Claude Lafayette Dallas Jr. was born on March 11, 1950, in Winchester, Virginia. He was the second of six brothers in a large family with nine children. His father was a dairy farmer. When Claude was young, his family moved from the Shenandoah Valley to Michigan. Most of his childhood was spent in Luce County, Michigan. Later, they moved to rural Morrow County, Ohio.

In Ohio, Claude helped his family by milking cows and learned how to trap and hunt game. He had a strong interest in the stories of the Old West. Many books about cowboys and outlaws inspired him to dream of living like those characters from the 19th century.

Claude graduated from Mount Gilead High School in 1967. After graduating, he wanted to explore. He hitchhiked across the United States, eventually ending up in Oregon. There, he worked as a ranch hand and trapper. During this time, he lost contact with his family back in the East.

In 1970, notices were sent to his parents, ordering him to report for military service during the Vietnam War. Claude claimed he was unaware of these notices. On September 17, 1970, he did not report for induction, which led to the government issuing a warrant for his arrest.

After more than three years, the FBI found him. He was arrested for dodging the draft on October 15, 1973. He was sent back to Ohio, where he was released into his parents' custody. At his trial, the draft board could not prove he knew about the induction letters, so the charges were dropped.

In the winter of 1981, Claude Dallas set up his trapping camp in southern Idaho, near the Nevada border. He had been warned about potential visits from Idaho Fish and Game after Don Carlin's son, Eddy, found illegal bobcat hides and poached deer at Dallas's camp. Eddy felt uneasy after speaking with Dallas, who claimed he settled business with a gun.

Eddy Carlin and his father reported other illegal poachers to the authorities but did not mention Dallas at first. Conservation officers Bill Pogue and Conley Elms investigated the poaching complaints and decided to check on Dallas after hearing about him from the Carlin family.

As the officers approached, Dallas claimed he felt threatened. He testified later that Pogue drew his weapon, but there was no evidence to support that claim. Dallas shot Pogue with a .357 caliber handgun and then shot Elms as he came out of a tent. After the initial shooting, Dallas executed both officers with a .22 caliber rifle. He disposed of Elms' body in a river and hid Pogue's body in a coyote's den.

Following the shootings, Dallas fled the scene and evaded capture for 15 months before being arrested. He faced trial and was convicted of voluntary manslaughter rather than murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison but escaped after serving a few years. 

On March 30, 1986, Claude Dallas escaped from prison, vanishing once again into the American landscape. The FBI responded by adding him as the 400th entry on their Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on May 16, 1986.

After nearly a year on the run, Dallas was finally recaptured on March 8, 1987, outside a convenience store in Riverside, California. Surprisingly, he was acquitted in a separate trial for the prison escape in 1987.

Dallas spent time in various prisons after his capture. He completed his sentence and was released in February 2005, having served a total of 22 years due to good behavior. After his release, he was reported to have lived in Utah and in the Alaska wilderness.