Russell Ellwood was born in 1946 in Massillon, Ohio. He lived a transient lifestyle marked by heavy drug use, petty crimes, and unstable employment. After high school, he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he drifted from job to job, mostly working as a taxi driver and freelance photographer. Ellwood was known for his drug addiction, especially heroin, crack cocaine, and LSD. He never married, had no permanent home, and became familiar with the city’s street life, particularly the sex trade and drug underworld. His criminal record spanned from the late 1960s to the 1990s, primarily for drug offenses. Despite his troubled life, he maintained a meticulous personal log of his daily whereabouts, which later played a role in his defense.

By the 1990s, Ellwood had developed a reputation for being a loner who associated with prostitutes, often exploiting their vulnerability in exchange for drugs. He frequented high-crime areas and became a familiar face among marginalized communities. Several women later testified that Ellwood had assaulted and attempted to strangle them, but none reported the attacks at the time due to fear or their own criminal histories.

Between 1991 and 1996, a wave of murders targeting Black women and transgender sex workers plagued New Orleans and surrounding parishes. The victims, many of whom were strangled and dumped in swamps and canals, were often found weeks or months later in severely decomposed states. At least 26 victims have been linked to the suspected serial killer known as the “Storyville Slayer.”

Russell Ellwood first came under suspicion in 1994 when police found him parked near the scene where two victims' bodies had previously been discovered. When questioned, he was partially undressed and offered a suspicious excuse about car repairs, which did not match the tools he had with him. This encounter put him on the radar of a multi-agency task force.

In 1997, detectives interviewed Ellwood in Sebring, Florida, where he was staying with his father. He admitted to having drug-fueled sex with many Black women, some of whom were sex workers. He also discussed bizarre dreams about murders and claimed knowledge of the locations where several bodies were found, though he denied being involved. Days later, he was arrested for purchasing cocaine and jailed in Florida.

While incarcerated, Ellwood reportedly confessed to fellow inmates about killing women by giving them drugs, strangling them, and dumping their bodies. These statements became key evidence in his trial. He also made incriminating comments during a jail altercation and allegedly boasted of being responsible for 60 murders in Louisiana.

Ellwood was eventually charged with the murder of Cheryl Lewis, a known sex worker found strangled in 1993. During his trial in 1999, multiple sex workers and acquaintances testified against him, sharing stories of violent encounters. The jury found him guilty of Lewis’ murder, and although charges related to the second victim, Delores Mack, were dropped, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Despite his conviction, Ellwood remained the prime suspect in many of the Storyville Slayer cases. However, due to a lack of concrete forensic evidence, he was never charged in the additional murders. He died in Angola State Prison in 2014, and most of the Storyville Slayer killings remain officially unsolved.