Serial Killer Juan Corona #truecrime

Juan Corona

Just 2 years before The discovery of Dean Corll, a different serial killer shocked the world with the sheer number of lives he took. In Northern California over less than 4 months in 1971, this monster lured at least 25 drifters into the fields where he worked. In his position as a labor contractor, he had access to transitory men whose disappearances would not be readily noticed. The monster then hacked them to death with a machete before burying them there in the fields. A list was later discovered in his possession with 34 names, several of which were known victims leading to the suspicion that the men on the list might all be people that he killed including many that have never been discovered.

Juan Corona- the Machete Maniac

Juan Corona was born in Autlán Mexico on February 7 1934 to Sebastian and Candida Corona. Opportunities were limited in his home, so in 1950 at age 16, Juan dropped out of school to cross the border into California. The industrialists teenager worked on various farms during the day and at night he took classes to perfect his English.

In 1953 he moved to the Yuba city area to be closer to his older brother who had moved to the us in 1944. Later that year in October, Corona married a woman from Sacramento named Gabriella Hermosillo. The couple split up after only 3 months and 2 years later in 1955, the area was devastated by floods which left 38 people dead many of whom were undocumented migrants.

Juan Corona had a fear of water and was a schizophrenic. The flooding had a massive impact on his mental health, and in January of 1956 he was sent to an insane asylum. While there he received repeated shock treatments until they deemed him cured and deported him back to Mexico. Corona returned later that same year, this time legally.

In 1959 he married again, this time to a woman named Gloria Moreno. Over the next years, the couple had 4 daughters and Corona established himself as a labor contractor. During this time he also demonstrated a violent temper and hostility towards gay men. In March of 1970 he was once again committed to the asylum for a short time. But the treatment did not work and in May the violence began.

On May 25th, a man named Jose Romero Raya was eating at the cafe that Coronas older brother owned. He was in the bathroom when he was attacked. Corona assaulted him and used a machete to hack into his face and head leaving him barely alive. Police came and Juan was considered a suspect, but Jose chose to sue his brother instead as the owner of the cafe.

The lawsuit resulted in Coronas brother being ordered to pay Jose $250,000, but he instead sold his properties and returned to Mexico. Without his brother to hold him accountable, juan Coronas violence escalated leaving dozens dead. The mo used by the killer was to find men who were looking for work through his job as a labor contractor and lure them out to the fields he had been hired to find workers for. Once alone Corona used a machete to slash and stab at them before burying them nearby. Many of the bodies had wounds inflicted after they were dead indicating a frenzied attack.

Due to the transitory lifestyles of the men Corona killed, it is difficult to time each murder exactly. They were drifters with substance abuse problems who were not well known in the community and some who have still not been identified. However, based on the analysis of the bodies when they were discovered, a window can be established for when they were murdered though they often overlap.

The first 4 were killed between February 25 and May 11 of 1971. John Joseph Haluka was 52 years old when he crossed paths with the killer after coming to California from Mew Jersey. Like nearly every victim he had been hacked and stabbed with a large knife or a machete in the head and neck. Sigurd E Beierman was 62 years old at the time of his death. He had lived in Marysville, where Corona found workers. 2 of the victims from this window have not been identified.

From the last 2 days of February to May 13, 5 men would lose their lives to the depraved killer. Clarence Hocking of Illinois was 53 when Corona killed him. There were 2 more unidentified bodies were determined to have been killed during this time. Pennsylvanian Albert Leon Hayes nicknamed Scratchy was 58 when he met his end. One of the victims from this period stands out as 62 William Emery Kamp of Minnesota was shot with a 9mm rather than savaged with a blade.

The ages of the 25 known victims were all but 4 either in their mid 50’s or older. These men led hard lives and were unlikely to put up much of a fight against the abuse Corona inflicted upon them particularly after being clubbed. Many were found with their pants pulled down as a sign of what they went through. 62 year old Texan Warren Jerome Kelley was killed on March 30th 1971.

On April 28, Corona killed 56 year old Mark Beverly Shields who had come from the nearby city of Santa Rosa. Late April and May were the bloodiest days of the depraved killers murder spree. New Yorker John Henry Jackson was 64 when he fell into the hands of the monster. Joseph Maczak of Illinois was 54. It should be noted that none of Juan Coronas victims were reported missing before the makeshift graveyards were found.

Donald Smith of Kansas who went by the name Red was 60 years old when he was killed. James Wylie Howard came from New Mexico and was 64 years old. In Mid May, a 60 year old man from South Dakota named Lloyd Wallace Wentzel was killed. With many of the later victims the death date is a lot more certain.

Sam Bonafide who also went by Joe Carriveau came from Washington state was 55 when he was killed on May 6 1971.
Between May 9 to the 13th 43 year old Edward Martin Cupp of Missouri was massacred by the twisted psychopath.

Charles Levy Fleming was killed on May 11. The 67 year old had come from Louisiana for work. The very next day Corona murdered 56 year old Jonah Raggio Smallwood of Tennessee. His nickname was Driftwood, indicating a highly transient lifestyle even among the others who moved with the seasons for work.

Around the same time as the murder of Smallwood, a 56 year old man from Arkansas named Elbert Riley was also killed. 3 days later, on May 15th another man from Arkansas was murdered, 59 year old Paul Buell Allen. May saw Corona accelerate the pace of his violence until he was in a frenzy of death, taking a victim almost every day.

Raymond Reand Muchache was killed on May 18 1971. The 47 year old had come from Fall River Mills, California finding work where he could. The first victim to be found was also the youngest, 40 year old Kenneth Edward Whiteacre of Oakland California was killed on May 19 by blows to the head, throat, and torso from a machete as well as blunt force trauma to the head, likely to incapacitate him. Even after Whiteacres body was discovered, Corona was not done yet.

Melford Everett Sample was the last to die at the hands of the killer. The 59 year old had started in Nebraska and ended up in a field in California alone with a monster on May 21 1971. By this time, bodies were being discovered. On May 19, a farmer noticed a hole that looked eerily like a grave on his property. When he saw that it was filled the next day he investigated and discovered the body of Kenneth Edward Whiteacre. Days later another the grave of Charles Fleming was found.

Other fresh holes were dug up and more bodies were found. After just over a week of digging, 25 bodies were found with similar machete or large knife wounds to their heads and bodies. In one of the graves, receipts were found with Juan Coronas name on them and another had bank deposit slips with the killers name as well. Witnesses came forward and said that they had seen some of the victims riding in Coronas truck around the time they disappeared. With the circumstantial evidence building, police served a search warrant at the killers home on May 26 1971.

Inside Coronas lair, investigators found a mountain of more evidence. A bloody machete, knives, and club were seized along with bloodstained clothes and a pistol. Investigators found bloodstains in Coronas van and meat receipts that matched those found in the graves. This is also when they discovered the list of names. In early 1972, the death penalty was ruled unconstitutional in California and so life in prison was the worst sentence that Corona could receive for his vicious crimes.

The trial began on September 11 1972. Due to a change of venue, it took place in a Fairfield court right by where I work. While Corona did plead not guilty, his legal team did not call any witnesses to speak on his behalf. The evidence against him was strong, though there were some hiccups in the prosecution. A witness who had stated he saw Corona with the victims became unsure after the defense cross examined him.

The defense also tried to put the blame on Juan’s brother, who had a history of violence based on the false accusation made against him for the bathroom attack at his cafe. But these efforts were in vain and on January 18 1973, juan Corona was found guilty of all 25 murders. During the time leading up to the trial, he had health issues and so he was first incarcerated at the Vacaville Medical facility.

While at the medical prison, Corona was attacked by another inmate who stabbed him more than 30 times, supposedly because he had failed to say excuse me. After being treated for his injuries, Corona was transferred to Soledad state prison now with only one functional eye. His wife divorced him in 1974 and he lost an appeal in 1982.

The end of the line for the killer would be Corcoran state prison. After transferring to Corcoran in 1992, Corona was housed in the sensitive needs yard where hang dropouts and offenders whose charges put them at risk from other inmates are housed. In Coronas case it was due to dementia. After repeated failed attempts at parole, Juan Corona died on March 4th 2019.