A Mundane Letter from Serial Killer - William Bonin (The Freeway Killer)

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This week is the turn of William George Bonin, one of several US serial murderers who were known as the Freeway Killer. Between 1979 and 1980, Bonin raped, tortured and murdered at least 21 boys and young men whose bodies he dumped along the freeway in southern California. He was convicted of 14 murders and after 14 years on Death Row, he was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison in 1996.

This letter was written to an unidentified friend, on 9th February 1994, 12 years after his trial and two years before his death, in which he whinges about his injured shoulder, his art work, his money, and (on the second page, which I don’t have) possibly a rant about how huge mobile phones in the 1990’s are, how the one he has is the size of a breeze block, how he can no longer sit down, how his liver hits redial any time he sneezes and how he hates the way he has to spend nine hours a day standing by a power socket with the charger cord sticking out of his arse... I’m guessing.

“Dear (REDACTED)

I received your letter dated January 31st this evening.
Yes, I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you. I was beginning to think that you hadn't received my last letter and was about to write again. I'm relieved to hear that you did indeed receive my last letter. (Wow! This is gripping stuff, isn’t it? Someone call Mr Spielberg, I think we’ve found his next movie)

I've had to cut down on the weight lifting. For some reason my arm and shoulder wasn't getting any better, in fact, (this is nothing to do with the fact that he’s single, feeling a bit lonely and has forearms like Popeye the Sailor, but anyway) I was about to see the doctor a week ago last Monday and he told by to give-up weight lifting all together. He told me that I had tendinitis and that it would clear up after a while and that it took different lengths of time for each individual.

I received an order from a guy for my second book of short stories (here he’s making reference to his book - Doing Time: Stories from the Mind of a Death Row Prisoner, available via Amazon) and got it out to him last week. (Hopefully he sent the book by post and not ass-mail). That's the only thing I had to do recently (apart from disinfect anything anyone else in the prison has touched).

I haven't any orders for Art except one from Baton Rouge. It was a 10" x 5” drawing (again, let’s hoping he’s sending that by regular post, cos if it’s in a wooden frame, that would bring tears to the eyes). I never do a book or drawing before I’ve receive the money. I've had some problems in the past where someone told me they wanted a drawing or a book and then changed their mind only to leave me holding onto it. It took me over 1 1/2 years to get the three drawings back, and then I had to take then to Small Claims Court before they complied. (You see William, the legal system has its benefits). So I made it a policy to receive order and the money before doing a specific item. Once I receive the money for an item I do up the project as quickly as possible, usually that means immediately. (That’s if his fingers aren’t smelly, brown and gloopy). .

Regards. Bill”.

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Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian, podcaster and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten curious, quirky, unusual and different things to do in London”, nominated "one of the best true-crime  podcasts at the British Podcast Awards 2018", and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totaling 50 deaths, over just a one mile walk