Shivangi Sinha
In September 1975, 14-year-old David McVicker was looking for a ride home to Huntington Beach, California. He left Garden Grove and decided to hitchhike his way back home. That was when he encountered serial killer William Bonin, who was later dubbed the Freeway Killer by the media. Even though David was able to escape, it was not without the long-lasting impacts of the encounter. Still, about a year later, when David started hearing stories of young boys being killed, he had an idea of who might be responsible. A&E’s ‘I Survived a Serial Killer,’ especially the episode ‘The Freeway Killer,’ features the ordeal that the young boy went through and how it affected his life.
David McVicker Was Assaulted After He Decided to Hitchhike His Way Back Home
David McVicker was living in Huntington Beach, California, in 1975. He said that his friends lived a little farther away in Garden Grove. On the last day of his summer vacation, after spending a whole day with his friends, David started coming back home. He said that this was when a car pulled up next to him and a man offered him a ride. At that time, hitchhiking was not a big deal, and David did not think twice before hopping in. He said that things were going fine until the man asked him if he had any sexual experience with boys. David sensed that something was wrong and asked to be let out, but the man accelerated the car instead.
David said that he went into survival mode and simply complied, as he felt that his life was in danger. According to David, the two of them drove around for about an hour, after which the man pulled into an empty space. He then assaulted David. By his own account in the episode, he said that the man then started strangling him with a T-shirt twisted around a crowbar. David said that he simply prayed to God to help him, and that was when the man stopped. He told him that he was an “alright guy” and asked him to get dressed again. The man then asked David for his address and started driving to drop him back at his house. The boy asked to be dropped off just a block away from his house because he did not want to give away his address. However, when he got back home and looked back, he saw that the man was standing right outside his house.
David McVicker Tipped the Police About William Bonin’s Possible Involvement in KIllings
David McVicker said that he told his mother, who informed the police. After another attempted assault, the man was identified as William Bonin and taken into custody. It was David who picked him out of a lineup and identified him. According to reports, Bonin told officers that there would be no witnesses the next time he committed such a crime. In connection with David’s case, Bonin was charged with the rape and forcible oral copulation of a minor. He pleaded guilty and, in December 1975, was sentenced to serve one to fifteen years at the California Men’s Facility in San Luis Obispo.
David McVicker said that the time that followed was very hard for him. He said he dropped out of school because of the trauma of what had happened. He could not read very well and got into the habit of reading newspapers from cover to cover. Between 1979 and 1980, David read a lot of news about the reported killings of young boys on the Freeway. When he found out that Bonin had been released from prison, he called law enforcement and told them who he suspected was responsible for the killings. In June 1980, Bonin was linked to the killings and taken under arrest again.
David McVicker Advocates Against the Parole Petitions of William Bonin’s Accomplices Today
David McVicker was called to testify against William Bonin at his trial in October 1981. He said that he was still scared of him but decided to face his perpetrator eye to eye. David has said that the plea of one of the victims’ family members is really what kept him going, and he knew he had to be strong. He said that he wanted to speak for the many who had fallen as victims. David has said that his whole life was upended because of what he experienced during the incident, and his circumstances in life remained hard. He sustained a back injury at work and, in 2011, was facing financial difficulties, by his own account.
David has remained involved in the case and the advocacy around it. After witnessing Bonin’s execution in 1996, he said that it did not bring him the closure that he had hoped for. He has also raised his voice against the granting of parole to Bonin’s accomplices, James Michael Munro and Gregory Miley. David has been candid about his experiences and has spoken about what he went through in several documentary-style programs. He appeared as himself in ‘City of Angels, City of Death,’ ‘Surviving a Serial Killer,’ and ‘World’s Most Evil Killers,’ sharing his experience as a survivor and continuing to speak about the impact of the ordeal on his life.
Read More: Mark Anderl: Where is the Survivor Now?
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