David Smith, a lorry driver from Hampton, Middlesex, lived with his mother following a failed marriage. Standing at 6 feet 3 inches, he was nicknamed the "Honey Monster" or "Lurch" by colleagues. Smith had a history of violent offenses against women, including a 1976 conviction for raping a young mother at knifepoint in front of her children, for which he served four years in prison. He also faced charges of unlawful imprisonment and had a pattern of attacking women, particularly sex workers. ​

On August 29, 1991, Sarah Crump, a 33-year-old psychiatric nurse supplementing her income as an escort, was found brutally murdered in her Southall, West London flat. She had been stabbed and sexually mutilated. Smith was arrested on September 5, 1991, but was acquitted in 1993 due to insufficient evidence. ​

Six years later, on April 25, 1999, Smith murdered 21-year-old sex worker Amanda Walker after picking her up in Paddington, London. Her mutilated body was discovered weeks later in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society in Wisley, Surrey. Smith was convicted of her murder on December 8, 1999, and sentenced to life imprisonment. ​

In 2023, under revised double jeopardy laws, Smith was retried for Sarah Crump's murder. New evidence, including his prior conviction and forensic advancements, led to his conviction on May 24, 2023. He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years.