"Hillside Strangler" Kenneth Bianchi, convicted in 1970s serial killings, is denied parole

Kenneth Bianchi, known as the "Hillside Strangler," lost his latest bid for parole after serving more than four decades in prison for his role in a series of killings that terrorized Los Angeles in the late 1970s.

The California Board of Parole Hearings denied Bianchi's request on Wednesday. This was Bianchi's eighth parole hearing. He was last denied parole in 2010. 

Bianchi, now 74, and his cousin Angelo Buono Jr. were accused of kidnapping, raping, torturing and killing 10 girls and young women in 1977 and 1978. Bianchi earned the the "Hillside Strangler" moniker because many of the victims were discovered along hillsides across Los Angeles.

Bianchi was arrested in January 1979 in Bellingham, Washington, where he was suspected in the killings of two college students. Bianchi pleaded guilty to those crimes and confessed to five murders in Los Angeles. 

Buono was arrested in October 1979 at his home in Glendale. Bianchi testified against Buono, who was convicted of nine murders and sentenced to life in prison. He died in 2002.

Bianchi was convicted of five murders and is currently serving a life sentence at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary in Washington. He will be eligible for parole again in 10 years.