Gerald "Jerry" Walter McFadden (March 21, 1948 – October 14, 1999), known as The Animal, was an American serial killer and sex offender who was convicted of the May 1986 murders of two women and one man in Smith County, Texas.

He fled from jail shortly after his arrest, leading to the biggest manhunt in Texas history, with it coming to an end in July.

[6] Years after his execution, he was found to have perpetrated an earlier 1979 murder in Oregon through DNA evidence, and authorities have since speculated he could have committed other killings.

On May 4, 1986, McFadden kidnapped 20-year-old Gena Turner, 19-year-old Bryan Boone, and 18-year-old Suzanne Harrison as they took a trip to Lake Hawkins north of Tyler, Texas.

On July 9, 1986, he overcame Kenneth Mayfield, a jailer, and escaped from the jail in Upshur County with Rosalie Williams, another guard, as a hostage.