LOS ANGELES — 1977 · Serial Murder

The "Hillside Strangler" Murders

SolvedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

Between October 1977 and February 1978 the bodies of young women began to be found on the wooded hillsides around Los Angeles, and the press named the killer the 'Hillside Strangler'. The perpetrators, later revealed to be two cousins, lured victims by posing as police officers, and the killings spread fear among young women across the city. The long investigation broke when one of them was arrested in January 1979 for two murders in Bellingham, Washington. To avoid the death penalty he testified against his accomplice and received life imprisonment. The accomplice was convicted of nine murders in November 1983, sentenced to life without parole, and died in prison in 2002.

Date: 1977
Place: Glendale, California, USA, Los Angeles, US
Category: Serial Murder
Case Status: Solved
Coordinates: 34.1500, -118.2550 ↗

Timeline of Events

October 1977The first bodies were found on the hillsides of Los Angeles.
February 1978The killings abruptly stopped.
January 1979One perpetrator was arrested for two murders in Bellingham.

October 1979His accomplice was arrested on the first man's testimony.
November 1983The accomplice was convicted of nine murders.

Sources

Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.