Rich was born on February 14, 1955, in California. He was adopted into a family where his mother was very controlling. She took care of other children for work, which made Rich unhappy with her. He did not do well in grammar school and had to repeat a grade. Because of this, the school psychologist worried that Rich might become violent in the future, but he did not receive any help. When Rich was 15, he showed signs of wanting to harm himself after his parents divorced. He moved to Southern California to live with his mother but later went back to Northern California to live with his father. He got suspended from school for fighting.

When he was 17, Rich went hunting after an argument with his girlfriend and shot himself in the chest, trying to commit suicide. He also fired shots over a police car, trying to get the police to shoot him. A psychiatric evaluation showed that Rich was suicidal and needed immediate help, but he refused therapy. In the following years, Rich kept getting into trouble and was arrested for DUI and road rage. He even attacked someone with a tire iron.

On June 13, 1978, Rich kidnapped a 25-year-old woman walking across a bridge in Redding, California. He took her down a hill and tried to force her into oral sex. When she refused, he hit her on the head, fracturing her skull. He left her for dead, but she was found alive twelve hours later.

On June 19, Rich kidnapped a 21-year-old woman, forced her into his car, and drove her to a secluded area where he assaulted her. She convinced him to spare her life by telling him she had a baby. He let her go and later bragged to friends about how easy it was to attack women. On June 25, he kidnapped and assaulted a 14-year-old girl and then let her go.

On July 4, Rich attacked two women. The first was a 19-year-old woman who he assaulted and then let go. The second was 19-year-old Anette Fay Edwards, who he kidnapped after a fireworks show. He assaulted and killed her by crushing her skull. Her body was found three days later, two miles from her apartment.

Two weeks later, Rich kidnapped a 15-year-old girl riding her bike in Redding. He assaulted her and let her go. On August 2, he kidnapped 17-year-old Patricia Ann Moore, assaulted her, and killed her by crushing her head and strangling her. Her body was found two weeks later at a dump.

On August 6, Rich kidnapped 27-year-old Linda Diane Slavik from a bar. He took her to the same dump where Moore’s body was found, showed her the body, then assaulted and killed her by shooting her with a .22-caliber pistol. Her body was found 20 feet from Moore’s body.

On August 13, Rich kidnapped 11-year-old Annette Lynn Selix, who was walking to buy groceries. He assaulted her, forced her to perform oral sex, then threw her off a bridge. Her body was found underneath the bridge.

After Selix’s murder, Shasta County officers interviewed Rich because he had worked for Selix’s mother. He agreed to a polygraph test and failed. Friends of Rich told police he had shown them a body at the dump. Detectives concluded he was lying about the murders, and Rich eventually confessed to Selix's murder and then to all his crimes.

Rich was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, one count of second-degree murder, and several other charges. He was sentenced to death for two of the murders on January 23, 1981. Rich was briefly married to Loretta Summers. They married in January 1981, but the marriage was annulled in August after his conviction. 

The victims' families opposed clemency for Rich. Selix’s aunt said her sister constantly relived the moment of her daughter’s death. Surviving victims also opposed clemency. Patricia Moore’s brother, Burton Adams, spoke at Rich’s clemency hearing, saying he wanted Rich to feel the pain he inflicted on his victims.

On March 15, 2000, at 12:06 a.m., Rich was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison. He was pronounced dead at 12:13 a.m. Rich declined a last meal, only drinking tea, broth, and Gatorade. He spent his final hours with spiritual advisors and attorneys. His final statement was, "Peace." Rich had asked to participate in a sweat lodge ceremony before his execution, claiming it was necessary to purify his spirit. The request was denied for security reasons.