Gerald and Charlene Gallego; serial killers

The married couple Gerald and Charlene Gallego are known as the serial killer duo which kidnapped, raped, abused and then killed women and young girls. The suspicion exists that they have at least ten victims to their name. Gerald and Charlene Gallego are also known as the "Gallego Sex Slave Killers". In this article you will read everything about this serial killer duo.

Who are Gerald and Charlene Gallego

Gerald and Charlene Gallego are two serial killers who were married to each other. Gerald was born in Sacramento on 17 July 1946 as Gerald Armond and Charlene was born in Sacramento on 10 October 1956 as Charlene Williams Adell Gallego. Very little is known about their previous history, which makes it difficult to give a good description of them in this article.

The victims

In the time from 1978 until 1980 Gerald and Charlene Gallego most likely killed more than ten people. De mostly young women were kidnapped after which they were abused and raped. The victims served as sex slaves for, mostly, Gerald. When Gerald was no longer interested in the ladies, he killed them and Gerald and Charlene brought would bring the body to a sheltered place where it was dumped. Gerald and Charlene were (and still are) known in the media as the "Gallego Sex Slace Killers". Gerald and Charlene were convicted for ten murders in total. The victims will be described below.

Rhonda Scheffler, Kippi Vaught

On 11 September 1978 Rhonda Scheffler (17 years old) and Kippi Vaught (16 years old) were lured into Gerald and Charlene's van by the couple. After Rhonda and Kippi were trapped they were sexually abused several times. When Gerald was done venting to his desires on the young girls, he shot them through the head. Both girls were left in a nearby ditch, as a heap of garbage.

Brenda Lynne Judd, Sandra Kay Colley

Brenda Lynn Judd, 14 years old, and Sandra Kay Colley, 13 years old, were kidnapped by Gerald and Charlene on 24 June 1978. Charlene had the task of luring the girls into the van and Charlene also watched how Gerald abused and repeatedly raped the girls. As if this wasn't bad enough, Gerald forced Brenda and Sandra to have sex with each other. When Gerald had satisfied his hunger he grabbed a heavy hammer and smashed in the skulls of both girls. Charlene drove the van to a river where she, along with Gerald, buried the girls at the riverbank.

Stacey Ann Redican, Karen Chipman Twiggs

Stacey Ann Redican and Karen Chipman Twiggs, both 17 summers young, were the next two victims of the serial killer couple. On 24 April 1980 both girls were kidnapped in a mall, after which Gerald and Charlene took the young ladies to their van. In the van Stacey and Karen were abused and raped, to next, like with the former two victims, be killed with a hit from a heavy hammer to the head.

Linda Aguilar

Linda Aguilar was a 21-year-old woman who was four months pregnant when she was kidnapped and murdered. After being raped repeatedly, Gerald smashes her brains in with a heavy rock and then buried her. When the police found her body and an autopsy was done on her body, the anatomical pathologist established that Linda had still been alive when she was buried. However, the blow from the rock had made her unconscious and she woke up when she was already under the ground. The final cause of death is asphyxiation by sand.

Virginia Mochel

Virginia Mochel, female barkeeper in a bar, was awaited by Gerald and Charlene in the parking lot of the bar she was working in on 16 July 1980. The duo had noticed Virginia after they had gone for a drink in the bar Virginia worked in. When Virginia was done working, Gerald and Charlene spoke to her on the parking lot, after which Virginia (most probably) got into the van voluntarily. Once trapped, Virginia was raped. Afterwards she was strangled by Gerald and then dumped.

Craig Miller, Mary Elizabeth Sowers

Craig Miller (22 years old) and Mary Elizabeth Sowers (21 years old) were the last two victims of the serial killer duo Gerald and Charlene Gallego. Craig and Mary Elizabeth were talking to a few friends on a parking lot when Gerald and Charlene stepped up to the group. After having chatted for a while Craig and Mary Elizabeth decided to accompany the duo in the van. Immediately after driving off, Gerald shot Craig through the head and Mary Elizabeth was taken to the house of the Gallegos. Mary Elizabeth was raped for hours in the house and she was forced to perform sexual acts on herself. Afterwards Mary Elizabeth was thrown in the van (where Craig was still in) and Charlene drove them to a remote spot near the house, while Gerald was in the back with Mary Elizabeth. When arriving at the remote place Mary Elizabeth was shot through the head as well. Both bodies were dumped in this spot.

Gerald and Charlene Gallego's arrest

The moment Gerald and Charlene stepped up to the group of friends (see text under the header "Craig Miller, Mary Elizabeth Sowers"), Craig and Mary Elizabeth's friends didn't entirely trust it. They wrote down the registration number of the van in which Gerald, Charlene, Craig and Mary Elizabeth drove off. As soon as Craig and Mary Elizabeth stayed away for longer than the group of friends found acceptable, they took the registration number to the police. During the investigation the officers ended up with Gerald and Charlene Gallego, and the duo was arrested.

Investigation and trial

During the investigation it also became clear that the Gallegos had been recognised by other staff and customers in the bar (where victim Virginia Mochel was working). Both in the van of the Gallegos as well as in Gerald and Charlene's home, evidence was found by the police that they had something to do with the kidnappings, rapes and murders of the ten missing persons. It's not impossible that they have more victims to their name. During the interrogations Gerald and Charlene were subjected to, it eventually became too much for Charlene. She broke down and confessed her participation in the kidnappings of the ten above-mentioned victims. Apart from confessing to her involvement she also witnessed against Gerald in exchange for sentence reduction.

Gerald was sentenced to the death penalty and a total of 16 years and 8 months of solitary confinement was inflicted on Charlene. On 18 July 2002 Gerald died of cancer in the prison of Nevada. Charlene was released in July 1997 in an unknown location and under a pseudonym. Apparently she has now managed to build a sensible life and she's not often haunted by her past anymore.

Sources: www.todio.nl