Buried Bones: "The Machete Murderer Pt 2"

Podcast: Buried Bones
Hosts: Kate Winkler Dawson (journalist), Paul Holes (retired investigator)
Date: October 15, 2025
Episode focus: Dissecting the Juan Corona case, the brutal 1971 Yuba City "Machete Murderer," his trial, motivations, and the failures and limitations of forensic and legal processes of the era.

Episode Overview

This episode concludes Kate and Paul's in-depth look at the Juan Corona case—a series of shocking murders in 1971 Yuba City, California, where at least 25 migrant workers (primarily older, white, transient men) were found brutally killed and buried in orchards. The hosts use their combined historical and forensic expertise to scrutinize the physical evidence, suspect psychology, investigative missteps, and broader implications for true crime understanding.

Key Discussion Points

Recap of the Case & Crime Scene Patterns

[02:55] - [08:27]

• Setting: Yuba City, 1971. Bodies of mostly transient, older white men found in deep graves in orchards.
• Modus Operandi: Killed with cleaver-like weapons—meat cleaver, knife, blunt trauma, some strangulation; bodies often exposed or semi-clothed in the genital area.
• Victimology: All older white transient males—no apparent robbery motive; selection implies a sexual or personal motivation.
• Paul’s Insight: The organized nature of crime scenes (deep graves, attempts to cover evidence) suggests a perpetrator comfortable and familiar with the orchards.

  "The pattern is consistent. Some of these victims are showing their clothing, lower body clothing, their genital area being exposed. This is where I'm keying in on. Okay, there's a sexual motivation to these crimes." - Paul Holes [06:55]

The Surviving Victim and Suspect Introduction

[08:27] - [11:34]

• Jose Romero Rea: Survived a 1970 brutal attack in a bathroom, pointed to by Natividad Corona (restaurant owner) as the work of his half-brother, Juan Corona.
• Family Background: Natividad had previously committed Juan to a psychiatric hospital (after a delusional breakdown in 1956 following traumatic flooding).

Juan Corona’s Background, Psychiatric History, and Forensic Analysis

[15:54] - [22:31]

• Mental Health Story: Committed after paranoid/delusional episode but quickly released after early, crude treatments.

  "Thorazine is basically a sedative, and of course, you see these electroshock treatments... basically barbaric types of treatments for people that are suffering from mental health issues..." - Paul Holes [20:09]

• Labor Contractor Access: Post-release, Juan became a labor contractor (peach/sullivan ranches), giving him access to the victim population and crime locations.
• Crime Scene Evidence: Vast cache of weapons (cleavers, knives, bludgeoning tools), many bloodstained; “murder book” ledger found in his possession; physical evidence (red hairs, muddy clothing, bloodstained boots) connecting him to victims and crime scenes.

Juan Corona’s Arrest and Evidence

[22:31] - [25:15]

• Police Seizure: Multiple bloodstained weapons, red hair, business papers, and unique knives with damaging hooks.

  "This is beyond a kill kit." - Kate Winkler Dawson [23:07]

• Paul's Classification: Corona is a “mixed” offender (shows both organized and disorganized traits).

Competency Debate – Organized, Disorganized, or Insane?

[25:15] - [29:45]

• Defense Evaluation: Psychiatrists testify Corona is schizophrenic/paranoid (for defense).
• Paul’s Critique: Evidence of attempts at hiding bodies signals Corona understood right/wrong.

  "He is not on the order of a truly disorganized psychotic offender." - Paul Holes [29:45]

The Trial: Legal Missteps and Forensic Limitations

[34:20] - [41:04]

• Trial Move: Defense claims anti-Mexican bias; trial moved to Fairfield, CA.
• Forensic Failures: Blood on weapons not matched to victims, mislabeling of bodies and evidence, case confusion.

  "For lack of a better term, a complete fuck up from beginning to end." - Kate Winkler Dawson [37:06]

• Outdated Testing: ABO blood grouping from saliva (cigarette butts), non-DNA techniques, unreliable even then.

  "I just put no weight on that ABO testing at all. ...Just use modern DNA if you still have evidence." - Paul Holes [41:04]

Motives & Serial Killer Profiling (Or Lack Thereof)

[44:17] - [45:58]

• Prosecution’s Weak Motive: Could not establish a clear motive, trial occurred before "serial killer" terminology or profiling was developed.

  "At the time of this case, the term serial killer had never been used... ...It's obvious what the motive is. There's a sexual component, there's a fantasy component, and there may have been a mission-oriented component..." - Paul Holes [44:35]

The Defense Strategy: Blame the Brother, Homosexuality, and Machismo

[45:58] - [52:47]

• Deflection: Defense shifts blame to Natividad, emphasizes rumors of his homosexuality and criminal past.
• "Passivo Homosexual" Argument: Defense claims only a passive homosexual would commit these crimes, expert (Evelyn Hooker) testifies that Juan was "hopelessly heterosexual."

  "'The same expert will also tell you that Juan Corona is hopelessly heterosexual.' Now the question is... is he setting his brother up or is there something..." - Kate Winkler Dawson [48:36]

• Paul's Take: Modern predatory sexual behavior doesn't align with midcentury stereotypes; homosexual panic defense is baseless.

Aftermath: Retrial, Appeals, and Legacy

[56:50] - [59:58]

• Conviction and Retrial: Juan convicted on 25 counts in 1972, appeals court later rules his defense was incompetent (insanity not argued, defense presented no witnesses). He is retried, attacked in prison, survives, and again convicted in 1982. Dies in 2019 after over four decades in prison.
• Natividad’s Role: Unsubstantiated as a real suspect; likely a scapegoat.

  "I really don't have any questions that Juan Corona... about Juan Corona and his involvement in these 25 cases." - Paul Holes [60:06]

Memorable Moments & Key Quotes

Timestamps & Attributions

• On Victim Selection and Sexual Motivation
  "The pattern is consistent... their genital area being exposed. This is where I'm keying in on... there's a sexual motivation."
  — Paul Holes [06:55]

• Psychiatric Assessment Skepticism
  "I just have trouble resolving somebody who is suffering from schizophrenia, and then 15 years later is what I would consider a very organized offender."
  — Paul Holes [21:16]

• Evidence Mishandling
  "A complete fuck up from beginning to end. ...They totally screw that up. They can't figure out what fingertips go with what body at this point. ...They lose the cast of the tracks."
  — Kate Winkler Dawson [37:06]

• On Outdated Forensics
  "I just put no weight on that ABO testing at all. ...Just use modern DNA if you still have evidence."
  — Paul Holes [41:04]

• Serial Killer Profiling Gap
  "At the time of this case, the term serial killer had never been used... investigators understood that there was a type of predator... But now in this particular case, they didn't understand truly what the serial predator was..."
  — Paul Holes [44:35]

• Defensive Homophobia and Machismo Defense
  "'The same expert will also tell you that Juan Corona is hopelessly heterosexual.'"
  — Kate Winkler Dawson [48:36]

  "To say that Juan Corona is heterosexual and to make a defense that, well, therefore he's not responsible for this sexual humiliation... that's ludicrous."
  — Paul Holes [49:30]

• On Victim Vulnerability
  "Most of the cases that I've dealt with involving serial predators are women and children. ...Now you do see where you do have a vulnerable male victim, this transient population..."
  — Paul Holes [62:01]

• On Predators and Prey
  "Predators go to where the prey's at. ...The prey is those people that if something happens to them, nobody notices."
  — Paul Holes [64:37]

Reflections & Takeaways

• Victim Marginalization: The case is a harrowing reminder of how transient, marginalized individuals can fall through societal cracks—sometimes unnoticed even after their deaths.

  "One of the victims, his wife was notified, your ex husband's dead. What do we do with the body? And she said, I don't care. ...That, I think was a very common theme..." - Kate Winkler Dawson [61:26]

• Evolution of Forensic Science: The 1970s lab work fell far short of today's standards, complicating (if not compromising) justice.

• Societal Prejudices and Courtroom Tactics: The defense’s persistent use of homophobia and racist tropes as legal strategies starkly contrasts with (slowly) evolving attitudes.

• Profiling and Understanding Offenders: Lack of "serial killer" terminology and profiling hindered understanding and, possibly, conviction strength.

• Legacy:
  Juan Corona’s conviction held fast despite legal errors and appeals. Paul concludes that even with the confusion and forensic limits, all evidence aligns with Corona as the true perpetrator—Natividad being a likely scapegoat.

In Closing

The episode masterfully combines historic context with forensic evaluation, underscoring both progress and persisting flaws in the criminal justice system. Kate and Paul’s discussion provides insight not just into the who and how of a notorious case, but also the why—not only for the killer, but for the society that failed to prevent or quickly catch him.

For show evidence and diagrams, visit @buriedbonespod on Instagram.