Kevin Bernard Haley was born on October 21, 1963, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the younger brother of Reginald Haley, who was born in 1960. When Kevin was about two years old, the Haley family moved to Los Angeles, California. Growing up in Los Angeles, both Kevin and Reginald became involved in a life of crime, living off stealing.

As they grew older, the brothers developed an addiction to crack cocaine in the early 1980s. This addiction had a significant impact on their lives and led them to engage in more criminal activities. At the time, Kevin worked as a dog groomer.

On September 28, 1984, Kevin Haley was arrested in Los Angeles for burglary. While in custody, he was questioned about the murder of Dolores Clement, a 55-year-old woman who was found raped and killed in her home a day earlier. Haley denied any involvement, and after being released, his fingerprints were matched to the crime scene. This led to his re-arrest at his home on October 9. He was then charged with the rape-murder of Laverne Stolzy, a 56-year-old woman discovered dead at her home on June 25.

The investigation revealed that Kevin and his brother, Reginald, might be involved in a larger series of violent crimes. Police linked them to at least eight murders, approximately 500 burglaries, and numerous assaults on women involving rape from 1979 to 1984, particularly in the Venice and Mid-Wilshire areas. During interrogations, the brothers admitted to some burglaries and assaults, but maintained they were not murderers. By November 1984, Kevin confessed to six rapes and 53 burglaries.

Investigators listed several victims believed to have been murdered by the Haleys. These included D. Robinoff, 78, who was raped and beaten to death in her home on April 20, 1984, and Isabel Buxton, 90, who was also robbed and beaten to death on the same day. Jodie Samuels, a 15-year-old girl, was robbed and shot while waiting at a bus stop on May 12, 1984. T. Okauchi, 88, was beaten to death on August 4, 1984, at her home. Elizabeth Karp, 89, was beaten and strangled, while Elizabeth Burns, 79, was raped and murdered in Beverly Hills. The police chief noted that these were some of the most brutal crimes against elderly women in Los Angeles history.

In 1987, Reginald Haley was convicted of multiple rapes, kidnappings, and burglaries and received a life sentence. Kevin Haley's trial for the murders of Jodie Samuels, Dolores Clement, and Laverne Stolzy began in May 1988. The jury heard a tape of Kevin's confession regarding Clement's murder, along with a diagram of the crime scene he drew. His fingerprints at the scene helped convince the jury, leading to his conviction for Clement's murder and a death sentence in September 1988. The jury was divided on the charge of Stolzy's murder, resulting in an acquittal due to insufficient evidence.

After spending years on death row, Haley's death sentence was overturned in 2004. He argued that Clement's death was accidental and claimed his confession was coerced. At a new trial, he was once again charged with first-degree murder and was found guilty, which reinstated his death sentence. In the early 2010s, DNA evidence linked Haley to Laverne Stolzy's murder, which led to his extradition for a new trial in 2014. He was found guilty again and received a second death sentence. He represented himself during the trial but did not provide any evidence in his defense.

Both Kevin and Reginald Haley remain incarcerated as of July 2023. Kevin is at San Quentin State Prison, while Reginald is at the California Health Care Facility. Reginald has applied for parole but has been denied multiple times.