In 1979, William Bonin was released from prison (due to an administrative error) after sexually assaulting a teenage boy. Following his release, Bonin vowed that “this was never going to happen again”. And he knew just how to make sure of jus that. Part one can be found here.
On August 4th, 1979, Bonin and his willing accomplice (though said accomplice claimed they were coerced through fear) Vernon Butts abducted 17-year-old Mark Shelton. Mark had left his home in Westminster, and was walking towards the movie theater. Witnesses claimed to have heard screaming around the area of the Shelton household, which indicated to investigators that Mark had been taken against his will.
Mark was assault, and horrifically abused before Bonin and Butts dropped his body in San Bernardino County.
(Reminder for those who may not have read Part 1 – I refuse to outline the details of the assaults and murders. There are accounts of these elsewhere, which can be found in the sources below.)
One day later, on August 5th, 1979, the pair came across Markus Grabs. Markus was an exchange student from West Germany. He was travelling around the coast, hitchhiking his way down the Pacific Coast Highway. He was abducted by Bonin and Butts, bound, and then driven to Bonins home. There, he was assaulted and abused.
Mark’s body was found the following morning in Malibu Creek. He had been stabbed to death.
After Mark’s abduction, Bonin and Butts were not at all satisfied. On August 27th, they abducted 15-year-old Donald Ray Hyden along Santa Monica Boulevard. Donald had been bound, and then tortured, before being murdered by ligature strangulation. His body was found later the say day he was last seen alive by construction workers along the Ventura Freeway.
Two weeks later, on September 9th, the pair went out on the hunt again. They abducted 17-year-old David Louis Murilla from La Mirada as he was on his bike, heading towards a movie theater. Just like the others, David Louis was strangled with a ligature. Afterwards, Butts and Bonin threw his body into a bed of ivy along Highway 101.
Not long after, on September 17th, 18-year-old Robert Christopher Wirostek was abducted. His body was found along Interstate 10, ten days later on September 27th.
For a while, it seemed as though Bonin, whom the press had begun labelling The Freeway Killer, took a break. He next struck, with Butts, on November 1st, 1979. They abducted an unknown young male, estimated to be between 15 and 27 years old. The man was beaten, then strangled to death before Bonin and Butts threw his body in an irrigation ditch along State Route 99, near Bakersfield.
Around four weeks following the murder of this unnamed man, Bonin, working alone, abducted 17-year-old Frank Dennis Fox. He was found two days following his disappearance along the Ortega Highway, near San Juan Capistrano. Frank had been tortured before being strangled to death.
Just over a week later, 15-year-old John Frederick Kilpatrick disappeared after leaving his Long Beach home. His body was found on December 13th, 1979, near the area of Rialto. Like the others, he had also been strangled to death.
Bonin next tortured and strangled 16-year-old Michael Francis McDonald on January 1st, 1980. Michael had been abducted near his Ontario, California home, and was found alongside Highway 71, near San Bernardino County, on January 3rd.
Following the discovery of the body, Bonin drove into Hollywood with Gregory Miley, the young man from Texas, whom he’d met through Vernon Butts. 15-year-old Charles Miranda was hitchhiking along Santa Monica Boulevard when he was picked up by the pair.
Miley later recollected that Bonin and Charles engaged in ‘consensual’ sex, before Bonin whispered to him: “Kid’s going to die”. Bonin then overpowered Charles, told Miley to take his wallet, then bound and gagged him. Bonin and Miley proceeded to inflict extreme torture on Charles, before strangling him.
The method with which Charles, and many others, were strangled would become known as Bonin’s signature. Bonin would take his victim’s T-Shirt, and strangle his victims with it, tightening it with the assistance of a tire iron, almost as though he was emulating a garrotte.
After strangling Charles in this manner, the pair dropped his body in a Los Angeles alleyway, along East Second Street.
Mere hours later, Bonin and Miley abducted 12-year-old James Macabe. James was waiting at a bus stop on the corner of Beach Boulevard and Slater Avenue, hitchhiking his way to Disneyland. When Bonin and Miley approached him, James accepted the ride they offered, and got into the van.
Miley took over driving, as Bonin attacked James in the back of the van, hidden from view of passing traffic. Bonin repeatedly sexually assaulted James, while also beating him. He then forced James to sleep in his arms, where he attacked the boy again upon his waking. Then, as he’d done so many times before. Bonin strangled James with his T-shirt, and left his body beside a dumpster near a construction site in Walnut City.
James was discovered three days later, on January 6th, bearing the marks of having been tortured.
On February 4th, 1980, William Bonin was arrested. He was found to be in violation of the conditions of his parole. He was remanded into the custody of the Orange County Jail. He was released on March 4th, 1980.
One Friday night in March (it’s unclear as to when, exactly, the following occurred), after his release, Bonin offered 17-year-old William Ray Pugh a ride home. The two had previously been partying with Bonin’s friend, Everett Scot Fraser at Fraser’s apartment. While driving, Bonin asked William to have sex with him. William tried to exit the vehicle, but was dragged back into the passenger seat when Bonin grasped him by the collar of his shirt.
Scared, William sat quietly as Bonin told him about what he had been up to – the abductions, assaults, torture, and murders of the boys he’d picked up, either on his own or with others. William was shocked, but continued to stay quiet, especially as Bonin continued speaking.
Bonin informed William that they were going to be good friends, and that William himself had only been spared because witnesses had seen them leaving Fraser’s together. William was driven home, and tried to put the incident behind him.
On March 14th, 1980, Bonin abducted, tortured, and murdered 18-year-old Ronald Gatlin. His body was found the following day, on March 15th, in the city of Duarte. It’s unclear whether this even occurred before or after Bonin ‘befriended’ William Pugh.
A week later, on March 21st, 1980, 14-year-old Glenn Barker was hitchhiking to school when Bonin lured him into his vehicle. But Bonin wasn’t alone. He’d remembered his new friend William Pugh. According to William, he was too afraid of Bonin not to go along with him. William helped Bonin lure Glenn into the car, using William’s youth as a tool to lower the boy’s defences.
Glenn was then assaulted, tortured, and strangled with a ligature.
A few hours later, around 8:30 PM, 15-year-old Harry Todd Turner was abducted by Bonin and William. Bonin luried Harry to his vehicle with the promise of money for sex. Bonin then bound Harry, and ordered William to “beat him up”. William was too afraid to say no. After William had done what he was told, Bonin strangled Harry with his own T-shirt. They left his body in front of the delivery door of a business in Los Angeles.
On April 10th, 1980, 16-year-old Steven John Wood willingly accepted a ride from his brother’s friend, William Bonin, while on his way to school. His body was later found beside a dumpster in an alleyway in Long Beach. Steven had been killed by ligature strangulation.
Following this attack, Bonin grew more daring. On April 29th, 1980, Bonin lured 19-year-old Darin Kendrick to his van, promising Darin drugs. Bonin drove them to Butts’ apartment, and then asked Daring if he was gay. Startled, Darin attempted to leave the apartment, but was overpowered by Bonin and Butts. They took turns torturing Darin, before Bonin strangled him, while Butts inflicted the killing blow by driving an ice pick into his ear.
Darin was found behind a warehouse, near the Artesia Freeway. The ice pick was still in his ear.
On May 12th, 1980, Bonin murdered 17-year-old Lawrence Sharp. Lawrence had been an acquaintance of Bonin’s, whom Bonin had grown to find tiresome. His body was found on May 18th behind a gas station in Westminster. He’d been beaten, and strangled with a ligature.
On May 19th, 1980, Bonin abducted 14-year-old Sean King. Bonin had hoped that Butts would accompany him in searching for a new victim, but apparently he refused. Undeterred, Bonin strangled Sean, before leaving him in Live Oak Canyon, Yucaipa. Bonin then returned to Butts’ apartment, and gloated about what he’d done.
On May 28th, 1980, just over a week after Bonin murdered Sean, he met 18-year-old James Michael Munro. Munro was a drifter, and a runaway who was surviving through sex work. Bonin picked him up, and invited him to move into the apartment he shared with his older brother and his mother. Munro agreed.
Munro stayed in the apartment in exchange for sex, and began a relationship with Bonin. Munro believed Bonin to be a nice, normal man – with a sexual motive for their relationship. He had no idea the kind of man who’d invited him into his home. Until the evening of June 1st, 1980, where Munro was informed that he would assisting Bonin in abducting, sexually assaulting, and murdering young men and boys.
By this time, the media had latched onto tracking the Freeway Killer’s movements in an attempt to catch him. A reward of $50,000 for information leading to the conviction of the perpetrator, or perpetrators, was offered to entice the public to come forward with information. Bonin followed the news coverage if his actions with rapt attention.
Law enforcement, and investigators had determined that each of the murders was linked, and had established a taskforce, involving six officers from three of the jurisdictions where Bonin was most active. They studied Bonin’s patterns, hoping to make sense of his movements, and apprehend him before any more victims could be found. But The Freeway Killer kept evading them.
While Bonin was evading law enforcement, oen of his accomplices wasn’t so lucky.
By May of 1980, William Pugh was being held at the Los Padrinos Juvenile Courthouse on charges of auto theft. On the 28th of May, he overheard local radio broadcasts discussing the details of The Freeway Killer murders. Intrigued, William kept listening, and then realized that all of this sounded familiar. This sounded exactly like what Bonin had discussed with him before; what he’d done with him before.
William passed on what he knew to a counselor where he was being held. The counselor then contacted the Los Angeles Police Department. William was then extensively interviewed by homicide sergeant John St. John. The information allowed police to name their suspect – William Bonin – as The Freeway Killer. However, William kept the fact that he’d accompanied Bonin on one occasion where a young boy was murdered to himself.
On June 2nd, 1980, the day after Bonin had told Munro about his plans, the pair set out to find a target. While out driving, they found 18-year-old Steven Jay Wells while he was waiting for a bus on El Segundo Boulevard.
Steven was lured into the back of the van, and then propositioned. Upon learning that Steven was bisexual, Bonin engaged in what both he and Munro describe as consensual sex. Following this, Bonin drove all three to his apartment, where he continued to have sex with Steven, as Munro watched. After a time, Munro was sent to get burgers for the three of them to eat.
There are two versions of the events that occurred next upon Munro’s return. In one, Steven was offered $200 by Bonin in order to allow himself to be bound. In the other, Steven was offered the $200 to allow Munro to have sex with him. Whichever may be the case, Steven grew fearful, and tried to leave the apartment.
Bonin overpowered him, and held him captive while informing Munro that they were going to murder him. Then, Bonin stole $10 from Steven’s wallet before strangling him with his T-shirt and a tire iron. Bonin then instructed Munro to retrieve a cardboard box from his brother’s room, and place Steven’s body inside.
They moved the box to Bonin’s van, and then Bonin drove himself and Munro to Butts’ apartment. There, he gloated to anyone in attendance that he was, indeed, the Freeway Killer that had been discussed in the media as of late. He then invited any, and all, to view the body in his van.
Butts leaped at the opportunity, exclaiming: “Oh, you got another one!” Upon viewing Steven’s body, he told Bonin he was proud of him. “Good job, Billy,” he said, “you really did a good one.”
Bonin and Munro then drove down to Huntington Beach where they found an abandoned gas station. They left Steven’s body there, where he was discovered five hours later.
Mere hours after Steven Jay Wells was murdered by Bonin and Munro, they were placed under police surveillance.
Stay tuned for part three.
— — —
Like what you’re reading? Follow me on Twitter or Facebook for the latest updates!
Sources:
William Bonin Prowled Over California’s Freeway and Left a Wake Dead Hitchhikers – All That’s Interesting
From the Archives: “Freeway Killer” William Bonin is executed: Sadistic slayer confessed to 21 murders – Ken Ellingwood, J.R. Moerhringer and Rebecca Trounson – Los Angeles Times
Profile of Serial Killer William Bonin, The Freeway Killer – Charles Montaldo – Thought Co.
I Survived a Serial Killer – S01E10 – The Freeway Killer – A&E docuseries
Morbid Podcast – William Bonin “The Freeway Killer” – Episodes 278 (Part 1) and 279 (Part 2)
William Bonin Wikipedia page
[…] Stay tuned for part two. […]