Charles Michael Albanese was born on June 13, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the eldest son of Michael Albanese Sr., an entrepreneur, and his wife Clara. Growing up, Charles was known to be ambitious but also had a reputation for being a "spoiled brat." He always aimed to make money with minimal effort.

During the mid-1960s, Charles worked as a car salesman at Norwood Motors Inc. His first known crime occurred in 1965 when he and an accomplice, posing as detectives, broke into a home and stole money. He was arrested shortly after and sentenced to probation for armed robbery and auto theft.

His legal troubles affected his personal life. After his conviction, his first wife divorced him and moved away with their three daughters. Charles remarried twice, with both relationships also ending in legal issues, including child support disputes.

Charles Albanese began his criminal activities in the early 1980s. His main motive was financial gain, and he targeted his own family members to achieve this. Between 1980 and 1981, he poisoned three relatives with arsenic to claim their inheritance, life insurance payouts, and other financial benefits.

Albanese's first victim was his mother-in-law, Marion Mueller, who died on August 6, 1980. Shortly after, her mother, Mary Lambert, also died under similar suspicious circumstances. The final victim was his own father, Michael Albanese Sr., who passed away on May 16, 1981. These deaths led to Albanese inheriting substantial amounts of money and property.

The suspicious pattern of these deaths led to a police investigation. Authorities found traces of arsenic in the victims' bodies, linking Albanese to the crimes. He was arrested on November 18, 1981, and charged with three counts of murder, attempted murder of his brother, and theft.

Albanese faced two separate trials due to the different jurisdictions involved. In his first trial in Lake County, he was found guilty of the murders of Lambert, his father, and the attempted murder of his brother. He received a death sentence in May 1982. His second trial in McHenry County for the murder of Mueller also resulted in a guilty verdict and another death sentence in October 1982.

After years of appeals and legal battles, Charles Albanese was executed by lethal injection on September 20, 1995, at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois.