Curtis Michael Allgier was born on August 25, 1979, in South Dakota. 

On the morning of June 25, 2007, Curtis Michael Allgier was taken by corrections officer Stephen Anderson to the University of Utah. He needed to undergo an MRI because he had been complaining about back pain. While they were waiting in an examination room, Allgier was unshackled. During this time, he overpowered Anderson, took his weapon, and shot him twice, hitting him once in the chest and once in the head. Following the shooting, Allgier fled the clinic on foot.

After escaping, Allgier carjacked a Ford Explorer. This led to a high-speed chase with law enforcement. Eventually, he was captured at an Arby’s restaurant a few miles away. While at the restaurant, Allgier attempted to shoot an employee, but the gun malfunctioned. A Vietnam veteran named Eric Fullerton confronted him and managed to disarm him. Allgier then ran to the back of the restaurant, where police found him hiding in the manager's office.

Allgier's trial for the murder of Stephen Anderson was initially set for June 2012. However, in October 2012, he unexpectedly pleaded guilty to murder and several other charges, and also pleaded no contest to three charges of attempted murder. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. In January 2015, Allgier lost his right to legal representation after making repeated frivolous objections and threats against his court-appointed attorneys during his appeals. In November 2017, the Utah Supreme Court rejected his motions to withdraw his guilty pleas, confirming that he was aware of the conditions of his pleas.