Nathaniel Robert Code Jr. was born on March 12, 1956. His parents divorced when he was just six months old. After the divorce, he was raised by his great aunt, Josephine Code, and his grandfather, William T. Code. As a child, Nathaniel, who was often called Junior, showed some unusual signs. People noticed that he sometimes paused in the middle of a sentence and stared blankly for a few moments before continuing.

During his teenage years, Nathaniel was involved in troubling behaviors. It was alleged that he set fire to animals. His schooling did not go well. He failed ninth grade and eventually dropped out of high school. After leaving school, he moved in with his uncle, Johnny Boyd.

In 1971, a violent incident occurred. During an argument, Nathaniel was shot four times by his uncle. He managed to run four blocks while injured before collapsing. The police found him there, and he identified his uncle as the shooter. Boyd was later arrested for this incident.

In July 1975, Nathaniel faced serious legal trouble when he was charged with aggravated rape and burglary after attacking a 20-year-old woman. In November of that year, he pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated rape and received a sentence of 15 years in prison. While he was incarcerated, he experienced family loss when his birth mother died.

Nathaniel was released for good behavior in January 1984. After his release, he got a job at Fitzgerald's Contractors but was fired in 1985 after a physical altercation with a co-worker. On February 3, 1986, he married a woman named Vera.

During the night of August 31, 1984, Nathaniel Robert Code Jr. entered the home of Debra Ann Ford, who was 25 years old. He pulled open a screen on the bathroom window to get inside. After a struggle in the living room, Code bound Ford’s hands and gagged her. He then stabbed her multiple times and cut her throat. Ford died from her injuries, and Code fled through the front door. Investigators found her body face-down on the sofa. They had very little evidence, which made it difficult to identify the culprit, and they offered a reward for information that could lead to an arrest.

On July 19, 1985, Code committed a mass murder in Cedar Grove. He killed four people: Vivian Chaney, 34; Billy Joe Harris, 28; Carlitha Culbert, 15; and Jerry Culbert, 25. The murders were reported as extremely brutal. Harris was shot through a pillow and had his throat cut. Jerry Culbert was shot while he slept. Carlitha was found tied up and in a very distressed state. Vivian Chaney was discovered in a bathtub, also restrained and showing signs of severe violence. Two young girls, who were 7 and 10 years old, survived the attack. A relative found the bodies, and the police were called to the scene.

On August 5, 1987, Code killed his grandfather, William Code, who was 73 years old. He stabbed him 13 times and bound him. In the same incident, he also killed two boys, Joe Robinson Jr., 12, and Eric Williams, 8, who were present in the house. They were also bound and gagged, with evidence suggesting they were strangled.

Code was suspected in several other murders. He was linked to the killings of Wes Burks, 48, and Monica Barnum, 20, in June and July of 1985. He was also suspected in the murders of Johnny Jenkins, 54, and Jake Mills, 60, in 1986, although he was never officially connected to these cases.

After the murders, law enforcement interviewed Code. Initially considered a routine suspect, he made a statement that raised suspicion. His fingerprints matched evidence found at the scene of the Cedar Grove murders, along with the earlier murder of Debra Ann Ford.

During his trial, which began in September 1990, prosecutors presented evidence that showed Code had stalked his victims. A witness testified that he saw Code with blood on his arms the night of the Cedar Grove murders. Despite his defense claiming that it would take more than one person to commit such violent acts, the jury quickly found Code guilty on four counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death.

After the trial, Code appealed his sentence, claiming he had not been able to make sound legal decisions during the trial. His death sentence was upheld by the Louisiana Supreme Court. Execution dates were set and postponed multiple times due to his legal appeals. In 2013, from prison, Code filed a lawsuit concerning the extreme heat conditions of his incarceration. Family members of his victims opposed his requests, emphasizing the severity of his crimes.