Paul Ezra Rhoades was born on January 18, 1957, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He was the oldest of four children born to Augustus and Teresa Rhoades. His early life was tough. When he was just 4 years old, he got polio and had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. At home, his parents argued a lot.

By the time he was 10, Paul started drinking. He dropped out of high school and began using drugs. He got addicted to methamphetamines, a problem that lasted until he was arrested. To help support his family, Paul did various odd jobs, especially in Idaho and nearby states. He specialized in sheetrocking. However, he also began breaking into homes and stealing valuables.

On the morning of March 1, 1987, the body of Stacy Dawn Baldwin, a 21-year-old Red Mini Barn clerk, was found at an archery range about five miles northwest of Blackfoot. She had been working the night shift. Stacy was shot three times, and police believed her killing was related to a robbery gone wrong the night before.

On the morning of March 17, Nolan Haddon, a 20-year-old clerk, was found badly injured in a convenience store’s walk-in cooler in Idaho Falls. Nolan was rushed to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, but he died a few hours later.

On March 21, the body of Susan Michelbacher, a 34-year-old special education teacher, was found in a remote lava field west of Idaho Falls. Susan had been abducted from a supermarket parking lot two days earlier after dropping off lesson plans at her school. During the abduction, she cashed two $1,000 checks at different bank branches. She was shot nine times and raped, possibly after she was already dead.

On March 27, 1987, an arrest warrant for grand larceny was issued for Paul Ezra Rhoades, who was arrested in Wells, Nevada. The police confiscated a handgun from him, and tests showed that the bullets matched those used in the recent murders in Blackfoot and Idaho Falls. Rhoades was charged with Michelbacher’s murder, kidnapping, robbery, rape, desecration of a corpse, and firearm violations. The other murder charges were set for separate trials.

Rhoades' first trial began on January 18, 1988. His insanity defense was rejected. Among the jurors was then-Governor Cecil Andrus, who was excused due to his familiarity with the case. A Nevada detective testified that Rhoades admitted to Michelbacher’s murder, but this was contested by the defense. On January 26, the defense rested their case. The next day, after five hours of deliberation, the jury found Rhoades guilty on all counts. Sentencing was set for March 16.

Rhoades’ second trial for Baldwin’s murder began on March 3. His defense argued that the evidence was weak and provided an alibi, but the prosecution highlighted the matching shoe print and bullets. On March 12, Rhoades was again found guilty. Sentencing was set for May 9. The trial for Haddon’s murder was set for April 25.

On March 24, Rhoades was sentenced to death for Michelbacher’s murder and life imprisonment for other charges. He reacted violently but was subdued. He pleaded guilty to Haddon’s murder to avoid another long trial, receiving two life terms but maintained his innocence.

Rhoades’ attorneys requested a retrial for Baldwin’s charges, which was denied. He was sentenced to death for Baldwin’s murder and received a life term plus 45 years for related charges. While awaiting trial for Haddon’s murder, Rhoades was questioned by Utah police about three similar murders in their state. These murders involved Christine Gallegos, Carla Maxwell, and Lisa Strong, all killed with bullets similar to those used by Rhoades. Investigators also linked him to other crimes but found no concrete evidence.

Rhoades and his legal team filed many appeals, all of which were rejected. He was executed by lethal injection at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna on November 18, 2011. In his final statement, he confessed to Michelbacher’s murder but denied involvement in Baldwin and Haddon’s deaths. His last meal was hot dogs, sauerkraut, and other items. He was the second person executed in Idaho after Keith Wells.