Gary Lee Graham was born on September 5, 1963, in Houston, Texas. His parents were Thelma Griffin and Willie Graham. 

Gary Lee Graham, also known as Shaka Sankofa, was convicted for the murder of Bobby Grant Lambert in Houston, Texas, on May 13, 1981. The murder took place at night in the parking lot of a Safeway supermarket. Although Graham denied the act, he confessed to a week-long series of crimes, including armed robberies and assaults.

His conviction relied heavily on the testimony of a single eyewitness. This witness identified Graham in a police lineup, and the jury found her credible. During the trial, Graham's original legal team did not present alibi witnesses who later claimed they were with him at the time of the murder. However, these witnesses did not contact anyone during the seven years leading up to the hearing, leading the appeals judge to rule against their credibility.

Supporters of Graham argued that key evidence was not presented during the trial, including a ballistics report that claimed the weapon used to murder Lambert was different from a gun found at the time of Graham's arrest. Prosecutors disputed these claims and insisted the gun was not part of the trial evidence. The trial lacked physical evidence tying Graham to the murder, and some other potential witnesses believed Graham was too short to have committed the crime, but these opinions were not presented to the jury.

Graham was sentenced to death and spent nearly two decades on death row. He attempted to appeal his conviction multiple times. His case attracted significant attention from civil rights groups and public figures. In 1995, Graham changed his name to Shaka Sankofa as part of his personal transformation in prison, where he also earned his GED and paralegal certification.

After the appeals were exhausted, Graham was executed by lethal injection on June 22, 2000, in Huntsville, Texas. His execution sparked protests and debates over the death penalty, particularly as he was only 17 years old when the crime was committed. Hundreds gathered outside the prison to express their opinions on capital punishment. He left behind two children and numerous family members. His funeral drew over 2,000 attendees, and he was buried in a gold-colored casket.