Gerald Ross Pizzuto: Murders in Washington and Idaho
Background and Early Criminal History
Gerald Ross Pizzuto Jr. was born on January 11, 1956, in Orland, California. Before committing the murders for which he became widely known, Pizzuto accumulated a serious criminal record marked by violence. In 1975, he was convicted in Michigan of kidnapping and raping a woman at gunpoint. He received a prison sentence of 20 to 40 years but was released on parole after serving approximately nine years.
After his release in 1984, Pizzuto violated the conditions of his parole and left Michigan. He eventually reached Washington, where he became involved in robberies, drug activity and two murders in Seattle. Within several months, he traveled to the remote mountains of Idaho and murdered two additional victims during the robbery of a prospecting cabin.
The Murder of Rita Drury
On March 16, 1985, 51-year-old Rita Drury was caring for her granddaughter at a residence in Seattle, Washington. Pizzuto and an associate, John Rodewald, entered the home intending to commit a robbery. Drury was overpowered and killed while the men searched the residence for money.
The attackers stole approximately $200 before leaving. Drury had been strangled during the robbery. Her death was especially disturbing because she was attacked inside a home while performing the ordinary and trusting act of babysitting a family member.
Rodewald was initially charged with first-degree murder but later pleaded guilty to robbery and agreed to testify against Pizzuto. Prosecutors used his testimony to establish Pizzuto's direct participation in the fatal attack. Pizzuto was eventually convicted of first-degree murder in connection with Drury's death.
The Murder of John Roy Jones
Two weeks after Drury was killed, Pizzuto committed another murder in Seattle. On March 30, 1985, he entered the trailer of 31-year-old John Roy Jones. The two men reportedly became involved in an argument connected to cocaine.
During the confrontation, Pizzuto shot Jones to death. Pizzuto later claimed that the shooting had been accidental, but prosecutors rejected that explanation and argued that the circumstances demonstrated criminal responsibility. He was convicted of second-degree murder for killing Jones.
The deaths of Drury and Jones occurred only fourteen days apart. By the end of March 1985, Pizzuto had killed two people in Seattle, yet he remained free and continued moving through the northwestern United States.
Arrival in Idaho
During the summer of 1985, Pizzuto was camping in the Ruby Meadows area of central Idaho with James Rice, William Odom and Odom's wife, Lene. Ruby Meadows was a rugged and isolated mountain region north of McCall where prospectors maintained cabins and searched for gold.
Among the people using the area were 58-year-old Alberta Louise “Berta” Herndon and her 37-year-old nephew, Delbert Dean “Del” Herndon. The Herndons had traveled to their mountain cabin to prospect. Their isolation made them vulnerable to Pizzuto, who decided to rob them.
The Murders of Berta and Delbert Herndon
On July 25, 1985, Pizzuto approached Berta and Delbert Herndon while armed with a .22-caliber rifle. He forced them into their cabin and restrained them. Their wrists were tied behind their backs with materials including shoelaces and wire, and their legs were also bound.
Pizzuto demanded money and searched the cabin for property that could be stolen. The evidence demonstrated that the victims had already been subdued and presented no meaningful threat when the fatal violence began.
Pizzuto struck Berta Herndon in the head with a hammer, killing her. Delbert was also struck repeatedly in the head. James Rice then used Pizzuto's rifle to shoot Delbert in the head. The victims' bodies were subsequently concealed near the cabin, and property belonging to them was taken.
William Odom did not personally inflict the fatal injuries but assisted in disposing of the bodies and participated in the events surrounding the robbery. Rice and Odom later entered plea agreements and testified for the prosecution. Their testimony provided investigators with a detailed description of Pizzuto's actions inside the Herndon cabin.
Known Victims
- Rita Drury, 51 — Killed on March 16, 1985, in Seattle, Washington. Drury was attacked while babysitting her granddaughter. Pizzuto and John Rodewald robbed the residence of approximately $200 and strangled her.
- John Roy Jones, 31 — Killed on March 30, 1985, inside his trailer in Seattle, Washington. Pizzuto shot Jones during an argument reportedly involving cocaine.
- Alberta Louise “Berta” Herndon, 58 — Killed on July 25, 1985, at a prospecting cabin in the Ruby Meadows area north of McCall, Idaho. She was restrained, robbed and fatally beaten with a hammer.
- Delbert Dean “Del” Herndon, 37 — Killed on July 25, 1985, with his aunt at the Ruby Meadows cabin. He was bound, struck in the head with a hammer and shot in the head with Pizzuto's rifle.
Escape and Capture
After the Herndon murders were discovered, Idaho authorities began an extensive manhunt. Pizzuto initially used the alias “Jerry Gilbertson,” making it more difficult for officers to immediately determine his identity and criminal history.
During his attempt to escape, Pizzuto stole a tourist's pickup truck and fled the area. He later forced another person to transport him toward Montana. Investigators eventually learned his true identity and discovered that he was also wanted in connection with the two Seattle homicides.
Pizzuto was arrested on July 29, 1985, at his sister's residence in Montana. His capture occurred four days after the Herndons were murdered. Authorities in Idaho and Washington then had to determine the order in which he would be prosecuted for the four killings.
Idaho Trial and Death Sentences
Pizzuto was tried first in Idaho for the murders of Berta and Delbert Herndon. The prosecution presented testimony from Rice and Odom, physical evidence from the cabin and information concerning the robbery and concealment of the bodies.
On March 27, 1986, an Idaho County jury found Pizzuto guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of felony murder, robbery and grand theft. The first-degree and felony-murder counts arose from the same two deaths but represented different legal theories under which the killings were prosecuted.
On May 23, 1986, Pizzuto was sentenced to death for each of the two murders. He also received a life sentence for robbery and a 14-year sentence for grand theft. The sentencing court concluded that the victims had been deliberately killed after being restrained and robbed.
James Rice pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, while William Odom pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Both received prison sentences after cooperating with prosecutors and testifying against Pizzuto.
Washington Murder Convictions
Following the Idaho proceedings, Pizzuto was prosecuted in Washington for the murders of Rita Drury and John Jones. The cases were handled separately because the killings occurred on different dates and under different circumstances.
On September 30, 1987, Pizzuto was convicted of second-degree murder for the shooting of John Jones. On October 20, 1987, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder for killing Rita Drury during the robbery of her residence.
On December 7, 1987, Pizzuto received a sentence of 28 years and six months for the Jones murder and 41 years and one month for the Drury murder. The Washington sentences were ordered to run consecutively, producing a combined term of 69 years and seven months.
Appeals and Execution Proceedings
Pizzuto's Idaho convictions and death sentences led to decades of litigation in state and federal courts. His attorneys filed numerous appeals and post-conviction petitions challenging his trial, legal representation, sentencing and proposed execution procedures.
Several execution dates were scheduled and then stayed. A death warrant issued in 1988 was stopped while litigation continued, and another scheduled execution in 1992 was also postponed. Later proceedings focused on Pizzuto's declining health, allegations of childhood abuse, possible brain damage and arguments that his death sentence should be reduced to life imprisonment without parole.
In 2021, the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole narrowly recommended commuting Pizzuto's sentence to life without parole. Idaho Governor Brad Little rejected that recommendation, leaving the death sentences in effect. Additional death warrants were issued, but executions were postponed because of continuing legal disputes and the state's difficulty obtaining the drugs required for lethal injection.
Case Significance
Gerald Ross Pizzuto was convicted of four murders committed during a period of slightly more than three months in 1985. The crimes occurred in two states and involved different circumstances, including a residential robbery, a drug-related shooting and the calculated robbery and killing of two prospectors in an isolated mountain cabin.
The murders of Berta and Delbert Herndon became the central focus of Pizzuto's death-penalty litigation because of the restraint of the victims, the theft of their property and the deliberate violence inflicted after they had been rendered helpless. His Washington convictions separately ensured that he faced decades of imprisonment even apart from the Idaho death sentences.
Pizzuto has remained incarcerated in Idaho while his case has continued through the courts. The long history of appeals and repeated execution warrants has made his prosecution one of Idaho's most prolonged capital cases, while the four victims remain the central human cost of his violent crime spree.
