Night Stalker on Netflix shines a light on the crimes committed by the late Richard Ramirez in mid-1980s California and also touches on the Hillside Strangler.
The 1970s and 80s were the ‘golden age’ of serial killers in the US.
One of those serial killers, the Hillside Strangler, taunted police and terrorised LA before Night Stalker.
The Hillside Strangler is referenced several times in Night Stalker: how is he connected to Richard Ramirez?
Who was the Hillside Strangler mentioned in Night Stalker on Netflix?
The Hillside Strangler preyed on the Los Angeles area between October 1977 and February 1978.
It was eventually determined that the Hillside Strangler was, in fact, two men.
They were cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr.
Read more: Night Stalker on Netflix: Viewers ‘excited’ for new serial killer documentary on Richard Ramirez
After trying their hand at pimping sex workers, their money-making schemes turned to murder.
Their victims were initially sex workers and dumped in the hills around Los Angeles area.
But when their attention turned to kidnapping and murdering young, middle-aged women, the Hillside Strangler received national notoriety.
How many victims did the Hillside Stranglers kill?
The cousins’ murder spree began in October 1977.
After a prostitute deceived them, the cousins were furious.
They took out their anger on sex worker Yolanda Washington.
Her naked body was dumped on a hillside near a freeway.
The duo went on to kill 10 women in total.
However, Bianchi killed two more victims on his own.
What links the Night Stalker to the Hillside Stranglers?
Homicide detective Frank Salerno features heavily in Night Stalker.
The detective talks about how he and Gil Carello, who also appears, brought Ramirez to justice.
Salerno had forged his reputation by working on the Hillside Stranglers case – and Ramirez is thought to have idolised the killers, even delighting in being placed in one of their cells.
Are the Hillside Stranglers still alive?
Bianchi is serving a life sentence in Washington State Penitentiary and is now 69 years old.
His cousin, Buono, died aged 67 in 2002 from a heart attack.
Read more: The Ripper on Netflix: Why are the families of Peter Sutcliffe’s victims angry about show?
He was serving his life sentence in the Calipatria State Prison, California.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.