Regis Deon Thomas was born on June 16, 1970, in Los Angeles, California. He was the oldest of four children in his family. Thomas grew up in South-Central Los Angeles, an area known for its challenges. As a teenager, he became involved with the Bounty Hunter Bloods, a subset of the Bloods street gang based in Watts, Los Angeles.

In 1990, when he was twenty years old, Thomas was convicted of perjury. He later worked at a liquor store as a security guard. However, his job ended when the liquor store was burned down during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Thomas was out of work for an entire year after that incident. His early life was marked by the difficulties of growing up in a tough neighborhood and the influences of gang culture.

On January 31, 1992, Regis Deon Thomas shot and killed Carlos Adkins in an apartment in Torrance, California.

More than a year later, on February 22, 1993, Thomas was involved in a deadly encounter with police officers Kevin Michael Burrell and James Wayne MacDonald. The officers made a routine traffic stop at about 11 p.m. in Compton. Thomas was driving a red 1992 Chevrolet pickup truck. As the officers approached, Thomas got out of his truck and opened fire on them. He shot both officers multiple times, targeting them execution-style. Burrell suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died from his injuries. MacDonald was shot several times and also died at the scene. After shooting the officers, Thomas returned to his truck and drove away.

A massive manhunt followed the officers' deaths. This operation led to several arrests and helped solve other murder cases. On April 6, 1993, Thomas surrendered to a television reporter. He was later tried and found guilty of the murders of both officers, as well as the earlier murder of Carlos Adkins. Thomas received a death sentence on August 15, 1995, and is currently on death row at San Quentin State Prison.