Homer Lee Jackson III was born on December 18, 1959, in Berkeley, California. He grew up in a family that moved to Portland, Oregon, in the early 1970s. Little is known about his childhood, but he faced several health challenges early on. He suffered from congestive heart failure and anterograde amnesia, which made it hard for him to learn and remember things. Because of these issues, he dropped out of school after the 10th grade.

During his teenage years, Jackson began to spend time with vagrants who lived criminal lifestyles. This influenced him and led to his involvement in petty theft. Between 1978 and 1983, he was arrested multiple times for burglary. However, he received only minor sentences for his crimes. By the early 1980s, Jackson became associated with pimps and prostitutes. He admitted to developing an addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine during this time.

In the mid-1980s, Jackson was involved in a fight where he suffered a gunshot wound. This injury required surgery that resulted in the removal of one of his lungs. Following this event, Jackson managed to overcome his addiction and stopped his criminal activities. He got married twice and for a time, worked in low-skilled jobs. He even contributed to a charity that his grandmother had started, which helped provide food and clothing to those in need.

In the early 2000s, Jackson divorced his second wife and moved into an apartment in North Portland. While he became more reclusive, friends and neighbors generally regarded him well. However, his mental health began to decline rapidly. By 2006, he faced two arrests for DUI and reckless driving. That year, he fired a rifle out of his apartment balcony and claimed to the police that an intruder was trying to break in. Investigations showed no evidence to support his claim.

The following year, Jackson made many calls to the police, stating that burglars were trying to enter his apartment. He even threatened officers when they arrived. Due to his erratic behavior, he was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. This assessment led to him being deemed unfit for trial and he was taken to a mental health facility for treatment. After four years, Jackson was released, but a new evaluation diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. From 2011 to 2015, he did not work and relied on a monthly SSI disability check. During these years, he faced challenges such as insomnia, depression, hypertension, and difficulty walking.

On October 15, 2015, Homer Lee Jackson III was arrested based on forensic evidence related to four murders in the Portland area between 1983 and 1987. The victims included 23-year-old Essie Carrie Jackson, 19-year-old Tonja Nannette Harry, 14-year-old Angela Dina Anderson, and 29-year-old Latanga Lee Watts. All four victims were prostitutes who had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Notably, each of the victims had their breasts exposed, and their pants were unzipped, unbuttoned, or pulled down.

After his arrest, Jackson was interrogated for long hours. Initially, he claimed he was not guilty. However, under pressure, he gave contradictory statements and eventually confessed to knowing the victims and using the services of prostitutes. During these interrogations, he admitted to killing Angela Anderson but provided inconsistent details. He denied he had killed others, yet admitted to being familiar with the crime scenes.

As the investigation progressed, forensic evidence began to question the validity of his confession. Despite Jackson's claims, DNA from bodily fluids found on the victims did not match his. After a thorough examination, the evidence from the crime scenes indicated that the DNA profiles from the victims were inconclusive in directly linking him to the murders.

In 2017, a judge ruled that Jackson's confession was invalid due to coercive interrogation tactics used by the police. This decision was upheld by the Oregon Supreme Court in 2018 due to concerns about his mental health and ability to provide reliable testimony. The charges were reassessed, and prosecutors dropped one of the murder cases but added a new charge for the murder of Lawauna Janelle Triplet, found in 1993.

Jackson's trial faced numerous delays. In January 2022, the Multnomah County Prosecutor's Office offered a plea deal, which he accepted. He pleaded guilty to the murders of Harry, Anderson, Watts, and Triplet, receiving a sentence of 6 years and 3 months. However, this time served meant he would be released immediately, a decision that faced significant criticism from the families of the victims.

Jackson was found dead at his home on July 18, 2023. He had been struggling with health issues and weighed under 80 pounds at the time of his death. The authorities did not suspect foul play, and no cause of death has been released.