William George Bontin The Freeway Killer

My serial killer was William George Bonin. He was also referred to as the “Freeway Killer”. Bonin was a Caucasian male, born in Connecticut on January 18, 1947. He was born the 2nd of 3 brothers. Both of his parents were alcoholics and his father was compulsive gambler. As children, him and his siblings were severely neglected. They were often fed and clothed by neighbors. Sometimes, they were placed in the care of their grandfather, who was a convicted child molester. After a while, their mother sent them to live in an orphanage.
This particular orphanage was severely disciplined the children for both, major and minor behaviors. Their disciplinary actions included beatings, stress positions, and even partial drownings in sinks full of water.

He served 5 months active duty in the vietnam war as an aerial gunner. He served over 700 hours of combat and patrol time. Bonin served 3 years in the air force before leaving on honorable discharge. When Bonin’s father died from cirrhosis, it triggered something inside of him. He started molesting children that lived near him. On May 28, 1979, these molestings turned into killings. William would pick up young men off the side of the road, often hitchhikers, schoolboys, or even male prostitutes who were aged 12-19. Once he abducted the young males, he’d beat, mutilate, and torture them before killing them and dumping their bodies on the side of the highway in a ditch. He went of with this from 1979 to June of 1980.
After 9 days of being watched. Bonin was driving around unsuccessfully looking for his next victims when he finally found a 17 year old male named Harold Tate. Police heard screaming and banging inside Bonin’s van, so they forced their way into it. Bonin was in the process of raping Tate. Although William Bonin was suspected of 21 murders, he was convicted of 14 and sentenced to death. He remained incarcerated on death row at San Quentin State Prison. On February 23, 1996, William George Bonin was executed by lethal injection in side the San Quentin State Prison gas