Dontae Rashawn Morris was born on August 24, 1985, in Tampa, Florida. His mother became a parent at a very young age, being only 16 years old when he was born. She struggled with depression, which affected their family life. When Dontae was just two years old, his father was murdered. The details of the crime are still unknown, as it remains unsolved.

As a child, Dontae experienced a lot of instability. He lived with his sick grandmother for part of his childhood and switched schools multiple times. His mother later entered a new relationship, and during this time, Dontae gained two step-siblings.

Throughout his life, there were connections to crime on different levels. According to prison records, he was affiliated with the Bloods street gang. By 2013, he had a son who was seven years old.

Dontae's family background included his aunt, Carolyn Riggins, who worked at the Tampa Police Department. She was released from her position in July 2010 after it was found that she had concealed important information that could have led to Dontae's earlier arrest.

In his personal life, he had a girlfriend named Cortnee Brantley. She was sentenced to a year in prison for fleeing from the scene of a crime and hiding a weapon.

Between May 18 and June 8, 2010, Dontae Morris shot and killed three men in Tampa. The victims were 21-year-old Derek Anderson, 42-year-old Rodney Jones, and 25-year-old Harold Wright. These murders took place during events related to drug trades. The specific locations included the Kenneth Court Apartments, the Cotton Club Bar, and Palm River-Clair Mel.

On June 29, 2010, Morris was involved in the fatal shootings of two police officers, Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis. They were trying to arrest him during a traffic stop. Morris was in his girlfriend’s car when the officers stopped them for missing license plates. An arrest warrant had been issued for him regarding check fraud. When officers asked him to comply, Morris shot both officers in the head and fled on foot.

The killings of the two officers led to a massive manhunt, the largest in Tampa's history. More than 1,000 officers from various agencies, including the FBI, were involved. The dashcam footage from Officer Curtis' patrol car helped police identify Morris. His girlfriend was also recognized from the video. Police offered a reward of $101,000 for information leading to his capture.

Morris had a long criminal history, including charges for drug offenses, car theft, and assault. He had been arrested multiple times before, including for a previous murder, for which he was acquitted. Following the murders of the officers, many suspected Morris also committed two additional murders of African-American residents in Tampa.

On July 2, 2010, Morris was arrested at a law firm in South Tampa. He was then placed in a secured cell at Orient Road Jail. His trial for the murder of Rodney Jones started in July 2012. He was convicted of murder and attempted robbery and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with an additional 25 years.

Morris faced another trial in November 2013 for the murders of Officers Kocab and Curtis. Since there was clear video evidence of the shootings, the jury convicted him of double murder in just four hours. In May 2014, he received a death sentence.

In June 2015, a new trial for the murder of Derek Anderson was scheduled. Body evidence and expert testimony linked Morris to Anderson's death. He was again convicted and sentenced to death in July 2015.

Morris was also accused of the murder of Harold Wright on July 8, 2010. Evidence showed that Morris had planned to rob Wright. However, by December 2015, the prosecutor decided not to bring this case to court. Morris was ordered to be transferred to death row at Florida State Prison.

In April 2017, the Florida Supreme Court denied Morris' appeal against the death penalty for the murder of the police officers. However, in January 2018, the court reversed the death penalty in the Derek Anderson case, stating that the jury's verdict was not unanimous.