[349] Alice Benton subsequently agreed to pay restitution for receiving these payments in March 1996, claiming neither she or her son were aware of the illegality of their actions.[383]. [323], Following these closing arguments, Judge Keene ordered the trial recessed until December 28, when he delivered his final instructions to the jury, who then formally began their deliberations. Each later stated that Bonin seemed resigned to his fate; his attorney also added that he had not detected any remorse in his client.[358]. None of Bonin's relatives chose to witness his execution, although the event was witnessed by several relatives of his victims, many of whom wept and embraced when his death was officially confirmed. Bonin's accomplice was James Michael Munro. [76][75], On December 4, 1968, 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. [336], Initial jury selection began on this date, and saw a total of 204 prospective jurors subjected to the process of voir dire selection until sixteen were picked in June. [23] After returning home, Bonin was reportedly more recalcitrant toward his parents than before the punishment. This administrative error totaling approximately $79,424 was only discovered after a funeral director notified the Social Security Administration of Bonin's death. [267] On June 1, Bonin took Munro roller-skating with his girlfriend before abruptly informing Munro that night that he wanted them both to abduct, sexually assault, and murder a teenage hitchhiker. This spokesperson added that five further murder charges would likely be filed against the men in Orange County in due course. [261] Upon hearing the confidential tip from the counselor, St. John conducted an extensive interview with Pugh the following day. The "Freeway Killer" William Bonin was convicted in two separate trials of murdering 14 young men and boys and given a death sentence for each one of his victims. [157][78], In order to minimize the chances of a potential victim escaping from his vehicle, Bonin removed all inner handles from the passenger-side and rear doors of his van. [334][n 20] While incarcerated in this capacity, Charvet attempted to secure a change of venue, citing the extensive pretrial publicity surrounding the case in the county minimizing the chances of securing an untainted jury within the jurisdiction; however, this motion was refused by Judge Kenneth Lae, who ruled in November 1982 that there had only been minimal publicity surrounding the Freeway Killer case in Orange County following Bonin's earlier convictions. Lpez had agreed to these conditions, and Bonin had confessed to him on January 9[309] that he was indeed the Freeway Killer and that he had killed 21 victims. Thousands of screaming fans pack into baseball games, football (not soccer!) [348] As such, the state of California opted to use lethal injection as an alternate method of execution to the gas chamber, branding the gas chamber a "cruel and unusual" method of execution.[349]. [135] In contrast, Bonin held Butts in high regard for his social popularity and for empowering him,[52] describing the young man as very intelligent. Decided: June 28, 1995", "Crime History: Two More Fall Victim to L.A.'s Freeway Killer", "Bonin Accomplice Wants Freedom or Death, Not the Truth", "Twice-paroled Sex Offender Charged in Fourteen of Forty 'Freeway Killer' Murders", "Two Suspects Charged in Freeway Murders", "Freeway Killer: Third Man Held for Murder", "L. A. When arrested, he informed law enforcement that "next time there won't be any more witnesses. He had it all together. [25] Later claiming in life that no abuse had taken place by staff,[21] Bonin confessed to being forced to punch a fence by nuns when he misbehaved. [210] Because Kilpatrick a troubled youth whose parents had recently divorced was known to disappear for days at a time, his mother hesitated to report the disappearance. [380] Collectively, Bonin, Kraft and Kearney may have claimed up to 131 victims. For the next several decades, San Quentin was the Bonin began asking him about "fags" and homosexuality before accelerating the vehicle and producing a handgun. This book holds the entire details of the evidence, trial, and execution of William Bonin, a serial killer of the 1970's and 80's in California. Bonin was physically linked to many of the murders by blood and semen stains,[252] and numerous, distinctive green triskelion-shaped carpet fibers found upon seven of the victims' bodies which were forensically proven to be a precise match with the carpeting in the rear of Bonin's van. Ten days after Bonin's release from custody, on March 14, he abducted 18-year-old Van Nuys youth Ronald Gatlin; after assaulting the youth, Bonin began hacking at Gatlin's face with an ice pick. A drifter who had been in and out of penal institutions, Butts was later speculated by court prosecutors to have developed a fascination with sadistic homosexual activity while in jail. He then complimented Bonin, stating: "Good job, Billy, you really did a good one. LOS ANGELES -- Freeway Killer William Bonin, convicted of luring 10 youths into his 'death van' for sessions of sex, torture and murder, predicts he will be condemned to die in the gas chamber.. [13] Bonin became a regular attendee at Fraser's parties held almost every night of the week for the next several months where young men, drugs, and alcohol were rife. According to accomplice James Munro, Bonin would engage in acts of. The police followed Bonin until his van parked in a service station parking lot close to the Hollywood Freeway, then discreetly approached the vehicle. This incident wounded his self-esteem and increased Bonin's belief that he "just couldn't make it with girls" as romantic partners; he resolved to never allow a female to hurt him this deeply again. [115], Through his frequent attendance at Fraser's parties,[112] Bonin became acquainted with 21-year-old porcelain factory worker, occultist, and part-time magician Vernon Robert Butts[118] and 18-year-old Gregory Matthews Miley. This event would hold significance as being the last incident in which Bonin is known to have expressed any semblance of. So I regret that I didn't get to go out and get the instruction, and pursue that. I don't like [raping] some limp piece of meat. Medical evidence also revealed that six of the murders for which Bonin was charged were committed by a unique windlass strangulation method, which was later referred to by the prosecutor at Bonin's Los Angeles County trial as "a signature, a trademark". Michael Francis McDonald (16): Disappeared and found on January 1, 1980, in San Bernardino County; mutilated and strangled to death with ligature after being assaulted. "[388], Munro was sentenced to a term of fifteen years to life for the second degree murder of Steven Wells on April 6, 1981. He is next available for parole in 2029.[391]. Profile of Sean Vincent Gillis. [112][109] While delivering trucks, Bonin frequently argued with his boss who was unaware of his status as a sex offender for picking up a hitchhiker in his presence on one occasion and taking longer, unnecessary routes which detectives later took interest in.[113]. [34] Dr. Albert Rosenstein, a forensic psychologist, predicted their killer was an intelligent sex offender in his late twenties or early thirties, had spent time in a psychiatric facility, was abused as a child, and that while bisexual, the killer "has [never] become comfortable with the homosexual side of his personality" and is repulsed by his actions, as is evidenced by the gruesome mutilation of his victims. Mass Murderers, Spree and Serial Killers. [40], In 1957, Bonin was arrested for stealing metal tags from vehicle license plates;[17] he was placed in a juvenile detention center for these offenses and various other minor crimes. [46] Although both parents were generally neglectful of their children, Bonin and his brothers were primarily raised by their mother,[47] who often displayed inordinately domineering and emasculating behavior toward Bonin. Sean Paige King (14): Disappeared on May 19, 1980, and found on May 20, 1980, in San Bernardino County; raped and killed by strangulation. This incident had occurred on December 8, 1981; Bonin had subsequently worn sunglasses in court to conceal his black eyes. [244] Wood's autopsy revealed the youth had been killed by ligature strangulation. In a final interview given to a local radio station less than 24 hours before he was executed . "[378], Although Kraft's disposal method had been similar to that of Bonin, Kraft drugged his victims before he killed them and used differing torture methods upon their bodies, including burning the victims' chests and genitals with an automobile cigarette lighter. [148][172], An expert later postulated that Bonin's brutality was likely an attempt to "kill" his homosexual attraction to Lundgren, further "silencing" his desire with each subsequent stabbing. [306] In the case of Miley, Norris agreed to accept two separate pleas of guilty to first-degree murder 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. beautyrest heated blanket replacement cord; university of rochester job placement; what did gee your hair smells terrific smell like; spangdahlem air base closing [60], Closing arguments lasted from December 16 to 22, 1981. [65][66] According to Bonin, he engaged in allegedly consensual relations with four young girls and had a "number of homosexual encounters" in Vietnam, as well as a 25-year-old female prostitute in Hong Kong,[67][63] although he also confessed to sexually assaulting two soldiers under his command at gunpoint during the period of the Tet Offensive. [77][73], On January 12, 1969, at approximately 9:00 p.m. it was reported that Bonin had picked up 18-year-old hitchhiker Jesus Monge, asking him about homosexuality before offering him twenty dollars to orally copulate him. Bonin was suspected of committing at least 21 murders, and the killings for which he was convicted are shown in italics: On July 1, 1977, Patrick Kearney, the prime suspect in a series of killings of young men known as the "Trash Bag Murders", voluntarily surrendered to Riverside police. A second suspect, Vernon Butts, was charged with being an accomplice in six of those killings. Bonin and his brothers were severely neglected as children, and were often fed and . [201][202] This victim was savagely beaten repeatedly by both captors,[203] then strangled to death by Bonin before his fully clothed body was discarded in an irrigation ditch alongside State Route 99, south of Bakersfield. After fighting for his life for 17 years, the notorious "Freeway Killer" became the first person to be executed by lethal injection in California. [148] His nude body was discovered on September 12, 1979. These accrued reprimands had included the possession of contraband drugs, and attempting to engage in non-consensual sodomy with fellow inmates. I don't agree"[354] before further elaborating: "I have no anger towards anybody, but that doesn't mean I don't think the death penalty is wrong. They found another one, a strangler victim. One Friday evening in March, 1980, Bonin offered a 17-year-old named William Ray Pugh a ride home as the pair left the house of Everett Fraser. When Bonin parked his mother's car in a secluded area, he raped the young man before threatening to kill him if he reported Bonin, claiming he had friends who would aid in avenging him if he told "The Man" of the assault. [151] His attorney, Joe Ingber, theorized that Butts' 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 the torture the victims had endured prior to their murder. Help needed for podcasts The victims were usually killed inside his van before their bodies were discarded alongside or close to various freeways in southern California. [223], 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 of the murders to which Bonin had already confessed, and Butts was brought before a Municipal Court on July 29, charged with accompanying Bonin on six murders committed between August 1979 and April 1980. In nine murders; those of Lundgren, Shelton, Grabs, Hyden, Murillo, Wirostek, Kendrick, Wells and the John Doe whose skeletal remains had been found in Kern County on November 30, 1979, Bonin was assisted by 19-year-old Gregory Miley in the February 3 murders of Miranda and Macabe. [92], Despite this, Bonin willingly participated in experimental programs and was generally considered a non-violent, helpful and conscientious patient by staff,[78] reciting what he perceived psychiatrists desired to hear from him, believing he could manipulate psychiatrists into granting him an early release. In his closing argument on behalf of the prosecution, Norris described Bonin as an insatiable, callous individual who acted with malice aforethought, and who derived extreme pleasure from the suffering he inflicted upon his victims. Profile of Serial Killer Tommy Lynn Sells. Law . [54] He expressed his disagreement with the State's decision to execute him, stating: "A lot of people believe I should die for what I [have done]. [31][185] In spite of this, his mother and younger brother claimed to have never witnessed Bonin abuse any youths. [252] Moreover, the inner handles from the passenger-side and rear doors of his vehicle had been removed in an obvious effort to prevent victims from escaping the vehicle. [95] While in prison, Bonin was subject to further psychiatric examination which dealt with hostility toward his father and older brother, further noting his sexual behaviors were compulsive in response to stress. [374] Although primarily known as the "Trash Bag Murderer",[375] Kearney is also known as the Freeway Killer. [61] This engagement had largely been at the behest of his mother,[52] with whom Bonin held a recurrent source of conflict pertaining to his evident homosexuality and who insisting he lead a heterosexual lifestyle[49] believed the prospect of marriage would quell her son's sexual preferences. Six officers from three of the jurisdictions in which the "Freeway Killer" had most regularly either abducted or deposited the bodies of his victims formed a task force dedicated to the apprehension of the suspect or suspects who, as one of the officers upon this assembled task force later recalled, was striking at an average rate of once every two weeks in the spring of 1980. Shelton was then twice strangled over a fifteen-minute period with Butts' assistance. His family moved to California when he was 14. [122] Described by acquaintances as "shy and easily led" by others, Butts attempted suicide on three occasions prior to meeting Bonin[123] and held an obsession with death and witchcraft. [246], Four weeks later, on April 29, Bonin encountered 19-year-old supermarket employee Darin Kendrick while parked in the grounds of the Stanton supermarket where Kendrick worked. [167], The first murder for which Bonin was charged was that of 13-year-old Thomas Glen Lundgren. [23][31][n 1] Loosing his restraints, the orphan bound and performed fellatio on Bonin before attempting to rape him and forcing Bonin to orally copulate him. You're an alright guy. With William Bonin, Dave Lopez, Elizabeth Yardley, Geoffrey Wansell. Within minutes of accepting the ride, Bonin asked Pugh whether he would like to engage in sex with him. [121] As a result, Bonin and Butts frequently discussed the subject of death. He was a victim of William Bonin AKA "The Freeway Killer". "[144] To those unaware of his crimes, Bonin who made daily trips to Orange County to buy newspapers reportedly "seemed obsessed" with the case. [229] None of these jobs lasted a significant length of time, and he was frequently unemployed. [255], One week after the murder of Sharp, on the afternoon of May 19, Bonin asked Butts to accompany him on a killing; on this occasion, however, Butts reportedly refused to accompany him. 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