of William Bonin">Template:Cite news</ref> Harris had exhibited evident symptoms of discomfort, including convulsions, for up to four minutes throughout his 15 minutes in the gas chamber.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> As such, the state of California opted to use lethal injection as an alternate execution method, branding the gas chamber as "cruel and unusual".<ref name="trutv2">Template:Cite web</ref>
Appeals
Bonin filed numerous appeals against his convictions and sentencing, citing issues such as jury prejudice, the potential of jury inflammation via listening to numerous victim impact statements (to which his defense counsel had offered to stipulate), and inadequate defense. For these appeals, Bonin hired new lawyers, who initially submitted contentions that Charvet had provided inadequate defense at his trials, by failing to place sufficient emphasis upon Bonin's bipolar disorder and childhood sexual abuse. These lawyers contended that, had Charvet placed further emphasis on these issues, Bonin would have been "humanized" in the eyes of his juries. Each successive appeal proved unsuccessful.<ref name="trutv2"/>
Despite upholding the convictions, the Supreme Court poured scorn upon Judge Keene for failing to fully heed a warning given by the prosecution prior to the Los Angeles County trial, that Munro had discussed the possibility of agreeing to legal representation by Charvet prior to his testimony. Despite admonishing Charvet for a potential conflict of interest, Judge Keene had permitted him to act as Bonin's defense attorney at his first trial. However, the Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that Charvet had effectively cross-examined Munro at trial, and that Keene's actions, though "inexplicable", had not effectively harmed Bonin's legal defense.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Merit was given to Bonin's contention that his defense should have been allowed to stipulate to the testimony of the victims' parents, rather than their being allowed to identify photographs of their sons in both life and death at his trials. Despite this ruling, this finding was also deemed not to have affected the overall verdict.<ref name="People vs. Bonin 1989" />
A final submission to the United States Court of Appeals was submitted in 1994. Bonin contended issues such as his being denied the effective assistance of counsel at his trials, that he had been denied due process at his Los Angeles trial due to the judge's refusal to suppress Munro and Miley's testimonies,<ref name="caselaw.findlaw.com" /> that Charvet failed to point out Bonin's brain damage and other mitigating circumstances, and that the judge at his Orange County trial had denied his counsel's motion for a change of venue upon the basis that pretrial publicity had effectively minimized any chance of obtaining an unbiased jury.<ref name="Petitioner-appellant1995" /> This appeal was rejected in 1995, with the appellate judges stating they had found no evidence of legal misconduct, and that no evidence existed that the 13 jurors who served upon the Orange County trial had been incapable of judging Bonin with impartiality. As such, the judges declared their satisfaction with Bonin's convictions, concluding that his verdict would not have changed with further mitigating circumstances revealed.<ref name="Petitioner-appellant1995" />
The various experts who had examined Bonin would find conflict with one another's assertions, with Dr. Park Dietz stating that fellow Dr. Foster largely mischaracterized and exaggerated the evidence used to prove Bonin was extensively abused as a child, and mistakenly assumed Bonin's Babinski reflex and other symptoms were indicative of brain damage that influenced his crimes.<ref name="justia1" /> On February 20, 1996, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Bonin's plea for clemency on the grounds of inadequate legal representation at both trials.<ref name="ReferenceE">Template:Cite news</ref>
Execution
Bonin was executed by lethal injection inside the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison on February 23, 1996,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 14 years after his first death sentence had been imposed.<ref name=":1" /> He was the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the history of California.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>
In his final interview, given to a local radio station less than 24 hours before his death, Bonin said that he had "made peace" with the fact he was about to die, adding that his only major regret in life was that he had not pursued his teenage passion of bowling long enough to turn professional.<ref name="Life After Death Penalty">Template:Cite web</ref> He expressed his disagreement with the State's decision to execute him, saying he thought the death penalty is wrong.<ref name="Where Are They Now?">Template:Cite web</ref> He denied responsibility for his actions,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> saying that he had no control over his actions.<ref name="Where Are They Now?" /> He also said he would not be able to live a normal life outside prison.<ref name="Final interview">Template:Cite news</ref>
At 6 p.m. on the 23rd, Bonin was moved from his cell to a death-watch cell, where he ordered his last meal: two large pizzas, three pints of ice cream and three six-packs of Coca-Cola.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His last hours were spent with five people he had chosen, including his attorney, his chaplain, and a prospective biographer. His attorney said that he had not detected any remorse in Bonin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Around one hour prior to his scheduled execution, the Supreme Court refused to hear Bonin's final plea to overturn his death sentence, deciding that Bonin's attorneys had not failed to give him adequate legal representation by not earlier submitting claims of discovered evidence attesting to Bonin's innocence. The Court of Appeals ruled that his attorneys should not have waited until the last minute to submit arguments to overturn or postpone the death sentence. They also rejected Bonin's claim that he had a right to choose between the gas chamber or lethal injection as his method of execution.<ref name="The Execution of William Bonin" />
At 11:45 p.m., Bonin was escorted from his holding cell into the execution chamber.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 104">Template:Harvnb</ref> In his final statement, given to the prison warden an hour before his scheduled execution at midnight, Bonin again expressed no remorse for his crimes; he left a note that stated:
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />
I feel the death penalty is not an answer to the problems at hand. I feel it sends the wrong message to the people of this country. Young people act as they see other people acting instead of as people tell them to act. I would advise that when a person has a thought of doing anything serious against the law, that before they did, they should go to a quiet place and think about it seriously.{{#if:|
|}}{{#if:|
— {{#if:|, in }}Template:Comma separated entries
}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Blockquote with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | author | by | char | character | cite | class | content | multiline | personquoted | publication | quote | quotesource | quotetext | sign | source | style | text | title | ts }}
Bonin was pronounced dead at 12:13 a.m.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 104"/> He was 49. None of Bonin's relatives chose to witness his execution, although the event was witnessed by several relatives of his victims.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to several witnesses, Bonin's execution passed without complications, and he was heavily sedated throughout the latter stages of the procedure.<ref name="N.Y. Daily News March 25, 2008" /> On this subject, Governor Pete Wilson, who had rejected a submitted plea for clemency from Bonin's attorneys three days before the execution,<ref name="ReferenceE" /> called Bonin the "poster boy for capital punishment".<ref name="Fox 1996 10" />
Aftermath
Bonin's family refused to claim his remains following his execution. His remains were cremated in a private ceremony with none of his family members present, and his ashes were later scattered over the Pacific Ocean.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Three weeks after the execution, authorities discovered that his mother had openly exploited an administrative error pertaining to her son's social security disability Template:Nowrapwhich Bonin had begun receiving for a mental disability in 1972 and which should have terminated upon his 1982 Template:Nowrapto maintain payments on her Downey home. This administrative error (totaling approximately $79,424) was only discovered after a funeral director notified the Social Security Administration of Bonin's death.<ref name="trutv2" /> His mother agreed to pay restitution for receiving these payments in March, claiming neither she nor her son were aware of the illegality of their actions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Throughout Bonin's trials, and in the years of his subsequent incarceration on death row, experts devoted much speculation and debate as to whether the root cause of his crimes lay in his abusive and dysfunctional upbringing.Template:Refn One of Bonin's lawyers was quoted stating it was "virtually impossible for [Bonin] to be a successful human being" given the abuse he had endured, while a prospective biographer said he was essentially unable to handle minute problems in his day-to-day life due to trauma.<ref name="sfgate.com" /> Opponents and advocates of the death penalty alike acknowledged Bonin had endured extensive abuse throughout his childhood, but much scorn was given to the claims from his attorneys and supporters that his murders had been a direct manifestation of the abuse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
David McVicker, who witnessed Bonin's execution, was traumatized by his ordeal for several years. He was haunted by nightmares on a nightly basis concerning the incident,<ref name="nytimes1" /> dropped out of high school and became dependent on drugs and alcohol. He described the execution as being symbolic of closure.<ref name="Resource.org" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the following years, he actively campaigned to ensure that Bonin's accomplices, Miley and Munro, remain incarcerated."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Munro was sentenced to a term of 15 years to life for the second degree murder of Wells in 1981. He has repeatedly appealed the sentence, claiming that he had not known Bonin was the Freeway Killer until after Wells' murder, and that he had been tricked into accepting a plea bargain whereby he pleaded guilty to this second degree murder charge.<ref name="trutv2" /> He has also written to successive governors, requesting he be executed, rather than undergo life imprisonment for what he claims is "a crime I didn't commit".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> He has repeatedly been denied parole and is incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison. He is next available for parole in 2029.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Miley was sentenced to a term of 25 years to life for the first-degree murder of Miranda in 1982.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was later sentenced to a concurrent term of 25 years to life for the abduction and murder of Macabe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On May 25, 2016, Miley died of injuries he had sustained two days previously, when he was attacked by another inmate in an exercise yard at Mule Creek State Prison.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Pugh was sentenced to six years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter of Harry Turner in 1982.<ref name="ReferenceB" /> He had initially been charged with the first-degree murder of Turner, in addition to companion charges of robbery and sodomy. However, after five days of deliberation, the jury found Pugh guilty of the reduced charge of manslaughter, and innocent of robbery and sodomy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He served less than four years of his sentence, and was released from prison in 1985.<ref name="Rosewood 2015 90">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Known victims
Bonin was suspected of committing at least 21 murders, and the killings for which he was convicted are shown in italics:
1979
- Thomas Glen Lundgren (13): Disappeared and found on May 28, 1979, in Los Angeles County
- Mark Duane Shelton (17): Disappeared on August 4, 1979, and found on August 11, 1979, in San Bernardino County
- Markus Alexander Grabs (17): Disappeared on August 5, 1979, and found on August 6, 1979, in Los Angeles County
- Donald Ray Hyden (15): Disappeared and found on August 27, 1979, in Los Angeles County
- David Louis Murillo (17): Disappeared on September 9, 1979, and found on September 10, 1979, in Los Angeles County
- Robert Christopher Wirostek (18): Disappeared on September 17, 1979, and found on September 27, 1979, in Orange County
- Kern County John Doe (15–27): Body found on November 1, 1979, in Kern County
- Frank Dennis Fox (17): Disappeared on November 30, 1979, and found on December 2, 1979, in Orange County
- John Fredrick Kilpatrick (15): Disappeared on December 5, 1979, and found on December 13, 1979, in Los Angeles County
1980
- Michael Francis McDonald (16): Disappeared and found on January 1, 1980, in San Bernardino County
- Charles Dempster Miranda (15): Disappeared and found on February 3, 1980, in Los Angeles County
- James Michael Macabe (12): Disappeared and found on February 3, 1980, in Los Angeles County
- Ronald Craig Gatlin (18): Disappeared on March 14, 1980, and found on March 15, 1980, in Los Angeles County
- Glenn Norman Barker (14): Disappeared on March 21, 1980, and found on March 23, 1980, in Los Angeles County
- Russell Duane Rugh (15): Disappeared on March 21, 1980, and found on March 23, 1980, in San Diego County
- Harry Todd Turner (15): Disappeared on March 25, 1980, and found on March 26, 1980, in Los Angeles County
- Steven John Wood (16): Disappeared and found on April 4, 1980, in Los Angeles County
- Darin Lee Kendrick (19): Disappeared on April 29, 1980, and found on May 1, 1980, in Los Angeles County
- Lawrence Eugene Sharp (17): Disappeared on May 10, 1980, and found on May 18, 1980, in Los Angeles County
- Sean Paige King (14): Disappeared on May 19, 1980, and found on May 20, 1980, in San Bernardino County
- Steven Jay Wells (18): Disappeared on June 2, 1980, and found on June 3, 1980, in Orange County
Sources:<ref name="SantaCruzKernC" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name="Orozco" /><ref name="Kilpatrick" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref name="Rosewood 2015 66" /><ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref>
Media
Film
- The film Freeway Killer was released by Image Entertainment in 2010. This film is directly based upon the murders committed by Bonin and his accomplices. The film cast Scott Anthony Leet as William Bonin and Dusty Sorg as Vernon Butts.
Bibliography
Television
- A History Channel documentary series, Infamous Murders, analyzed the case in an episode in 2001.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
- The Investigation Discovery documentary, The Freeway Killer, was first broadcast in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The documentary series World's Most Evil Killers featured an episode focusing upon the Freeway Killer murders in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The six-part ABC News TV series City of Angels, City of Death examined his case from the perspective of lead detective Robert Souza in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- David McVicker told his story in an episode of A&E Networks series I Survived A Serial Killer in 2022.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
See also
- List of people executed in California
- List of people executed in the United States in 1996
- List of serial killers by number of victims
- List of serial killers in the United States
- Patrick Kearney, another serial killer in 1970s California known as the "Freeway Killer"
- Randy Kraft, another serial killer in 1970s California known as the "Freeway Killer" who had similar disposal methods to BoninTemplate:Div col end
Notes
References
Cited works and further reading
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External links
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation case summary upon William Bonin
- Contemporary news article detailing the execution of William Bonin
- Dead Man Waiting, as published in the San Francisco Chronicle, February 20, 1996
- L.A. Times news article detailing Bonin's lawyers' last-minute appeals to obtain a stay of execution
- William Bonin at CrimeLibrary.com
- People v. William Bonin: Details of Bonin's 1989 appeal against his convictions, submitted January 9, 1989
- William George Bonin v. Arthur Calderon: Details of Bonin's 1995 submission to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, submitted June 28, 1995
| Preceded by {{#if:David Edwin Mason|David Edwin Mason|—}} |
Executions carried out in California{{#if:| {{{curr}}}}} |
Succeeded by {{#if:Keith Daniel Williams|Keith Daniel Williams|—}} |
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