Juan Corona was born on February 7, 1934, in the small town of San Antonio de los Moran, located in Ayutla, Jalisco, Mexico. At the young age of 16, he moved to the United States, stepping across the border into California in 1950. Juan's first job in the U.S. was in the Imperial Valley where he worked hard picking carrots and melons for three months.

Soon after, he traveled north to the Sacramento Valley, following the path of his half-brother, José Natividad Corona Sánchez, who had settled in Marysville near Yuba City. In 1953, Juan took the advice of his half-brother and moved to the Marysville-Yuba City area, finding work on a local ranch. That same year, he married Gabriella E. Hermosillo in Reno, Nevada. Their marriage was followed by another in 1959 to Gloria I. Moreno, with whom he had four daughters. In 1956, Juan faced a major challenge. His brother Natividad, noticing something was not right, had him committed to DeWitt State Hospital in Auburn, California.
 

There, doctors diagnosed him with a type of schizophrenia and treated him with electroconvulsive therapy. After 23 sessions, he was deemed recovered and released, only to be deported back to Mexico. Juan returned to the United States in 1962 with a green card. Back in the country legally, he worked diligently and became known as a reliable worker despite his mental health struggles and a temper. He even earned his license as a labor contractor, hiring workers for fruit ranches.

However, Juan's struggles with mental health continued, leading to another hospitalization in 1970. A year later, his request for welfare was denied.

On May 19, 1971, a farm owner noticed a freshly dug hole in his peach orchard, a hole that had been filled in by the next day. Hidden beneath the earth was the body of a man who had suffered stab wounds and severe cuts. As the investigation unfolded, two meat receipts with Juan Corona's signature were found in one grave, while another contained crumpled Bank of America deposit slips with his name and address. This evidence began to point toward Corona's involvement in the grim scenario.

Witnesses later reported that some of the victims had last been seen in Corona's pickup truck, deepening the suspicions against him. In the early morning hours of May 26, police entered Corona's home in Yuba City with a search warrant. There, they seized two bloodstained knives, a machete, a pistol, and blood-stained clothing. A work ledger found at his home contained 34 names, including seven of the known victims, which the prosecution called a "death list," suggesting it recorded the dates the men were murdered.
 

Corona had been supplying workers to the ranches where the bodies were discovered, most notably the Sullivan Ranch, which featured a bunkhouse where many of the men he employed stayed. All the victims were middle-aged Caucasian male drifters, except for three; most had criminal records, and all but one were violently attacked with a knife or machete.

After his arrest, Corona was provided legal aid and a public defender, Roy Van den Heuvel. Despite claims of no immediate danger from locals, for security reasons, Corona was moved to a larger county jail. His arraignment was closed to the media and public, and a not guilty plea was entered.
 

Following the discovery of 25 male victims, Corona faced a 25-count murder indictment. His initial defense attorney was replaced by Richard Hawk, who controversially secured exclusive literary and dramatic property rights to Corona’s life story as part of his fee. This arrangement, later cited as a conflict of interest, led to a successful appeal for a new trial. Corona faced significant health issues during his incarceration, including a mild heart attack and an attack by fellow inmates.

His second trial began in 1982, suggesting his brother Natividad might have been the real murderer, a theory that was ultimately dismissed by the jury. Corona was convicted once more and sentenced to consecutive life terms. He was later transferred to Corcoran State Prison due to dementia and was denied parole multiple times. Corona died on March 4, 2019, at the age of 85, from natural causes.