True crime docuseries details three 'Butchers' terrorizing Los Angeles for decades

Before the infamous Night Stalker, three different serial killer terrorized the streets of Los Angeles, targeting young men and leaving their bodies along the highways and streets in the 1970s and 80s.

SundanceTV’s new limited true crime series, “Butchers” details the shocking crimes of Patrick Kearney, William Bonin, and Randy Kraft, all of whom murdered dozens of men over several decades and fitting the moniker of “Freeway Killer” at different times.

Their murders overlapped and confounded police for years, beginning with Kearney, who eventually confessed and was sentenced. But after his arrest, bodies continued to appear with a similar MO, leading to the discovery of Bonin’s crimes. The mystery deepened further after Kearney and Bonin’s arrests, as the particularly brutal acts committed by Kraft drew attention and a search for Kraft, who was caught almost by chance during a random traffic stop.

Each episode of “Butchers” examines the victims, investigation by police, and the psychology of the killers, with a key connection between the victims and the murderers being their sexuality.

Many of the young men killed were members of the gay community, or in some cases merely presumed to be, and all three killers struggled with their identities as gay men due to family history and societal pressures and prejudices of the era, taking out their violent behaviors unrelated to their sexuality on innocent people.

As one investigator put it, “It’s like a trilogy of terror” with the three men, and they inadvertently changed the culture of Los Angeles, ending more carefree days and activities like hitchhiking, and destroying the lives of the victims and their families.

“Butchers” premieres June 26 on SundanceTV, Sundance Now and AMC+.