William Bonin | |
|---|---|
 Bonin's 1980 mugshot | |
| Born | William George Bonin January 8, 1947 Willimantic, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 1996 (aged 49) San Quentin State Prison, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Resting place | Ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean |
| Other names | The Freeway Killer The Freeway Strangler |
| Children | 1 |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder with special circumstances (x14) Robbery (x3) Sodomy[1] |
| Criminal penalty | Los Angeles County Death (March 12, 1982) Orange County Death (August 26, 1983) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Murder: 14 convicted, 21 confessed to, 22-36+ suspected |
Span of crimes | November 1968 – June 2, 1980 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
Date apprehended | June 11, 1980 |
| Imprisoned at | San Quentin State Prison |
William George Bonin (January 8, 1947 – February 23, 1996), also called the Freeway Killer[2] and the Freeway Strangler,[3] was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured, and murdered young men and boys between November 1968 and June 1980 in southern California. He was convicted of 14 murders, but he confessed to 21 and is suspected of even more.[4]
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",[5] 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.
- ^ "Freeway Killer: Bonin Convicted for 10 Killings; Awaits Sentencing". The Daily Record. Ellensburg, Washington. United Press International. January 7, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
- ^ Gregory, Kim (January 17, 2010). "The Beat Goes On: Decades Have Passed, but Housewife and Mom Jane Howatt Remains Determined to Piece". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ McDougal 1991, p. 145
- ^ "People v. Bonin (1988)". law.justia.com. August 29, 1988. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- ^ "Freeway Killer's Story: Ghastly Tale of Horror". The Gadsden Times. February 3, 1981. Retrieved November 27, 2018.