How does a husband-and-wife couple become a team of serial killers—and was one of them more dangerous than the other?
Between 1978 and 1980, Gerald and Charlene Gallego terrorized the American West, abducting, sexually assaulting, and murdering young women, teenage girls, and a young man. The pair became known as the Sex Slave Killers, leaving investigators struggling to understand how a husband and wife could become partners in serial murder.
In this episode of UNMARKED, I sit down with investigator Gene Burchett, who worked on the Gallego case, to revisit the investigation, the manhunt, and the psychology behind one of America's most disturbing serial killer partnerships.
As we trace Gerald's violent childhood, his criminal history, and the development of his sadistic fantasies, we also examine Charlene's role in the murders. Why did she remain with Gerald? How did she become involved in his crimes? And how did a woman who helped facilitate multiple murders ultimately receive a comparatively lenient sentence?
Show Notes:
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/
For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
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UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
