The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, January 13, 1981-Page 7 'Freeway Killer' conmits suicide on fifth attempt 4 LOS ANGELES (UPI) - The county coroner ruled yesterday that confessed "Freeway Killer" Vernon Butts com- mitted suicide by twisting a towel around his neck and said he had attem- pted suicide four times previously. "Based on the available data, death was consistent with suicide," said Coroner Thomas Noguchi, but further examination will be made of Butts' brain, his psychological state and presence of drugs at the time of his death. "A TOWEL RACK is very tempting to someone who is determined to com- mit suicide," Noguchi said. Noguchi said it was known that Butts was suicidal and needed monitoring, but authorities were under a court or- der to keep him separate from other prisoners for his safety. In his earlier attempts to kill himself, Butts tried to shoot himself, tie a bag around his neck and took two sleeping pill overdoses, Noguchi said. BUTTS LEFT a puzzling note with a series of rectangles and dots that Noguchi said represented a code. Noguchi said he could not decipher the note and did not know if it was a suicide note. Butts, 23, an amateur magician, was found dead in his cell Sunday morning hanging from a towel rack. He had been scheduled to appear yesterday at a preliminary hearing to answer more charges and also was the state's main witness against primary Freeway Killer suspect William Bonin. Butts was one of five suspects in 14 of the "Freeway Killer" slayings, in which the bodies of young men were found near freeways in the Los Angeles area. Prosecutors have insisted that they couldconvict Bonin, 32, adtruck driver, without Butts' testimony. IN HIS confession, Butts disclosed how the killings were committed, in- cluding details of one where an icepick was driven into the brain of one young victim and that the boy was forced to drink acid. Butts also revealed that Bonin liked to strangle his victims with their own T- shirts, using a tire iron to twist the shirt around the throats of victims. Butts' attorney, Joe Ingber, who earlier said he doubted his client com- mitted suicide, said he deferred to the coroner's finding. "I have no basis to know differently," Ingber said. "I'm going to defer to their expert opinion unless I know differen- tly." Sheriff's Lt, Jerry Minnis said a note to Butts' girlfriend was found near his body, but it made no direct reference to suicide. Deputies also found a letter in Butt's cell indicating he was upset about last week's unsealing of his testimony detailing his part in six of the slayings. I Tonigi the ann arbor film cooperative. ht PRESENTS T DAYS OF HEAVEN 7:00& 10:20 BADLANDS 8:40 only Single Feature: $2-Double Feature: $3 Aud. A, Angell Hall onight The Collaborative Bored with your evening routine? The Collaborative Art Space Is sponsored by the University Artists & Craftsmen Guild. Classes begin the week of Jan. 26,1981. Classes include: Leaded Glass Photography Drawing Polar plunge A furry resident of New York's Bronx Zoo takes an icy swim impervious to the record cold weather in New York. U' Surgeon general: igarette additives may nose health risk WASHINGTON (AP) - The surgeon general advised American smokers, yesterday that although low tar and nicotine cigarettes may reduce the risk of lung cancer, they contain unknown quantities of additives whose health ef- fects can't be assessed. Surgeon General Julius Richmond said he has tried without success to ob- tain from the tobacco industry infor- mation orn which of about 300 additives are.included in specific cigarettes. He said Congress may be asked to grant the agency authority to obtain such information, which the industry regards as among its trade secrets, if the data is not made available volun- °tarily. Richmond said there is a possibility some additives may cause tumors, cancer or be toxic. "THERE IS no such thing as a safe cigarette,", Richmond said in his 227- yge annual report on smoking and liealth. "In the case of lung cancer, soime cigarettes appear to be less hazardous than others, although the reduction in risk is minimal and limited. No such conclusion can be reached for cardiovascular disease, emphysema, bronchitis or pregnancy effects." In Raleigh, N.C., Edward Horrigan Jr., chief executive officer of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., dismissed the surgeon general's report as containing "no new news." He said research into the health aspects of smoking "has yet to prove anything." Richmond noted that the proportion of smokers in the United States has dropped to 32.5 percent from 40.3 per- cent when the first surgeon general's report was issued in 1964. This means 54 million American adults smoke. "SMOKERS WHO are unwilling or unable to quit will be well advised to switch to lower yield cigarettes, as long as they don't compensate for the low yield by smoking more, inhaling more deeply, closing off the filters or changing their smoking exposure in other ways," Richmond suggested. "But they will be better advised to quit entirely," he said. 1 STEVE'S LUNCH I -3 eggs So" Mn HOURS1 S --hashgbrowns"The Omelette Shop" Mon.-Thurs. 8-5 * -toast and Fri. & Sat. 8-7 1 jelly Sun. 9-7 1 S.$1.901 1313 SOUTH UNIVERSITY Free cup of coffee with meal if you bring this ad 1 Good Wednesday and Thursday only Frank Capra Double Bill at the MICHIGAN THEATRE IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT-7:00 only The great screw-ball comedy with COLBERT and GABLE AVOIDING AND CHASING EACHOTHER AT THE SAME TIME. Rocket pacing, saucy dialogue and 5 Academy Awards. YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU - 9:00 only JIMMY STEWART, JEAN ARTHUR, LIONEL BARRYMORE and all their friends and family don't pay income tax, make fireworks in the basement, invent toys and a lot of other fun stuff, but the rest of society doesn't know what to do with them. When worlds collide.. . BANG! CINEMA GUILD Life AT 24 Frames a Second Call 763-4430 to An alternative art register.'nce experience. I Tuition. and fees are payable registration. at time of I / Ar I [it -1 V-7 1 I } x -- --- ' rI Don't forget our second floor. X X i f Dance Thecdre hm ir1irn That's where we hide the frames, trade books, art prints and posters. . ,. -