Serial Killer’s Lies CAGE Innocent?

Empty courtroom with wooden furnishings and judges bench.

Serial killer Kenneth Bianchi’s shaky testimony locked away his cousin Angelo Buono for life in one of America’s longest murder trials, raising enduring questions about justice built on a confessed liar’s word.[1][2]

Story Highlights

Bianchi implicated Buono in 10 Los Angeles murders during 1982 testimony, securing a plea deal to avoid execution.[1][4]
Bianchi faked multiple personality disorder and gave contradictory statements, yet Buono received life without parole in 1983.[2][3]
The two-year trial featured 392 witnesses and drew massive media coverage amid public panic over the Hillside Stranglers.
Bianchi’s recent 2025 parole denial underscores victim families’ opposition despite his claims of innocence.[5]
Circumstantial evidence like upholstery fibers linked Buono, supporting conviction despite witness unreliability.[3]

The Hillside Stranglers’ Reign of Terror

Angelo Buono Jr. and Kenneth Bianchi raped, tortured, and murdered at least nine young women in Los Angeles from October 1977 to February 1978. Posing as police officers, the cousins abducted victims, strangled them with garrotes, and dumped bodies on hillsides. The killings created widespread fear, especially among women. Buono ran an upholstery shop near several dump sites, while Bianchi moved to Washington state.[2][8]

Forensic traces, including fibers from Buono’s shop found on victims, emerged during investigations. Eyewitness accounts and rabbit hairs from Buono’s pets also surfaced. Police initially struggled to connect the murders until Bianchi’s arrest in Bellingham, Washington, for two student killings in January 1979.[3]

Bianchi’s Arrest and Plea Bargain

Authorities arrested Bianchi after he abducted, raped, and murdered Western Washington University students Karen Mandic and Diane Wilder. Facing certain death penalty in Washington, Bianchi confessed to the Los Angeles crimes and implicated Buono to secure transfer to California. He pleaded guilty to five California murders and one conspiracy count in October 1979, agreeing to testify truthfully against Buono.[4]

Bianchi faked multiple personality disorder, inventing alter egos during psychiatric evaluations. Experts like Dr. Martin Orne exposed the deception. Judge Ronald George ruled in 1981 that Bianchi fabricated both hypnosis responses and personalities based on police evidence and contradictions.[2][6]

Contradictory Testimony in the Longest U.S. Murder Trial

Buono’s trial began jury selection in November 1981 and ended with convictions in October 1983, lasting 729 days—the longest criminal trial in American history. Prosecutors from the California Attorney General’s office presented 1,807 exhibits and 392 witnesses. Bianchi testified for months, at times denying his own involvement or claiming memory lapses.[7]

On June 29, 1982, Bianchi pointed at Buono in court, stating he participated in the killings. Yet he answered “I don’t know” to questions about his presence at strangulations and later suggested he might have faked prior statements. Defense argued Bianchi was the sole killer, but the jury convicted Buono of nine first-degree murders.[1][7]

Hear the amazing story how Richie Onori, from the glam-rock group Sweet, found himself on the edge of life and death while at gunpoint by both Hillside Stranglers, Angelo Buono Jr. and Kenneth Bianchi. Here's the Full Story version; https://t.co/UjDKA2FbgY pic.twitter.com/LYUahMKAO9

— EARTHOVISION (@EARTHOVISION) May 9, 2026

Prosecutors sought death, calling the acts “worse than animals.” The jury rejected capital punishment. Judge George sentenced Buono to life without parole on January 4, 1984, stating both men should never leave prison. Buono died of a heart condition in Calipatria State Prison on September 21, 2002, at age 67.[2]

Enduring Doubts and Parole Battles

Bianchi served eight life sentences and remains at Washington State Penitentiary, eligible for parole in 2025 but denied in 2025 by California’s parole board amid victim family opposition. He has filed appeals claiming hypnotic coercion induced false confessions, repudiating his pleas.[4][5]

Accomplice testimony like Bianchi’s carries risks, contributing to 15% of later-overturned wrongful convictions per Innocence Project data. True crime media highlights Bianchi’s manipulations, fueling debates over Buono’s guilt reliant on circumstantial links and a tainted witness.[3][6]