Gerald Armond Gallego was born on July 17, 1946, in Sacramento, California. His early life was difficult. His mother was a sex worker, and his father was estranged from the family. In 1955, his father became the first man executed in the Mississippi gas chamber for killing a police officer during a prison escape.

During his childhood, Gerald faced a lot of abuse. His mother and her various boyfriends beat him frequently. He also suffered sexual abuse from some of her clients. Gerald often felt lonely and wanted affection, as he frequently begged to be hugged, but he was often left unclean and hungry. His troubled youth led to his first arrest at the age of 10 for robbing a neighbor's home. This was the beginning of his life of crime, and he would go on to have twenty-three arrests, including serving time for robbery.

Gerald's work history included jobs as a bartender and a truck driver. He was married seven times, including two marriages to the same woman. Gerald often abandoned his wives when they ran out of money. When he was 12 years old, he was sentenced to a California youth authority facility for sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl. This behavior continued into his adulthood, as he would later also sexually molest his own daughter and one of her friends. At the time he married Charlene, he was still married to another woman.

Gerald and Charlene Gallego were active between 1978 and 1980. Their first believed victim was 16-year-old Sandra Kaye Butler. She was last seen on June 26, 1978, in Sparks, Nevada. At that time, the Gallegos were at the Washoe County Fairgrounds. Sandra was reported missing, but the police did not investigate the couple.

On September 10, 1978, Charlene and Gerald kidnapped 16-year-old Kippi Vaught and 17-year-old Rhonda Scheffler from a mall in Sacramento. They were forced into the Gallegos' van. Gerald restrained them with a firearm. He assaulted them throughout the night, moved them to Sloughhouse the next day, and killed them in a ditch.

On June 24, 1979, the Gallegos abducted 14-year-old Brenda Judd and 13-year-old Sandra Colley from the Washoe County Fair. They were convinced to enter the couple's van under false pretenses. Once in the van, Gerald sexually assaulted both girls. He later killed them, and their remains were not found until two decades later.

On April 24, 1980, they kidnapped two more girls, 17-year-olds Stacy Ann Redican and Karen Chipman-Twiggs. Gerald forced them into the van and assaulted them. He eventually killed them and buried their bodies in shallow graves.

On June 6, 1980, in Oregon, they picked up 21-year-old Linda Teresa Aguilar, who was pregnant. Gerald threatened her with a gun and later murdered her. Her body was found buried.

They continued their crime spree on July 17, 1980, when they abducted 31-year-old Virginia Mochel from her workplace. After sexually assaulting her, Gerald killed her and discarded her body near a pond.

On November 1, 1980, they forced 22-year-old Craig Miller and his fiancée, 21-year-old Mary Elizabeth Sowers, into their car. Gerald shot Craig in the head and then raped Mary. He later murdered her as well.

Their capture came shortly after the abduction of Miller and Sowers. A witness reported the car's license plate to the police. Gerald and Charlene were arrested at a Western Union office. They were charged with multiple counts of kidnapping and murder.

In 1983, Gerald was sentenced to death in California for the murder of Craig Miller and Mary Sowers, and in 1984, he was convicted in Nevada for the murders of Karen Twiggs and Stacy Redican. He died in prison on July 18, 2002, while awaiting execution.