Robert Anthony Buell was born on September 10, 1940, in the United States. He was a longtime resident of Akron, Ohio, where he worked as a planning department employee for the city. On the surface, Buell appeared to lead a typical middle-class life. He was intelligent, organized, and respected in his workplace.

On July 17, 1982, 11-year-old Krista Lea Harrison was collecting aluminum cans in a park just 100 yards from her home in Marshallville, Ohio. She was accompanied by a friend, who later told authorities that a man with shoulder-length hair drove up in a brown or dark red van and forcibly abducted Krista. The van had round windows on the side near the back.

After six days of community search efforts, Krista’s decomposing body was found in a wooded area near Loudonville, Ohio, around 35 miles from where she was taken. Her body had been sexually assaulted with a vibrator, strangled, and wrapped in a large plastic bag. The medical examiner noted that the corpse had likely been exposed to extreme heat, probably from being inside a vehicle during the summer. Buell was considered a suspect in the case.

Authorities also looked into two other young girls believed to be his victims. Tina Marie Harmon, who was 12 years old, was murdered in 1981. Another girl, Deborah Kaye Smith, who was 10 years old, was murdered in 1983. While there was strong evidence linking Buell to all three cases, he was only charged with Krista Harrison's murder.

Later, in 2010, DNA evidence confirmed Buell's involvement in Tina Harmon's murder. Buell had a history of sexual violence. In 1983, he committed rape and torture against a woman who managed to escape and report him to the police. This led to his arrest. He also raped another woman before pleading no contest to multiple charges, receiving a 121-year prison sentence.

Buell was sentenced to death on April 11, 1984, for the murder of Krista Harrison. After many years on death row, he was executed by lethal injection on September 25, 2002. He maintained his innocence regarding Krista's murder until his death.