Paul C. Hildwin was born in 1959 and lived in Florida. In 1985, he was a transient with a history of minor offenses. 

On September 9, 1985, the body of Vronzettie Cox was found in the trunk of her car in Hernando County, Florida. She had been strangled and was suspected to have been sexually assaulted. Hildwin became a suspect after he was found in possession of Cox's checkbook and had cashed one of her checks. He admitted to stealing the checkbook but denied any involvement in her murder, stating he had last seen Cox alive with her boyfriend, William Haverty, after an argument between them.

At trial in 1986, the prosecution presented forensic evidence claiming that bodily fluids found on items at the crime scene matched Hildwin and could not have come from Haverty. This evidence was a significant factor in Hildwin's conviction for first-degree murder and his subsequent death sentence.

In 2003, DNA testing excluded Hildwin as the source of the biological evidence. Despite this, it wasn't until 2010 that the Florida Supreme Court ordered the DNA profile to be run through the national database, which matched the victim's boyfriend, William Haverty. Further investigations revealed that key exculpatory evidence, including witness statements placing Cox alive after the time prosecutors claimed Hildwin had killed her, was not disclosed during the original trial.

In 2014, the Florida Supreme Court overturned Hildwin's conviction, citing that the new DNA evidence would likely lead to an acquittal in a retrial. However, prosecutors announced plans to retry him and seek the death penalty again. Facing the prospect of another trial and after spending nearly 30 years on death row, Hildwin accepted a plea deal in 2020, pleading no contest to second-degree murder in exchange for his release with time served.