Charles Michael Hedlund was born on November 22, 1964. He grew up in a family atmosphere that was complicated and challenging. Information about his early life is limited, but he is known to have a half-brother named James Erin McKinney.

Charles Michael Hedlund, along with his half-brother James Erin McKinney, was involved in two burglaries that resulted in the death of two people. This criminal activity led to serious legal consequences. After the arrests, both brothers were prosecuted by the State of Arizona.

During the trial, James McKinney was found guilty of two counts of First Degree Murder. Experts testified in court about his mental health, highlighting that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite this diagnosis, Arizona state law did not allow the judge to consider these factors in relation to the murders, so McKinney received a death sentence.

The case eventually went through various appeals. In 2018, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld McKinney’s death sentence. Disagreements over how to handle sentencing during appeals led the case to the United States Supreme Court. They ruled on how an appellate court should manage sentencing after identifying any errors made in previous decisions.

As of April 2021, both Hedlund and McKinney remained on death row in Arizona, having exhausted all of their appeals.