The terrifying, true tale of America's first husband and wife serial killers.
This story recounts the brutal path taken of Gerald and Charlene Gallego from 1977 to 1980, as they moved across the Western United States, abusing drugs, alcohol, and each other while kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and murdering nine women and one man. The killings were motivated by Gerald Gallego's "sex slave" fantasies. Being an obedient wife and a tempting lure, Charlene Gallego led most of the unsuspecting victims to their van where Gerald was waiting like a vulture who had captured his prey.
But this book is as much about the victims as the perpetrators. From gullible teenagers, to a pregnant young hitchhiker, to college sweethearts--all were in the wrong place at the wrong time--and paid the ultimate price with their lives.
The Sex Slave Murders further examines the "bad seed" theory, or the notion of genetic transmission of deviant tendencies from one generation to the next. As misfortune or fate has it, Gerald Gallego's father was himself a twice convicted murderer and executed in Mississippi a generation earlier. Was the younger Gallego predestined to become a serial killer? Had his story already been written before he was ever born?
Read the book to explore this intriguing concept and find out how the story of the Gallegos and their victims played out before reaching a dramatic conclusion!
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Editorial
Gerald Gallego found his perfect companion in Charlene. Over a period of twenty-six months, their bloody rampage spanned three states and claimed eleven lives. In this bizarre tale of domination, depraved lust, and murder, Flowers tells the whole story of a couple's twisted relationship, their ghastly crimes and capture, and the trial that ultimately pitted wife against husband.
Editorial
The true story of America's first husband-and-wife serial killers profiles Charlene and Gerald Gallego, whose twisted reign of kidnappings, rape, and murder span the period of 26 months, claiming 11 lives, and the trial that put the Gallegos on a collision course with one another, leading to a spine-tingling climax.
Customer - Catherine McKenzie
An animal with a fondness for cruelty, an animal with a lust for sexual torture, an animal with a penchant for murder.... And the woman who loves him, who willingly helps him, who lures his victims for him, who stands by while he tortures them, and who merely looks away when he executes them.
This is the bizarre and grotesque world of Gerry and Charlene Gallego, who broke all the rules of pathological behavior by being the first husband-and-wife serial killers.
Through exhaustive research, intense interviews, and meticulous detective work, criminologist and sociologist R. Barri Flowers introduces you to two of the most odious sociopaths of our time. He takes you into their world, and explores their methodology, their histories, their motives, and their madness.
If you find the concept of sociopathy fascinating and compelling, read this book. It is a thorough study of two people together torturing and murdering eleven victims, but it is also a thorough study of a woman who assists her husband in his derangement, a petite, pretty young woman who willingly and expertly lures his youthful female victims for him...an unusual twist in the world of serial killers.
MURDERS IN THE UNITED STATES: Crimes, Killers and Victims of the Twentieth Century
by R. Barri Flowers & H. Loraine Flowers
From the assassination of President William McKinley on September 6, 1901, to the mass killing at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, the 20th century saw many murderous events that are difficult to contemplate but have become a part of the national history. This reference book is divided into three parts. Part One, arranged chronologically, details 53 of the most famous murder cases of the 20th century in the United States. In Part Two, over 300 entries (alphabetically arranged by criminal) provide descriptions of crimes and are subdivided into male, female, and juvenile murderers; pair and group murderers; hate crime murderers; and school killings. Part Three features crime events related to over 40 selected victims. Cross references guide the reader to additional information. An index is included.
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From Booklist
"This volume aimed at 'researchers, writers, scholars, students, criminal justice professionals, laypersons, and others with an interest in the crime of murder' covers selected homicides from 1900 to 1999. A list of references including Internet sources and an index of names conclude the volume. Despite its subject matter, the volume generally manages to avoid sensationalism. The preface states that it is suitable for academic study in disciplines such as criminal justice and criminology. It would also appeal to public library true-crime buffs."
From Booknews
"This reference for practitioners and scholars of criminal justice and the interested reader examines the crime of murder in the United States in the 20th century. Brief summaries of 53 significant murder cases are organized by decade in the first section. The second section presents over 300 profiles of male, female, juvenile, group, hate crime, and school murderers. The final section contains information on the murders of more than 40 notable victims such as John F. Kennedy, Marvin Gaye, and JonBenet Ramsey. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR."
From BVS Reviews
"For a brief look at some of the most sensational murders of the Twentieth Century and the people who committed them, this book does well. You don't get blow by blow details, just the facts of who did what to whom and the supposed reasons why. This means that the authors could get a lot of information about murders in the United States into a small amount of print space."
See R. Barri Flowerson the Biography Channel's Crime Storiesseries episode called "The Love Slave Murders." This episode is based on his bestselling book, The Sex Slave Murders. Check your local listings for upcoming air times.
