Terry Childs was born on September 22, 1955, in Santa Clara County, California. He was the youngest in a big family with six older siblings. His father, Gary, worked as a bail bondsman. Terry and his family lived in a place called Aptos.

As a teenager, Terry began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. By 1970, he got in trouble for the first time when he was arrested for robbery. Over the following years, he often got into more trouble. He dropped out of school and spent a lot of time in jail for various crimes. Even though he committed several offenses, he usually received light sentences.

Terry's brothers had similar experiences with the law. They were known as petty criminals. One of his brothers was later killed in prison during a fight. By 1985, Terry was recognized in his community as a jobless drug addict. People around him noticed that he might be struggling with mental health issues.

On August 22, 1985, Terry Childs and his girlfriend were arrested for possessing a military-style mortar simulator. While they were awaiting trial, they became the prime suspects in the murder of 17-year-old Lois 'Jeanine' Sigala. Her body was found in Scotts Valley, California, twelve days before the arrest. An autopsy revealed that she had been killed about five days prior. The investigation showed that she had been shot 15 times with a 9mm Luger.

A witness stated that he saw Sigala enter a Ford Mustang, which was similar to Childs' car. A friend of Childs, named John, claimed he sold a Luger to Childs before the murder. John helped investigators locate a site where Childs had fired rounds, leading to the recovery of shell casings matching the bullets used in the shooting. However, the Luger itself was never found during a search of Childs' apartment. On September 10, 1985, Childs was charged based on this circumstantial evidence.

During interrogations, Childs' girlfriend eventually agreed to testify. She said that Sigala, a runaway, had lived with them for several months. Childs expressed to her that he intended to kill Sigala as he suspected she might inform on him regarding a robbery he was involved in. He drove them both to the outskirts of Scotts Valley, threatened their lives, and shot Sigala. He then instructed his girlfriend to help cover up the crime before they fled the scene.

In early January 1987, Childs’ trial started. The prosecution alleged that Childs had killed Sigala with extreme cruelty. A forensic expert testified that nine out of the 15 shots hit her, and she had attempted to crawl away before being shot in the head. The main witness for the prosecution was Childs' girlfriend, who reaffirmed her testimony in court.

Childs maintained his innocence and argued that he was mentally ill. His lawyer claimed that Childs suffered from paranoid schizophrenia due to his long-term drug abuse. On February 4, 1987, Childs was found guilty of murder. He received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after serving at least 41 years.

After his conviction, Childs was transferred to Corcoran State Prison. In 1996, he attempted to kill another inmate, which led to his transfer to Pelican Bay State Prison. While there, Childs contacted the Santa Cruz Attorney's Office and confessed to 11 additional murders he claimed to have committed between 1979 and 1985.

Among his confessions was the murder of Rulan McGill, who he abducted and killed in Sparks, Nevada, in 1979. Childs also confessed to killing Linda Ann Jozovich in 1979, claiming he was haunted by her ghost. In 2008, he was convicted for her murder and sentenced to another life term.

In 2016, Childs confessed to two more murders in Aptos. He claimed responsibility for the killing of Joan Leslie Mack and Christopher Hall, both linked to drug debts. He also admitted to the murder of his father's fiancée from 1974, but this confession was not investigated due to a lack of evidence. In early 2017, he pled guilty to the murders of Mack and Hall, receiving two more life sentences without the possibility of parole. Terry Childs died in prison on February 11, 2023.