Theodore Edward Coneys was born on November 10, 1882, in Petersburg, Illinois. His father was Thomas H. Coneys, a Canadian immigrant who owned a hardware store. Theodore's mother was Isabella Elam. When Theodore was only six years old, his father died in 1888. After his father's death, Isabella and Theodore moved to a farm near Beloit, Wisconsin. Later, in 1907, they relocated to Denver, Colorado, where Isabella worked as a housekeeper at the Denver Democratic Club. She passed away in 1911.

As a child, Theodore Coneys faced health problems. Doctors had warned him that he might not live to see his 18th birthday, which made finishing high school difficult for him. As an adult, he found work as a bookkeeper at Denver Brass Works, and he was involved in advertising and sales. Despite having jobs, he spent much of his adult life homeless.

In September 1941, Theodore Coneys broke into Philip Peters' home in Denver, Colorado. He intended to steal food and money. After breaking in, Coneys found a small trapdoor in the ceiling of a closet. He decided to live in the attic without Peters knowing. For about five weeks, Coneys stayed hidden in the attic.

On October 17, 1941, Peters discovered Coneys getting food from the refrigerator. Peters attacked Coneys with a cane, but Coneys hit him with an old pistol he found in the house. When the gun broke, Coneys continued to hit Peters with an iron stove shaker until Peters was dead. After the murder, Coneys returned to the attic.

Later that same day, Peters' body was found after a neighbor called the police, worried that he had not come for dinner. The police arrived to find the house locked with no signs of forced entry. They noticed the trapdoor but thought it was too small for a regular person to fit through. Peters' wife, who had been in the hospital, returned home later with a housekeeper. Both women heard strange noises and felt uneasy. The housekeeper quit, believing the house was haunted, and Mrs. Peters moved away.

Coneys continued to live in the attic, while the strange lights and noises in the house sparked local stories. On July 30, 1942, a police officer heard a noise and ran upstairs. He caught Coneys trying to go through the trapdoor. Coneys was arrested and later confessed to the murder.

He was tried and sentenced to life in prison at the Colorado State Penitentiary. Theodore Coneys died on May 16, 1967, at 84 years old, while still in prison. He was buried at Mountain Vale Cemetery in Cañon City, Colorado.