Michael Rian Torrence was born on April 15, 1961, in Pine Ridge, South Carolina.

In 1987, Michael Rian Torrence, along with his brother Thomas and sister-in-law Donna, was involved in a series of violent crimes in South Carolina. The murders began on February 11, when Donna lured two men, Charles Alan Bush and Dennis Lollis, to her home under false pretenses. After convincing Bush to give her a ride, he entered the house where Michael was hiding. The brothers then attacked Bush with a tire thumper and a dog chain, ultimately killing him. They stole the key to Bush's motel room and went to the Red Carpet Inn, where they murdered Lollis as he slept, stabbing him over 20 times.

After these killings, the Torrences left Pine Ridge and moved to Charleston. On March 28, during an encounter with a prostitute named Cynthia M. Williams, Michael shot her in the chest after they argued. He disposed of her body on the side of I-526, where it was soon found by motorists. Following this murder, police identified Michael as a prime suspect due to his last known whereabouts with Williams.

On April 6, 1987, Michael and Thomas were arrested. They confessed to the murders of Bush and Lollis during interrogation and revealed where they had buried Bush's body. Their trial commenced, and because of the seriousness of the crimes, they were both held without bond. In the end, Michael was sentenced to death for the murder of Lollis while receiving life sentences for the other two murders.

Torrence's conviction was overturned in 1991, leading to a new trial in 1994, where he was again sentenced to death. Despite advice from his attorney, Torrence chose to drop all appeals, expressing a wish to be executed rather than spend life in prison. After years of legal proceedings, he was finally scheduled for execution on September 6, 1996.

On that day, Michael Torrence was executed by lethal injection at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia. He reportedly made a statement prior to his death, expressing a desire for closure for the victims' families. His request for a last meal was denied, and he received a simpler meal instead. On the same date, another serial killer, Douglas Franklin Wright, was also executed in Oregon.