Cory Deonn Morris was born on May 10, 1978, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was the first child in a family that would eventually have three kids. As he grew up, Morris attended Douglass High School in Oklahoma City. He showed interest in joining the military and participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program while in college.

At the age of 22, Morris moved to Phoenix, Arizona. When he arrived, he had no place to stay. He asked his aunt, Melva Willis, to bring his trailer and set it up behind her home. While living in Phoenix, he got a job at a karaoke machine in a local bar called Fat Cats. This bar was known to attract local sex workers and pimps. Morris was friendly and outgoing, which helped him make many friends among his neighbors and coworkers. Because of his sociable nature, people began to call him “Huggy Bear.”

Cory Deonn Morris killed multiple women in Phoenix, Arizona, between September 2002 and April 2003. He targeted female sex workers, arranging to meet them at his trailer.

In early September 2002, Morris met Barbara Codman, a 46-year-old sex worker. After they had sex, he left the trailer and later found her unresponsive inside. Morris initially claimed she had died from a drug overdose but later changed his story, saying he accidentally strangled her during sex.

In October 2002, he met Shanteria Davis, who agreed to have sex for $5. Afterward, Morris left the trailer and returned to find Davis unconscious. He covered her with a blanket and later disposed of her body in an alley. When detectives questioned him, Morris changed his story again. He claimed Davis had asked him to choke her with her own hair, and he accidentally asphyxiated her.

Morris's next victim was Jade Velazquez in February 2003. After they had sex, Morris went to sleep. The next morning, he found her dead and disposed of her body in the street. He later claimed that he had accidentally strangled her when she asked him to choke her.

In March 2003, Morris had sex with Sherry Noah. He returned to find her dead and initially said she died from an overdose. But after detectives contradicted his story, he admitted she had asked him to choke her, which led to her death.

Morris's final known victim was Julie Castillo in April 2003. After providing drugs to her, Morris left and returned to find her unresponsive. He did not call for help.

Morris was finally arrested on April 12, 2003, after his uncle discovered Castillo's body in his trailer. During the investigation, Morris confessed to the murders but shifted the blame, saying the women had all overdosed. In trial, he was found guilty of five counts of murder and sentenced to death.