Infamous Hillside Strangler, Rochester native Kenneth Bianchi, changes name in prison
Kenneth Bianchi, a Rochester native and one-half of the notorious Hillside Strangler pair, is no longer.
Since last month Bianchi is Anthony D'Amato, having legally changed his name in November. The reason for the name change wasn't immediately available. A recent Peacock TV series, "The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise," brought new attention to the murderous team of Bianchi and his cousin, Angelo Buono Jr.
Law enforcement decided that Bianchi and Buono were responsible for the kidnappings, rapes and murders of 10 women between the ages of 12 and 28 in 1977 and 1978 in Southern California. In 1979, Bianchi was linked to the murders of two women in Washington state and his arrest and ultimate conviction spiraled into revelations connecting him and his cousin to the California murder spree.
Bianchi, 72, is imprisoned in Washington. Buono died in prison in 2002.
Bianchi changes name again
This wasn't the first time Bianchi has tried a name change.
He has previously used D'Amato as well as Nicholas Fontana. In those cases, according to some news coverage, Bianchi hoped to be a lesser-known inmate to others imprisoned with him.
Corrections records in Washington have him using Fontana as an alias, but not as a legal name. State records in Washington show past requests from him to change his name to D'Amato and Fontana but information wasn't immediately available about the resolution of those requests.
He appears to have remained Kenneth Bianchi in the prison system until last month.
He first asked to change his name in 1984, according to Washington State Superior Court records.
Asked about the recent name change, Washington State corrections spokesman Tobby Hatley responded in an email: "Mr. Bianchi legally changed his name to Anthony D’Amato on November 5, 2023. Mr. D’Amato first entered prison in Washington in October of 1979 and is currently serving a lengthy sentence in the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla for two homicides committed in Western Washington. His scheduled release date is 10/21/2065."
Bianchi's Rochester ties have prompted some to question whether he was responsible for the so-called "Alphabet Murders" in 1971 and 1973, when three young teenage girls were strangled and sexually assaulted. Each had first and last names with matching letters — Carmen Colon, Wanda Walkowicz, and Michelle Maenza.
Bianchi has complained about his name arising in connection with the Rochester-area homicides. He maintained his innocence in a series of letters to the Democrat and Chronicle in 2006 when the newspaper was reporting on the continued investigation of the cold case.
When living in Rochester, Bianchi once worked as an ice cream salesman — some theorize he could have lured the teens via this route — and applied unsuccessfully for jobs in law enforcement after studying criminal justice. In 1976 he moved from Rochester to live with his cousin, Buono, in Southern California.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Hillside Strangler Kenneth Bianchi changes name in prison
