Elijah Page was born on December 1, 1981, in Titusville, Florida. When he was still a young child, his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Page grew up in a troubled environment. He and his family lived in abandoned buildings that lacked heat or utilities. This made his early life very difficult.

During his early childhood, Page faced serious abuse. It has been reported that he was sexually abused by his mother when he was just two years old. These experiences caused a lot of pain and struggles for him as he grew up.

On March 12, 2000, Elijah Page, Briley Piper, and Darrell Hoadley met Chester Allan Poage at his family home in Spearfish, South Dakota. The group was familiar with each other and planned to play video games. With Poage's mother and sister away, the house was empty. Later, they drove in Poage's vehicle to another location where Page drew a .22 caliber pistol he had stolen from Poage's home, ordering Poage to lie on the floor.

While Poage was on the ground, Piper began kicking him until he lost consciousness. They tied him up and forced him to drink a mixture of beer, crushed pills, and hydrochloric acid. After restraining him, the three discussed plans to kill Poage to avoid anyone witnessing their robbery.

The group then loaded Poage into his own vehicle and drove about seven miles to Higgins Gulch, a secluded wooded area. After forcing him out of the vehicle, they stripped him down to his undershirt, shoes, and socks. They then began to beat him as they led him toward a small icy creek. Once at the creek, they attacked him again, and Page stabbed him in the neck.

Poage requested to be allowed into his vehicle to warm himself, saying he would rather die from bleeding than freeze in the cold. Piper initially agreed but then changed his mind. Poage was dragged back and attempted to be drowned in the creek. Ultimately, he was killed when heavy rocks were thrown at his head. Hours later, he was left for dead in the creek.

After the murder, Page, Piper, and Hoadley drove back to Poage's house to steal items, including a stereo system and clothes. They then traveled to Rapid City, using Poage's ATM card to withdraw cash. The men eventually split up, each going their separate ways.

On April 22, 2000, Chester Poage's remains were discovered by a woman in Higgins Gulch. His cause of death was determined to be from stab wounds and blunt force injuries to his head. Police interviewed Hoadley, who confessed to the murder and provided the names of his accomplices. Warrants were issued for Page and Piper, both of whom had fled. Page was arrested in Texas, while Piper was found in Alaska.

Both Page and Piper confessed their involvement in Poage's murder. They were extradited to South Dakota and jailed. Subsequently, both pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder and received death sentences. Page was executed by lethal injection on July 11, 2007. Piper remains on death row in South Dakota. Hoadley was sentenced to life in prison.