{"id":2240113,"date":"2026-01-18T23:31:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T23:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2240113"},"modified":"2026-01-18T23:31:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T23:31:25","slug":"8-shocking-takeaways-from-mgms-hillside-strangler-docuseries-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/8-shocking-takeaways-from-mgms-hillside-strangler-docuseries-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Shocking Takeaways from MGM+\u2019s \u2018Hillside Strangler\u2019 Docuseries | Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MGM+\u2019s deep-dive docuseries The Hillside Strangler<\/a><\/em> revisits the terrifying killing spree that occurred in Los Angeles during the late 1970s, exploring the chilling murders of young women, the ensuing media frenzy, and the complex police investigation and court case that ultimately led to the arrest of cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The series contextualizes the crimes within the cultural anxiety of the era, shedding light on how the case reshaped public fears, law enforcement tactics, and the modern understanding of serial killers. To this day, it is considered one of the most disturbing and consequential serial-murder cases in American history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI think the Hillside Strangler case still resonates because it shattered a basic sense of safety in a whole new way. The victims didn\u2019t fit a single profile people could distance themselves from, and the bodies were left in familiar places Angelenos passed every day,\u201d director and showrunner Peter LoGreco told TV Insider. \u201cIt made the city itself feel like the crime scene, and many young women lived in a state of unrelenting terror for months.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During the course of the limited series, shocking and dismaying facts were revealed that may not have been common knowledge to viewers at home. Here are a few of the strangest and most shocking takeaways:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A case wasn\u2019t immediately opened after the first victim was found<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Yolanda Washington came to Los Angeles to be a model, but ended up in sex work. She was killed, found posed and naked, strangled in Forest Lawn by Warner Bros. Studios, and was the first official victim to be found.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the time she died, there wasn\u2019t an investigation. \u201cEveryone turned a blind eye. Prostitutes were seen as only hurting themselves. That was the attitude,\u201d said human rights advocate Dr. Lois Lee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The police knew it was a serial killer by the third victim<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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It was only after the police compared the first victim to the third victim Lissa Kastin, and compared their bodies side by side, that it became clear it was a mass murderer. \u201cThere was no doubt. It was the exact same ligature marks on the throat, on the wrist, and on the ankles. It looked like it came out of a Xerox machine,\u201d said Detective Pete Finnigan. \u201cAt that point, we knew we were looking for an individual responsible for both murders.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A key piece of evidence was found on the eyelid of a victim<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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One of the most important clues was a speck of upholstery foam found in victim Judy Miller\u2019s eyelid that linked her to Buono\u2019s upholstery shop. Investigators speculated that the foam had been placed beneath the tape used to blindfold her, leaving behind microscopic residue that ultimately helped tie the case to Buono.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The duo attempted to kidnap Cathy Lorre, the daughter of Hollywood legend Peter Lorre<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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In Episode 3, Bianchi admitted that the duo briefly considered taking Cathy Lorre, the daughter of Hollywood legend Peter Lorre<\/a>, as a victim. \u201cPete Lorre\u2019s daughter was going to be a victim,\u201d Bianchi confessed. \u201cSomehow, the notoriety and the fact that who she was Peter Lorre\u2019s daughter, somehow stifled whatever was going on. I can remember her showing the pictures of her sitting on her father\u2019s lap.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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According to the docuseries, Lorre didn\u2019t even report the incident, so when authorities corroborated the story with Lorre and identified the men, it made their case stronger. \u201cThe car came around the corner and just cut us off,\u201d said Lorre in a video. \u201cTwo men got out of the car. The one on the driver\u2019s side, Bianchi, started questioning me for ID and age.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Doctors attempted to hypnotize Kenneth Bianchi<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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When Bianchi was being examined by a series of specialists, he insisted that his memories were \u201cfoggy,\u201d claiming difficulty recalling key events. In an effort to \u201crestore\u201d these memories, doctors and attorneys turned to hypnosis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere was a bit of desperation to prove that Ken Bianchi was potentially insane to stop him from being put to death,\u201d commented forensic psychologist Dr. Rachel Toles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBack in the \u201970s and \u201980s, people were hypnotizing their clients to help remember,\u201d said Toles. \u201cBack in the \u201970s, they used hypnosis for all kinds of things.\u201d That included witness testimony, which at the time was believed to be a valuable investigative tool.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As a result, defense attorneys hypnotized Bianchi to uncover what may have happened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Bianchi himself stated, \u201cThey thought hypnosis was a way to get to the truth. We believe you believe you are innocent, but we believe you don\u2019t remember that you committed the crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt also became a cautionary tale about pushing investigative tools too far,\u201d helmer LoGreco told TV Insider. \u201cTechniques like hypnosis opened doors but nearly undermined the case, and the system has since become far more\u00a0careful about how those methods are used.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kenneth Bianchi attempted a split personality defense<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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In Episode 2, Bianchi alluded to a friend named \u201cStevie\u201d who appeared to him as a child when his mother was allegedly abusing him. \u201cStevie lives with me,\u201d said Bianchi during a hypnosis session. \u201cHe told me not to take it. He told me when she hits me, I should hit him back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During later sessions, Bianchi demonstrated the \u201cStevie\u201d personality, who was hostile toward the doctors and harbored deep resentment toward his mother. \u201cHe still puts up with her s***\u2026 I was doing fine. Now I can\u2019t even f***ing come out when I want to.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While one of the doctors believed this was proof of multiple personality disorder, and Bianchi\u2019s attorney hoped to use it as the basis for an insanity defense, other doctors concluded he was faking to avoid conviction, ultimately diagnosing him with Antisocial Personality Disorder.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Angelo Buono\u2019s original attorney dismissed himself because he disliked his client<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\u201cI just didn\u2019t like Angelo Buono. His whole cocky attitude was getting to me more and more and more,\u201d said retired criminal defense attorney Terry Giles. \u201cOur relationship was nails on a chalkboard and\u2026 I wouldn\u2019t have dropped off a case because I thought he did it. I handle a lot of cases, all my clients are guilty. It\u2019s the only time I just decided that I can\u2019t take this guy. Life\u2019s too short, and I just decided we were going to withdraw from the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Angelo Buono\u2019s case almost got dismissed<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Angelo Buono\u2019s part in the Hillside Strangler murder case almost got dismissed because the Los Angeles County District Attorney\u2019s office believed their main witness, Buono\u2019s cousin and accomplice Kenneth Bianchi, was no longer credible after repeatedly changing his story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Bianchi made a deal that if he testified against his cousin Buono, the death penalty would be off the table. Attorney Roger Kelly then wrote a memo that he didn\u2019t believe he could convict Buono on Bianchi\u2019s testimony alone because the story kept changing, and it was almost all they had.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Deputy District Attorney Roger Kelly expressed doubt about moving forward with the prosecution of Buono. There was a motion to dismiss, but the judge read the preliminary hearing transcript and \u201cstunned the courtroom\u201d by refusing to dismiss the 10 murder counts against Buono.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI was shocked,\u201d said Buono\u2019s former council Giles. \u201cI\u2019m just guessing, but if Angelo was in the courtroom a few times, Judge [Ronald M.] George, doesn\u2019t like him, doesn\u2019t like his attitude, and he thought he could be good for it. And this case needed to be tried, one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Hillside Strangler<\/em>, Now Streaming, MGM+<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n