Romell Broom was born on June 4, 1956, in Muskegon, Michigan. When he was five years old, he moved to Ohio with his mother. 

Romell Broom's criminal activity escalated in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1974, he participated in a armed robbery where he and another person forced a man out of his car. In January 1975, Broom raped a 12-year-old girl who was babysitting. He was also involved in another armed robbery that March. He faced charges for these crimes and was eventually sentenced to 7 to 25 years in prison. He was paroled in May 1984.

In the fall of 1984, Broom attempted to abduct a 12-year-old girl, but he was stopped by neighbors. On September 21, he successfully abducted and murdered 14-year-old Tryna Middleton, along with committing sexual violence against her. Just a few months later, in December, Broom assaulted and tried to abduct 11-year-old Melinda Grissom. Grissom’s mother intervened, which allowed her daughter to escape. Broom was arrested that same day after witnesses provided a description of his vehicle.

Broom was charged with several serious crimes, including aggravated murder. His plea deal for a lighter sentence was rejected, and he was convicted and sentenced to death. He later sought DNA testing to clear his name, but the results did not prove his innocence.

In September 2009, Broom was scheduled to be executed. However, this attempt was halted when executioners could not find a suitable vein to administer the lethal injection. This led to legal arguments about the constitutionality of executing him after a failed attempt. Over the next decade, appeals and execution dates were set and delayed multiple times.

Broom ultimately never faced another execution as he died from suspected COVID-19 complications on December 28, 2020, while still in prison.