Sante Kimes was born Sandra Louise Singhrs on July 24, 1934, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was the third of four children in her family. Her mother, Mary Van Horn, was from Illinois, and her father, Prama Mahendra Singhrs, was an East Indian immigrant. When Sante was just three years old, her father abandoned the family. Afterward, her mother had to resort to prostitution to support them. This created a challenging environment for Sante, leading to her being molested by several adults in her early years.

Sante's childhood was marked by troubling behavior. According to her estranged sister, Sante had an inappropriate relationship with her older brother. She also displayed violent tendencies, such as torturing animals. She would tie up goats and dogs on her family’s farm and use hatpins to hurt them. Additionally, she often showcased pyromaniac behavior, holding lit matches under her sister's fingers against her will.

As a teenager, Sante moved with her mother and sister to Los Angeles, California. Shortly after, she was adopted by a couple named Edwin and Mary Chambers, who also adopted another boy. Sante’s new family moved to Carson City, Nevada, where she attended school and graduated from Carson High School in 1952. She became known as a bully who intimidated younger students.

In 1956, she met a former high school boyfriend named Edward Walker. They got married in 1957 and had a son named Kent Walker. Sante’s relationship with Edward was rocky. After a conviction for shoplifting in 1961, they separated and reconciled multiple times before finally divorcing in 1969. During their marriage, Sante was involved in several questionable activities, including setting fire to one of Edward’s homes to collect insurance money.

After her first divorce, Sante moved to Palm Springs with her son. There, in 1971, she met Kenneth Kimes Sr., a motel tycoon, who was seventeen years her senior. They married on April 5, 1981. The couple had a son, Kenneth Kimes Jr., born in 1975. Throughout her life, Sante was known for deceiving others to gain money and property, often using elaborate schemes involving fraud and arson. She faced various legal challenges during her lifetime, including a conviction for violating federal anti-slavery laws in 1985.

On September 18, 1990, Sante Kimes hired lawyer Elmer Holmgren to assist in burning down her Honolulu home. The house had a significant lien on it. Holmgren later admitted to involvement in the arson. On October 24, Sante set fire to Holmgren's office to destroy incriminating evidence. Holmgren disappeared on August 2, 1991, during a trip to Costa Rica with Sante and her husband. His body was never found. In November 2000, Kenneth Jr. confessed that his mother had told him she killed Holmgren by hitting him with a hammer.

On September 4, 1996, Kenneth Jr. confessed to the murder of banker Syed Bilal Ahmed in Nassau, Bahamas. He claimed that Sante ordered him to help drug Ahmed, drown him in a bathtub, and dispose of his body at sea. No charges were ever filed in this case.

David Kazdin was another victim. Sante had forged his signature on a loan document. When Kazdin discovered the forgery and threatened to report her, Sante ordered Kenneth Jr. to kill him. On March 9, 1998, Kenneth Jr. shot Kazdin in the back of the head in his Los Angeles home. After the murder, the family disposed of the body, which was later found in a dumpster near Los Angeles International Airport. The murder weapon was never recovered.

In the summer of 1998, 82-year-old Irene Silverman went missing from her New York City townhouse. Kenneth Jr. was living in one of her apartments under a false identity at the time. On the day Silverman disappeared, authorities arrested Sante and Kenneth Jr. due to earlier fraudulent activity. In December 1998, they were charged with her murder. Evidence suggested that Sante planned to take over Silverman's mansion. During his trial for Kazdin's murder, Kenneth Jr. confessed that Sante used a stun gun on Silverman, and he subsequently strangled her and dumped her body in New Jersey.

The investigation into the Kimeses began when Kazdin's remains were discovered in March 1998. The FBI and LAPD uncovered various fraudulent activities linking Sante and Kenneth Jr. to several victims. They were arrested on July 5, 1998, after a tip-off regarding a fraudulent townhouse transaction.

During their trial for Silverman's murder, no body was ever recovered, yet the jury convicted them of 118 charges, including murder and robbery. Sante and Kenneth Jr. received lengthy prison sentences. Kenneth Jr. later changed his plea in the Kazdin murder case and testified against his mother, detailing their crimes. Sante continued to deny her involvement and died in prison on May 19, 2014. Kenneth Jr. remains incarcerated.