Lee Boyd Malvo was born on February 18, 1985, in Kingston, Jamaica. His parents, Leslie Malvo and Una James, never married. Leslie worked as a mason, and Una was a seamstress. In 1990, when Lee was five years old, Una left Leslie, leading them to move to the hill town of Endeavour in Jamaica to stay with Una's sister, Marie Lawrence, for almost a year. After that, they returned to Kingston before moving to St. Martin.

When Lee was nine years old, he was sent to live with his aunt Marie for nearly a year. After passing his sixth-grade exams, he enrolled in York Castle High School. At age 14, in 1999, Lee was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church by a Jamaican pastor named Lorenzo King. That same year, he moved to Antigua to be with his mother. In Antigua, he attended Antigua and Barbuda Seventh-day Adventist School. There, he performed well academically and even won an award in the 100-meter run.

Around 1999, Lee and his mother met John Allen Muhammad in Antigua. Muhammad and Una developed a close friendship. Later, Una left Antigua for Fort Myers, Florida, using false documents, and left Lee in the care of Muhammad. She planned for Lee to join her later. In March 2001, Muhammad converted Lee to Islam. He also took steps to isolate Lee from his mother.

In 2001, Lee arrived illegally in Miami. In December of that year, both he and his mother were caught by the Border Patrol in Bellingham, Washington. Lee was released on a bond in January 2002 and began living in a homeless shelter with Muhammad in Bellingham. He enrolled in Bellingham High School, where Muhammad was falsely listed as his father. Lee struggled to make friends during his time there.

While living in the Tacoma, Washington area, Lee shoplifted a firearm from a gun shop and practiced shooting at a nearby firing range. Both he and Muhammad were prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms due to their legal status.

Lee Boyd Malvo was arrested in October 2002 along with John Allen Muhammad in connection with a series of shootings known as the D.C. sniper attacks. Malvo faced multiple charges including two capital crimes: the murder of FBI analyst Linda Franklin and the murder of multiple individuals over a three-year period. After his arrest, he confessed to intending to kill many people.

Malvo's trial was moved to Chesapeake, Virginia, due to intense media coverage. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming he was under Muhammad's control. During the trial, his defense argued that violent video games had influenced his behavior. However, evidence suggested that Malvo had a history of antisocial behavior.

On December 18, 2003, the jury convicted Malvo, and on March 10, 2004, he received a life sentence without parole. However, this sentence was overturned in 2016 when Virginia changed its laws regarding life sentences for juveniles. In October 2004, Malvo entered a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, pleading guilty to additional charges in Virginia, and received another life sentence.

In 2006, while being held in Maryland, Malvo admitted to four more murders across the United States. He was convicted of six murders in Maryland and sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

After his sentencing, a civil lawsuit was filed against Malvo and Muhammad by the victims’ families. The lawsuit resulted in a significant settlement against the gun manufacturers involved. Malvo later testified about the shooting plans, stating that Muhammad aimed to create chaos and extort money from the government.

Over the years, Malvo expressed remorse for his actions. He apologized to several victims and acknowledged the harm he caused. His legal status continued to change as he navigated various appeals and sentence adjustments due to evolving laws regarding juvenile offenders. By 2020, he became eligible for parole in Virginia after serving the required time, but he still faced challenges regarding his life sentences in Maryland.