1983: The Hillside Strangler Who Sold Out His Own Cousin to Dodge the Death Penalty
Kenneth Bianchi knew exactly what awaited him if convicted of the Hillside Strangler killings, so when police closed in he struck a deal: testify against his older cousin, Angelo Buono, and escape execution himself. The two men had spent months luring women across Los Angeles, assaulting and killing them, before Bianchi turned Crown witness against the very relative he had once called a partner.
On this day in 1983, both men were found guilty on the same day of multiple counts of assault and murder. Buono, despite his cousin’s testimony against him, also avoided death row and was sentenced to life without parole. Bianchi, for his cooperation, received a sentence of 118 years, his life spared by the words he gave up about his own family.
