Adam Leroy Lane was born on August 7, 1964, in Jonesville, North Carolina. Growing up, he lived a relatively ordinary life in a small-town setting, but he struggled academically and eventually dropped out of high school. To support himself, Lane found work in manual labor, including time spent in a chicken-processing plant, before eventually becoming a long-haul truck driver. This profession would later give him the ability to travel across multiple states without raising suspicion.

Despite his outwardly normal appearance as a husband and father of three daughters, Lane harbored dark tendencies. He often spent long hours alone on the road, which seemed to fuel his violent fantasies. Police later discovered disturbing evidence inside his truck: hunting knives, choke wire, a leather mask with cut-out holes for the eyes and mouth, and a DVD titled Hunting Humans, a low-budget film about a serial killer who stalks and murders his victims. These discoveries revealed a man fascinated by predatory violence, quietly masking his dangerous impulses beneath the facade of a working-class family man.

Adam Leroy Lane committed his crimes during the summer of 2007 while working as a truck driver in the Northeastern United States. His first known victim was Darlene Ewalt, a 42-year-old woman. On July 13, 2007, he attacked her in her home in West Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. While Darlene was on her patio talking on the phone, Lane stabbed her to death.

Lane's second attack took place on July 17, 2007. He targeted Patricia Brooks in Conewago Township, Pennsylvania, as she was sleeping on her couch. She survived the attack despite being stabbed.

On July 29, 2007, Lane murdered his third victim, Monica Massaro, in her bedroom in Bloomsbury, New Jersey. He cut her throat and stabbed her multiple times. This was one day before his last crime.

The next day Lane broke into the home of 15-year-old Shea McDonough in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. He was wearing black clothing, a mask, and gloves when he attacked her with a hunting knife. Shea's parents heard her struggling and confronted Lane. They managed to hold him down and call the police. Lane was arrested at the scene.

Investigators linked Lane to the murders through DNA found on his knife. He was also connected to the attack on Patricia Brooks by similar evidence. Following his arrest, he was charged with multiple crimes, including murder and attempted murder.

Lane received different sentences across the states where he committed his crimes. In Massachusetts, he was sentenced to 25-30 years for the attack on Shea McDonough. New Jersey sentenced him to 50 years for killing Monica Massaro, while in Pennsylvania, he received a life sentence for the murder of Darlene Ewalt and 10-20 years for the attempted murder of Patricia Brooks. He is currently serving his sentences at the State Correctional Institution in Fayette, Pennsylvania.