Hillside Strangler Kenneth Bianchi Faked MPD
Serial Killer Got the Idea from Films, The Three Faces of Eve, Sybil
Hillside Stranglers Kenneth Bianchi and cousin Angelo Buono kidnapped, raped, sodomized, tortured, and killed twelve females in the hills above Los Angeles. When arrested for two murders in Washington, Bianchi decided to try to plead "not guilty by reason of insanity." He fooled two experts, but not two others.
Kenneth Bianchi the Pathological Liar
He was a pathological liar since early childhood. Bianchi angered easily, was lazy, inattentive and had a vile temper. He was treated at DePaul Psychiatric Clinic at age nine for behavior problems, enuresis, tics and absenteeism. At age eleven, he was taken out of two schools because he couldn’t get along with his teachers who said he worked below his abilities. His IQ was 116.
In 1977, he was rejected from jobs with the Los Angeles Police Department, its police reserves and the Glendale PD. Although he obtained a fake psychology degree and credentials, he didn’t work, falsely claiming he had cancer. He also began his career as a serial killer.
Bianchi and Buono as The Hillside Strangler
Bianchi’s and Buono’s first victims were prostitutes who had high risk profiles. Then, a couple of young girls were killed. The body count mounted and police suspected more than one killer was involved. The murders had similarities. Bodies were often left on a hillside after they were murdered by ligature strangulation.
In 1978, Bianchi moved to Washington. He accepted a security guard position with the county sheriffs’ reserve and was responsible for taking care of homes while the owners were abroad. He told two young women a burglar alarm needed to be repaired and gave them $100 to watch the house for several hours. While showing them the house, he killed both.
The Bellingham police began an intense investigation of all forensic evidence when the women’s bodies were found in 1979. Bianchi was a prime suspect. The officers searched his home and found items stolen from houses he watched and some that belonged to LA strangler victims. Chief Mangan remembered the Los Angeles case and knew Bianchi had lived there. He called the police in LA, Glendale and the LA Sheriff's Office. Detective Frank Salerno responded to his call and surmised that Bianchi was probably one of the Hillside Stranglers. Salerno joined the Bellingham investigation while LA police worked on the California case. Evidence was obtained to prove Salerno's theory correct.
Bianchi Faked Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)
An expert pathological liar, Bianchi was in the Whatcom County Jail in Bellingham, Washington as a suspected killer when he convinced his public defender, Dean Brett, that he had amnesia. Bianchi had taken some college psychology courses, and had seen The Three Faces of Eve and Sybil before he was interviewed by Dr. John G. Watkins, an expert on amnesia and MPD. Bianchi hatched a plan, pleading innocent by reason of insanity and feigning MPD. This ultimately led to his undoing.
Soon after Watkins believed he had hypnotized Bianchi, Kenny’s faked subpersonality, or alter, appeared. Steve Walker admitted to the California and Washington murders. Salerno noticed that Steve referred to himself as “he,” not “I,” as true alters do, but Watkins was convinced Bianchi had MPD. Salerno convinced the court to get a second opinion from Dr. Ralph Allison, an expert on MPD. Not only was Allison convinced the man had MPD, but he appeared to be frightened by Steve.
Eventually Dr. Martin Orne, an expert on hypnosis, was able to prove Bianchi was faking. The suspect failed three out of four tests that Orne had created. Then Orne told Bianchi that MPDs usually have more than two personalities. During the next hypnotic session, Billy and two other alters appeared. The prosecution brought in Dr. Saul Faerstein to examine Bianchi. He supported Oren’s diagnosis.
Hillside Strangler’s Sentences
After being exposed and found competent to stand trial, Bianchi agreed to testify against Buono to avoid the death penalty. Bianchi admitted faking MPD and said he didn’t know if he was telling the truth about Buono and wasn’t even sure he himself was guilty.
Both men received life sentences. Buono died in the Calipatria State Prison in 2002. Bianchi is incarcerated in the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
Articles on Multiple Personality Disorder and Pathological Liars
Readers who enjoyed this article may be interested in Eve White and the Three Faces of Eve, along with Sybil and Multiple Personality Disorder (MDP) and What are Pathological Liars.
Sources:
- The Hillside Strangler, Ted Schwarz, (Signet, 1982).
- Minds in Many Pieces, Ralph Allison and Ted Schwartz, (Rawson Wade Publishers, Inc., 1980).
Hillside Strangler Used a Ligature, Not a Rope
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