Terry Anthony Blair was born on September 16, 1961, in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the fourth eldest of ten siblings. His mother, Janice, struggled with mental illness and did not finish school beyond the ninth grade. Growing up in a large family with many siblings shaped his early life.

Blair had two sons and two grandsons. His family had a history of legal troubles that were often serious. His mother had a significant incident in her past when she shot and killed her common-law husband on August 16, 1978. She entered an Alford plea for second-degree murder and was given five years of probation, along with requirements for counseling and psychiatric treatment.

Conflicts and violence marked the lives of several of Blair's family members. For example, his brother, Walter Blair Jr., was accused of killing a teenager during a robbery. Although he faced severe charges, the case was dropped due to witness issues. Later, Walter was convicted of murdering a 21-year-old woman and was executed in 1993.

Blair's sister, Warnetta, also had legal troubles. She was involved in a murder case in which she agreed to testify against her husband, but laws prevented her from doing so. In another case, Warnetta ended up pleading guilty to second-degree murder for killing her boyfriend in 1989.

Another brother, Clifford Miller, was convicted of multiple serious charges, including abduction and assault. He received a lengthy sentence that included two life terms for his crimes. Another brother, Daniel, also faced drug charges and served time in prison.

In 1982, Terry Blair was found guilty of killing Angela Monroe, who was pregnant at the time and the mother of two of Blair's children. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison but was released on parole after serving 21 years.

Between 2003 and 2004, several women were found dead in Kansas City. The police were alerted to these murders on September 2, 2004, when a neighbor discovered two bodies in the garage of an abandoned home. The following days included anonymous calls to 911, where a man claimed responsibility for the killings and provided locations for additional victims.

An investigation linked Blair to the murders. He was on parole for Monroe's murder and matched descriptions given by women who survived attacks. Although investigators could not connect him directly to the 911 calls made from a stolen phone, cell tower data placed the calls near his home.

Blair was arrested on a parole violation before facing murder charges. He was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, and three counts of forcible rape in October 2004. Some charges were later dropped, including those for additional murders and assaults.

The trial began, with evidence primarily circumstantial. Blair's DNA was found on one victim. While his defense argued this only proved a sexual encounter, the prosecution suggested it indicated he was the last person to see her alive. Linguistic evidence connected him to the 911 calls.

On March 27, 2008, Blair was found guilty of six counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to six life sentences without the possibility of parole. He maintained his innocence regarding the crimes until his death. Blair died on May 11, 2024, while in prison.