Kelvin Shelby Malone was born on January 10, 1961, in Seaside, California. He spent most of his early years near Monterey. Although he lived in California, he also had family in Missouri, particularly in the St. Louis area, where he spent some time during his childhood. As a teenager, he attended Brentwood High School in St. Louis County. There he met a friend named Michael Terry Crenshaw. When they first met, Crenshaw described Malone as calm. However, after a trip to California in 1978, Crenshaw thought Malone changed and started showing interest in gang activities.

On February 15, 1979, Malone committed a robbery with another man named Andrew R. Armstrong. They robbed George F. Gunn Jr., a judge in Missouri, near his home in Brentwood. During the robbery, Armstrong pointed a loaded gun at the judge, but they stole only four dollars. Armstrong was sentenced to twenty years in prison after he fled the state in a stolen car, while Malone received a seven-year sentence as an accomplice. On January 24, 1980, he began serving his sentence at the Missouri Intermediate Reformatory at the Algoa Correctional Center located in Jefferson City.

Malone served less than ten months of his seven-year sentence and was paroled in November 1980. After his release, he went back to California. In January 1981, he was convicted of burglary and grand theft in Monterey County. While he waited for his sentencing, he escaped from custody.

Malone's crime spree began on March 10, 1981. He kidnapped Leroy Cambs, a 37-year-old man, in Santa Maria, California. Malone asked Cambs for a ride. Once Cambs agreed, Malone pulled out a gun and held him hostage. He forced Cambs to drive around for two hours before putting him in the trunk of his car in an underground parking lot in Los Angeles. After driving Cambs around for another hour, Malone let him go near a freeway in Long Beach.

The next day, March 11, Malone robbed a gas station in Arroyo Grande. He is also suspected of having murdered a man that same day in Merced County, but he was never charged for this crime, and details were not made public. A week later, Malone took a bus trip back to St. Louis, where he met up with a man named Michael Terry Crenshaw.

On March 18, Malone shot and killed 62-year-old William Parr, a cab driver, in St. Louis. Parr was discovered with a bullet wound to his head in a park near Crenshaw's home. After this, Malone and Crenshaw traveled to Kansas City, Missouri. There, on March 19, they kidnapped a 39-year-old man named James T. Rankin in a Denny's parking lot. The pair stole Rankin's car and transported him in the trunk to a remote location near the Mojave Desert. According to Crenshaw, Malone shot Rankin to death early on March 20.

Later that same day, they arrived at a gas station in Baker, California. There, they kidnapped 55-year-old cashier Myrtle Dee Benham. Malone robbed, sexually assaulted, and ultimately killed her with a pipe. Her body was found eight days later in an abandoned shack near Daggett. On March 21, just north of Blythe, Malone shot 51-year-old Minnie Ola White after robbing her.

On March 24, Malone and Crenshaw were arrested in San Jose, California, while driving a stolen car. They had guns and credit cards belonging to the victims White and Rankin on them. After their arrest, they were placed in separate jails in Southern California.

On June 14, 1983, Malone was sentenced to death in California for the murder of Benham. He also received a life sentence for the murder of White. His death sentence was upheld in 1988. On April 26, 1984, Malone was sentenced to death in Missouri for the murder of Parr. He decided to be imprisoned in California instead of Missouri after a circuit judge agreed to his request. He was moved back to California and held on death row at San Quentin State Prison.

Malone was never charged for the murder of Rankin, whose body was never found. He also faced no charges in the Merced County murder. Crenshaw was convicted of first-degree murder and received a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for his role in the crimes.

On December 30, 1998, Malone was extradited from California to Missouri to be executed for the murder of William Parr. He was executed on January 13, 1999, at the Potosi Correctional Center using lethal injection. Malone was pronounced dead at 1:20 a.m. and did not provide any last words.