Michael Kent Poland was born on June 11, 1940. He grew up in a family with a younger brother named Patrick Gene Poland. Michael, the older of the two, was involved in the jewelry trade, although authorities would later question the legitimacy of this business.

On May 24, 1977, two guards, Russel Dempsey and Cecil Newkirk, were working for Purolator Courier in an armored car. They were driving along Interstate 17 when a vehicle that looked like a police car pulled them over. The men believed they were being stopped by police officers, but it was actually the Poland brothers, Michael and Patrick Poland. The brothers took control of the armored car and ordered the guards to open the truck.

After taking over the vehicle, the Poland brothers bundled the guards into bags and dumped them into Lake Mead. They claimed later that one guard had died of a heart attack, which forced them to kill the other guard as well. During the robbery, they stole $228,000.

Initially, the investigation focused on the missing couriers. Witness reports led the FBI to discover blood in the back of the armored van. A search revealed that the van had been abandoned in the desert near Bumble Bee, Arizona. The guards were missing, but their bodies had not yet been found.

On June 16, 1977, a body in a black canvas bag was found in Lake Mead. It was later identified as Cecil Newkirk. An autopsy showed that he had been severely beaten and had marks that were consistent with a taser. Russell Dempsey's body was found later along with evidence that further tied the Poland brothers to the crime.

The investigation found several clues linking the Poland brothers to the robbery. They had both been in financial trouble prior to the crime, but soon after, they had spent money on new vehicles and other expensive items. Their erratic spending raised suspicion as investigators continued to piece together the evidence.

After almost a year of investigation, both Michael and Patrick Poland were arrested on May 18, 1978, facing charges of robbery, kidnapping, and murder. They went to trial in February 1979 and were found guilty based on circumstantial evidence. They were sentenced to 100 years in prison.

An appeal led to their murder convictions being overturned, but new evidence proved crucial to their case. A watch belonging to Newkirk was examined, and experts determined the time of death matched when the Poland brothers were allegedly at the lake. This evidence enabled prosecutors to successfully convict them of murder a second time in 1982, leading to their sentences being upheld by the Supreme Court.

Michael Poland was executed via lethal injection on June 16, 1999. He requested a special last meal that included bacon and eggs. He spent his last moments saying "I love you" to his family members present.

Patrick Poland was executed on March 15, 2000, nine months later. Unlike his brother, he did not request a last meal, instead using his final words to apologize to the victims' families for the pain he caused.