Lloyd Gomez was born on December 6, 1923, in Caliente, Nevada. His parents were of Indian-Mexican descent. His mother passed away when he was very young. Not much is known about his childhood. In 1939, he left his parents' house without any formal education. After leaving home, he struggled to find decent living conditions and eventually became homeless.

Gomez traveled a lot along the west coast of the United States by hopping on freight trains. As he grew older, he began using the pseudonym Harry Jenks.

In 1942, Gomez faced trouble with the law. He was arrested on suspicion of dodging the military draft during World War II. This was a time when the U.S. was fighting against Germany and Japan. In March of that year, he had an encounter with a 10-year-old boy near Caliente. Armed with a knife, he threatened the boy and stole his rifle. Later, he was caught in Cedar City, Utah, and extradited back to Nevada. He received a four-year prison sentence for this crime.

Gomez was paroled in 1946, but in 1948, he was back in prison for assault. He was sent to a prison camp. One day, when the guards were not paying attention, he managed to walk away and disappeared for the next two years.

In the summer of 1950, Lloyd Gomez committed his first murder by killing an unidentified man. He used a wine bottle to smash the man's head, resulting in fatal injuries. Gomez took only five cents from this victim. On November 11, 1950, Gomez shot 42-year-old Warren Hood Cunningham. This occurred after Cunningham accused him of stealing beer. The only witness, John Kapusta, could not identify Gomez due to his blindness in one eye.

Just days later, Gomez was in Mojave and killed 50-year-old Earl Franklin Woods. He bashed Woods' head with a large rock. After this murder, he disposed of the rifle used in Cunningham's killing and attempted to escape to Los Angeles. However, he was arrested on an unrelated vagrancy charge and spent thirty days in jail before being released in December 1950. After his release, he remained homeless and did not kill anyone for a while.

On May 26, 1951, Gomez resumed his killing spree. He beat Elmer Cushman to death while the man sat in a rail car. Gomez stole $16 from Cushman. Just ten days later, he killed another unidentified hobo by beating him with a wooden plank and took $20 from him. On June 22, he murdered 60-year-old George Jones near Merced, California. He snuck up on Jones and fractured his skull with a rock. Gomez stole $24.50 from Jones, which was the largest amount he took from any victim.

On July 17, 1951, Gomez found Arvid Ostlund resting by the railroad tracks and killed him by dropping a large stone on his head. In August 1951, he killed an unidentified man also near the railroad. On August 16, he murdered 46-year-old Roy Chester Hansen while he sat on a railroad car, striking him with a large rock.

Authorities began connecting the bodies and realized they had a serial killer on their hands. A total of twelve murders were investigated. Gomez was arrested on January 15, 1952, after police found him wandering with a large cut on his face. While in jail, he confessed to the nine murders, expressing disappointment that the lives he took only earned him $62.26.

Gomez was charged specifically for the murder of Warren Cunningham. He described this murder in detail. He mentioned that Cunningham attacked him with knives after believing he had stolen beer. Over time, Gomez claimed he got mad and returned to kill Cunningham. In June 1952, the trial began, and Gomez was eventually sentenced to death on June 10, 1952. He was transferred to San Quentin State Prison to await execution.

On October 15, 1953, Gomez had his final interview sharing a meal before his execution. He expressed indifference about his fate. The next day, he was executed by gas chamber. Gomez initially declined a final statement but reportedly said to a guard, "I don't want to live anymore."