Episode Details

Los Angeles thought one killer was stalking its hillsides. The truth was even stranger: two men, a trail of murdered women, and a case that exposed how fear can hide in plain sight.

The Hillside Strangler case terrified California in the late 1970s, as victims were found across Los Angeles and the surrounding hillsides. This episode explains the Hillside Strangler murders, how Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono used charm, intimidation and impersonation to target women, and why the investigation became one of the most notorious true crime cases in American criminal history.

We follow the timeline from the Los Angeles murders and dumping sites to the Bellingham, Washington case that helped expose Bianchi, the failed multiple personality defence, and the bizarre Veronica Compton copycat plot. Along the way, we look at victims including Kimberly Martin, Lauren Wagner, Cindy Hudspeth and Yolanda Washington, as well as the forensic profiling and police work that helped connect the crimes.

For listeners of a true crime podcast, documentary podcast stories, historical true crime, dark history and strange true stories, the Hillside Strangler case remains a chilling example of what really happened when two killers used performance, manipulation and fear as weapons. It is a grim but important serial killer case, and one of the Los Angeles crime stories that still defines late-1970s true crime history.

Topics include 

• The Hillside Strangler murders
• Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono
• Victim targeting and dumping sites
• The failed multiple personality defence
• The Veronica Compton copycat plot

Resources and Further Reading 

• The Hillside Strangler – Wikipedia
• Kenneth Bianchi – Crime & Investigation UK
• Angelo Buono Jr. Biography & Crimes – Murderpedia

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland

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