Lucky Ward was born on November 1, 1964, in Brazoria County, Texas. He had a troubled childhood. His home life was unstable, and he faced both physical and mental abuse. When he was a baby, his mother gave him to her brother, who was known to sexually abuse children. Lucky lived with his uncle until he was about seven years old. After that, he spent time with his father, who was violent. One incident included his father dragging him behind a car to which he was chained. These harsh experiences greatly affected Lucky's mental health, leading to diagnoses of schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder.

At the age of 14, Lucky committed his first serious crime. He sexually assaulted an 83-year-old woman in Brazoria County. He was arrested and confessed on the same day. Lucky spent two years in a juvenile prison before being released at age 16. However, he was sent back to his abusive family, even though a recommendation advised against it. Soon after, he was accused of assault, tried as an adult, and sentenced to an adult prison at age 16.

Lucky was released from prison briefly in 1985. After that, he was sent back to prison and remained in the Texas prison system until 2006. Once he was released, he became homeless and struggled with drug addiction. From 2006 to November 2010, he was repeatedly arrested for various offenses. These included soliciting prostitutes, possession and distribution of controlled substances, resisting arrest, theft, and other crimes. He spent time in the Harris County jail, specifically in a section for inmates with mental illness, where he received psychotropic medications.

During his time in jail, Lucky was written up for many infractions and was accused of assaulting another inmate. He even showed jail staff how he was able to unlock his cell, which led to an educational video being made about him. Despite this, he did not attempt to escape.

Lucky Ward is accused of targeting homeless women and transgender women. He was convicted of two murders that took place in September 2010. The victims were Reita Lafaye Long and Carlos "Gypsy" Rodriguez. Both women were strangled, but there was no evidence of sexual assault.

Rodriguez, a transgender woman and local hairdresser, was found dead in her Houston apartment, nude but not sexually assaulted on September 13, 2010. She had been strangled. One of her roommates described seeing her with a “bald Black man” earlier in the evening. Though Ward did not match the physical description, investigators identified him from a photo Rodriguez had taken the night they met. Ward admitted knowing Rodriguez but consistently denied involvement in her death, which took place in a private apartment in North Houston.

Reita Long, a 52-year-old former teacher and friend of Ward’s, was last seen sitting on the cathedral steps in Houston. According to Ward’s confession, the two argued that evening, and while under the influence of crack cocaine and off his medication, he strangled her with her own bra. Her body was discovered the next morning. When arrested on November 4, 2010, Ward confessed to this murder, saying he had panicked and not intended to kill her. He later expressed remorse to Long’s family at his sentencing.

While waiting for his trial, police tried to connect Ward to other unsolved murders. They looked at the case of Birdell Louis, who was murdered in 1985. A palm print from Ward was found near her body, but no other evidence linked him to her murder.

Another potential victim was Ruben "Myra Chanel" Ical, a transgender woman found dead in January 2010. DNA evidence suggested that Ward could not be excluded as a contributor, but he was never charged in her case.

Ward was also a suspect in the murder of Raquel Antoinette Mundy, who was discovered dead in June 2010. However, he was never charged in that case.

In addition, authorities investigated the 2010 murder of Carol Elaine Flood, a homeless woman found strangled. Ward was briefly indicted for her murder, but that indictment was dismissed due to lack of evidence.

After Rodriguez’s death, police reviewed photos on her digital camera and discovered an image of Ward. He voluntarily went to the station and identified himself in the photo but denied knowing about her death. On November 4, 2010, he was arrested and questioned about Long’s murder. He confessed, citing drug use and mental illness, and denied involvement in other deaths.

He was later charged with both Long’s and Rodriguez’s murders. Despite not being charged in the other four suspected killings, the prosecution introduced evidence from those cases during trial. Prosecutors sought the death penalty based on the theory that Rodriguez and Long were killed in the “same scheme or course of conduct.”

Ward’s trial was delayed for nearly ten years due to requests for expanded forensic testing, hurricane damage to court infrastructure, and his severe mental health breakdowns, which at one point led him to request self-representation. He missed portions of his own trial due to mental instability.

After deliberating for about five hours, the jury found Ward guilty of the murders of Long and Rodriguez. He was sentenced to death. As of January 2024, Ward remains on death row and is appealing his conviction and sentence.