Anthony Rene Wimberly was born as Anthony Rene Lee on October 26, 1962, in Antioch, California. His father was Ray Lee, who worked for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. His mother, Gwendolyn Williams, was jobless and on welfare at the time of his birth. When Anthony was just one year old, his mother married A.D. Wimberly, who was from Oakland. However, the couple divorced when Anthony was very young. After the divorce, Gwendolyn moved to work at nursing homes in Tacoma, Washington, and Minnesota. She returned to Oakland when Anthony was nine years old.

At the age of 14, in 1976, Anthony Wimberly was arrested for assault. He spent the next nine months in a group home located in Oroville. After he was released, he was arrested again for robbery. This led him to a closed facility at the California Youth Authority in Stockton, where he stayed for 11 months. Wimberly was paroled in 1978. However, he was sent back to custody six months later for another burglary. He was paroled again on January 23, 1980.

After his parole, he attended Castlemont High School in East Oakland. He struggled academically, passing only two of his classes. On November 4, as a now-adult, Wimberly broke into an East Oakland home and attempted to rob a child. He was caught soon after, but he managed to post bail.

Wimberly then registered at an adult day school in the city but did not attend any classes. When asked by his parole officers, he stated he had worked for a short time installing air fitters for a company in San Francisco. However, this could not be confirmed. On June 12, 1981, he stole a brand-new Lincoln Continental from a garage. He was later caught while burglarizing a home just five days after the car theft. He pleaded guilty to robbery and burglary and was sentenced to three years at Solano State Prison in Vacaville, beginning his term on September 2, 1981.

Wimberly was released on parole on May 28, 1983. However, he returned to San Quentin State Prison in September for grand theft auto and violating his parole conditions. On September 3, 1984, he was released on parole once again and moved in with his mother in the Acorn Projects.

Anthony Rene Wimberly committed a series of violent crimes in Oakland, California, beginning in late 1984. His first known crime was the rape and shooting of a 12-year-old girl on November 8, 1984. This act marked the start of his crime spree.

On December 23, 1984, Wimberly broke into the home of Anne Arevalo, a 24-year-old secretary. He raped her and then shot her multiple times. Afterward, he hid her body in a closet. He searched through her house before leaving, leaving her twin baby daughters unharmed in another room.

Wimberly's next attack occurred on January 24, 1985, at a beauty parlor in West Oakland. He demanded money from two employees, Marilyn A. Moore and Vicky J. Russo. When they said they had none, he shot both women multiple times. Moore died from her injuries, while Russo was critically wounded. Wimberly stole the keys to Russo’s van and fled.

On January 31, 1985, he broke into the home of 62-year-old Doris Wong Lee. During this attempt at burglary, he killed her.

Wimberly's violent actions came to an end when he was arrested six days after the murder of Lee, on February 5, 1985. Police linked him to the three murders and the rape through various pieces of evidence. He later confessed to killing Arevalo and Moore, as well as the rape of the 12-year-old girl. He denied responsibility for Lee's murder, claiming two other men had committed that crime.

Regardless of his claims, Wimberly was found guilty of all charges. He received three life imprisonment sentences without the possibility of parole.