Angelo Anthony Buono Jr. (October 5, 1934 – September 21, 2002) was an American serial killer, kidnapper and rapist who, together with his adopted cousin Kenneth Bianchi, were known as the Hillside Stranglers. Buono and Bianchi were convicted of killing ten young women in Los Angeles, California, between October 1977 and February 1978.
Early life
Angelo Buono was born on October 5, 1934, in Rochester, New York, to first-generation Italian emigrants from San Buono. Buono had developed an extensive criminal history, ranging from failure to pay child support, grand theft auto, assault and rape. In 1975, when Buono was 41 years old, he came into contact with his adopted cousin, Kenneth Bianchi.[1] A self-described "ladies man", Buono persuaded Bianchi to join him in pimping out two women he had been holding as virtual prisoners.
Murders
In October 1977, Buono and Bianchi began killing women. Cruising around Los Angeles, California, in Buono's car and using fake badges, the two men persuaded their victims that they were undercover police officers. They would then order the victims into Bianchi's Cadillac, which they claimed was an unmarked police car, and drive to Buono's home to torture and murder them. The women and girls ranged in age from 12 to 28. The confirmed victims were:
The legal case against Buono was based largely upon Bianchi's testimony. Deciding that Bianchi was an unreliable and uncooperative witness, the case's original prosecutors from District AttorneyJohn Van de Kamp's office moved to dismiss all charges against Buono and set him free. The presiding judge, Ronald M. George, refused to release Buono and reassigned the case to California Attorney GeneralGeorge Deukmejian's office.
Buono's trial would become the longest in American legal history, lasting from November 1981 until November 1983. During the trial, Bianchi, in exchange for a lighter sentence, testified against Buono. The jury convicted Buono on nine counts of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment, with Judge George commenting that he felt a death sentence would have been the appropriate punishment.
Bianchi was ultimately sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
In 2007, Buono's grandson, Christopher Buono, committed suicide shortly after shooting his grandmother, Mary Castillo, in the head. Castillo was at one time married to Buono, and had five children with him, including Chris' father.[5][6] Chris Buono was unaware of his grandfather's true identity until 2005.
^Stephanie Chavez; Anna Gorman (23 September 2002). "Angelo Buono Jr. Dies at 67". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
^King, Gary C. "The Hillside Strangler: Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi." Investigation Discovery. 2. Retrieved on January 10, 2010.
^Rachanee Srisavasdi (20 January 2007). "Neighbors didn't know Buono's background". Orange County Register. Yorba Linda, CA: Digital First Media. Retrieved 23 September 2018.