Gerald Friend

Who is Gerald Friend?

Gerald Arthur Friend is a serial rapist and kidnapper from Lakewood, Washington, currently serving two consecutive 75-year terms.

Friend was originally jailed for abducting a 12-year-old girl from Sumner, Washington in July 1960, when he was 22. He picked up the hitchhiking girl and her brother, but forced the boy from the car at gunpoint. He then drove the girl to Mount Rainier National Park where he beat her, raped her, and cut her hair. The victim eventually escaped by jumping into a river, where she was discovered by a passing motorist. Several days later, Friend's father found him hiding in a field near their home; Friend drew a .22 pistol and was wounded in the ensuing struggle. His father took him to the hospital and turned him in to police. Friend was convicted of rape and torture, and was sentenced to a minimum of 75 years. However, after serving 20 years at Walla Walla, and escaping twice, he was paroled in 1980.

In June 1987, he abducted a 14-year-old girl at knifepoint when she accepted a ride after a rock concert. He repeatedly raped and tortured her while she was tied to a pulley suspended from the ceiling of his mobile home.