TWENTY-FIVE MURDERS (AND PROBABLY MORE): Looking for a reason: The Juan Corona Trials and Confessions

Juan Corona was a farm labor contractor who was accused, convicted, and sentenced to 25 life terms for the murder and burial of at least 25 sometime farm labor victims. Corona was convicted entirely on circumstantial evidence and fi nally and publically confessed to the crimes at his fi fth parole hearing over 40 years later. This is the true story of the crimes, the inadequate investigation, the bungled prosecution and defense in Corona’s fi rst trial, his appeal, the second trial, other possible confessions, speculation on motivation, and the sheriff, the judge, the prosecuting attorneys, and the defense attorneys in both trials.