Michael Eugene Sumpter was born on September 26, 1947, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Michael Eugene Sumpter committed a series of violent crimes between 1969 and 1973. His first known victim was Jane Britton, a 23-year-old graduate student at Harvard University. On January 7, 1969, Sumpter attacked Britton in her apartment in Cambridge. Her body was later discovered by friends, lying facedown on her blood-soaked mattress. An autopsy revealed that she had been raped and killed with a sharp object, which was never identified. Sumpter is believed to have accessed her apartment via a fire escape.

Sumpter's next victim was Ellen Faith Rutchick, a 24-year-old secretary. On January 5, 1972, he entered her apartment in Back Bay and strangled her with a cord from a stereo speaker. Rutchick's body was found by co-workers when they became concerned after she did not show up for work. She was discovered on her sofa, partially clothed. Later in June 1972, Sumpter was convicted of assault and battery for a separate incident, resulting in a prison sentence.

On December 12, 1973, Sumpter attacked Mary Lee McClain, a 24-year-old secretary. He used the fire escape to enter her apartment and then asphyxiated her while she was in bed. Neighbors reported hearing muffled screams and the sound of someone leaving through the fire escape. Sumpter was arrested days later for another crime, which led to him being charged with several offenses.

Over the years, Sumpter continued to evade law enforcement while committing more attacks. In 1975, he was arrested again after another assault on a college student, where he was identified as the attacker. He received a significant prison sentence for this crime.

After his death in 2001 from cancer, Sumpter's DNA was tested against unsolved cases. In 2010, it was confirmed that he was linked to Rutchick's murder, and then to McClain's murder in 2012. By 2018, further analysis connected him to the murder of Jane Britton. Sumpter had never faced charges for these crimes before his death.