Juan Corona American serial killer originally from Mexico Country: USA

Biography of Juan Corona

Juan Vallejo Corona was born in 1934 in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico. He immigrated to the United States in 1950 at the age of 16, crossing the border into California. He worked as a farm laborer in Imperial Valley for three months before moving to Sacramento Valley. In May 1953, he relocated to Yuba City at the suggestion of his stepbrother Natividad and found work on a local ranch.

In October 1954, Juan married Gabriella E. Hermosillo, and they had four children. In December 1955, a disastrous flood in Yuba City and Feather Rivers caused significant destruction and triggered a nervous breakdown in Corona. He believed that the flood had killed everyone, and he began living in a world of ghosts.

Corona suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and was diagnosed with it in January 1956. He spent three months undergoing shock therapy treatment at a hospital in Auburn before being deemed healthy. He was subsequently deported back to Mexico but legally returned to the United States. During this time, Corona, known as an honest worker with a volatile temper, stopped abusing alcohol.

In 1962, he advanced in his career and became responsible for hiring farm laborers on a local fruit tree ranch. His stepbrother Natividad, who owned a café in Marysville, was gay. In February 1970, a man named José Romero Raya was attacked with a machete in the café restroom. The incident led to a lawsuit against Natividad, resulting in financial difficulties for him and forcing him to sell his business and return to Mexico without paying the victim.

In March 1970, Corona underwent further treatment for his mental health. Four days later, the first victim, Kenneth Whitacre, was found brutally murdered in a peach orchard near Yuba City. Over the following weeks, more bodies were discovered, all of whom had been killed with a machete. Corona became the prime suspect due to evidence linking him to some of the victims.

On May 26, 1971, police found bloody knives, a machete, a gun, and blood-stained clothing in Corona's home. By the time the search for victims ended on June 4, 25 bodies had been found, with only four being identified. The trial for Juan Corona began on September 11, 1972, and lasted three months. On January 18, 1973, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and received 25 life sentences, but he was not allowed to file an appeal.

In December 1972, Corona was stabbed 32 times in his prison cell, resulting in the loss of his left eye. His wife, Gloria, filed for divorce in January 1974, and it was finalized on July 30. In February 1982, a second trial was held at Corona's request, but he was not acquitted and returned to prison on September 23, 1982.