Charles Schmid was born to a single mother and was adopted by Charles and Katharine Schmid, who owned and ran the Hillcrest Nursing Home in Tucson, Arizona. Schmid had a difficult relationship with his adoptive father, and this relationship worsened when his adoptive parents divorced. When Schmid tried to meet his birth mother, she angrily told him never to come back.

Schmid did poorly in school, but he was described as good-looking, intelligent, and well-mannered. He was an accomplished athlete and excelled in gymnastics, even leading his high school team to a state championship. However, he quit the team in his senior year. Just before he was supposed to graduate, Schmid was suspended for stealing tools from the school's machine shop and never returned to school.

After leaving school, Schmid started living in his own quarters on his parents' property and received a monthly allowance of $300. His parents provided him with a new car and a motorcycle. Despite these privileges, Schmid often felt like a loner and spent much of his time in Tucson, picking up girls and drinking with friends. He was known as the "Pied Piper" because he was charismatic and had many teenage friends in the community.

On the evening of May 31, 1964, Charles Schmid, with his girlfriend Mary French and a friend, decided he wanted to kill someone. They drove to the home of Alleen Rowe, a high school student who lived with her mom. Schmid chose Alleen because she had refused to have casual sex with him. He told Mary to get Alleen to join them on a trip to the desert. Alleen agreed, but once they arrived, Schmid tied her hands behind her back. As Alleen asked why they were doing this, Schmid lied and said it was because Mary hated her. Schmid then had his friend John Saunders remove Alleen’s bathing suit and walk away.

When Saunders returned, he saw that Alleen had been raped and was trying to put her clothes back on. Schmid then told Saunders to rape her too, but Saunders couldn’t do it and refused to hit her with a rock as Schmid ordered. Instead, Saunders went back to the car to get Mary, leaving Schmid alone with Alleen. Schmid then beat Alleen to death. Afterward, he returned to the car, kissed Mary, and told her he loved her. The three of them buried Alleen's body in the desert.

Months after Alleen's murder, Schmid met 16-year-old Gretchen Fritz. She was the daughter of a wealthy surgeon and had a troubled past, including an expulsion from school. Schmid and Gretchen started dating, but Gretchen was very possessive and often became hysterical if she thought Schmid was with other girls. Schmid told Gretchen about Alleen’s murder to impress her and even showed her the grave. Gretchen, who had stolen Schmid's diary detailing the murder, threatened to expose him if he left her. When Schmid decided to break up with her, Gretchen threatened him again. On August 16, 1965, Schmid strangled both Gretchen and her 13-year-old sister Wendy.

Schmid confessed to his friend Richard Bruns about killing the Fritz sisters and showed him their bodies in the desert. Bruns became scared for his own girlfriend's safety and fled to Ohio. He eventually told his grandparents about the murders and then returned to Tucson to help the police. In 1966, Schmid was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. However, when Arizona abolished the death penalty in 1971, his sentence was changed to 50 years in prison.

While in prison, Schmid tried to escape several times. He succeeded once in 1972 but was quickly recaptured. Schmid developed an interest in poetry and even corresponded with a university professor about his work. On March 20, 1975, Schmid was stabbed 47 times by other inmates and died from his injuries ten days later. His body was buried in the prison cemetery to avoid vandalism.