Thomas David Carr was born on March 6, 1846, into a large family in Sugar Hill, Virginia. He was the fourth son among five boys and three girls. His father, William Carr, was known for being abusive towards his children. This harsh treatment affected Thomas during his formative years.

When Thomas was three years old, his family began moving frequently around West Virginia. They lived in various places, including Woods' Run, Fulton, Centre Wheeling, and finally settled in North Wheeling. Throughout his childhood, Thomas displayed troublesome behavior. He often got into fights with other children on the streets.

As he grew older, Thomas formed negative associations and began working various jobs. He took on tasks for river men, worked in brickyards, and was involved with colliers. In 1854, at the age of eight, he was sent to prison for reasons that are not clear. While in prison, he claimed to have befriended John H. Burns and Oscar Myers, who were involved in the murder of a woman named Mary Montonie. He later tried to slip poison to Burns, who he said was too afraid to use it.

After his time in prison, Thomas’s family moved again, this time to Belmont County, Ohio. At age 16, he enlisted in the 16th Ohio Infantry and served for three months in West Virginia. He then joined the 18th Ohio Infantry for three years. Carr’s military experience was marked by trouble, as he was often arrested for misconduct. He was even sentenced to death twice due to violations of military rules. On one occasion, he had to dig his own grave as a punishment. President Abraham Lincoln took pity on him and pardoned him.

Thomas David Carr committed numerous murders during his life, starting with a civilian he shot near Virginia's Greenleaf Mountain. This murder occurred when Carr wandered away from his regiment to drink. When a local citizen confronted him, Carr shot the man in the left breast, resulting in the man's death the following day.

In a different incident while imprisoned in Columbia, South Carolina, Carr participated in the murder of Edward Berringer. Along with two other soldiers, they strangled Berringer because he was trying to join the Confederate Army. After this, Carr continued his military service, rejoining the 18th Ohio Infantry. He confessed to killing two rebel soldiers in Mississippi, one during picket duty.

While stationed with the 4th Ohio Infantry, Carr shot at a prostitute named Annie Whalen in Clarksburg. During battles, he stated he killed and robbed two men and shot a guard from the 84th Ohio Infantry after the soldier tried to escape. Carr also claimed involvement in a gang murder involving a sutler's shop raid, where the shop owner was killed.

In another shocking act, Carr and a group of soldiers found a Federal soldier hanged in a cellar. They burned the planter's house where he was found, and one soldier raped and tortured a girl before leaving her for dead. Although Carr later denounced that crime, he did not escape more violence, as he had shot a man attempting to break into a house while guarding.

Later in Baltimore, Carr killed a streetcar conductor after nearly severing his ear, then stabbed another man, causing his death. This occurred after an altercation about paying his fare. In Newark, Ohio, he threw a bottle at a man, splitting his skull open, and escaped arrest by jumping onto a passing train.

After returning to Wheeling, Carr was involved in the murder of Aloys Ulrich. He and a traveler named Joseph Eisele killed Ulrich with a hatchet and a rock, then took his money. Carr felt uneasy about the murder but did not confess until much later.

His final and most notorious crime was the murder of 13-year-old Louiza Catharine Fox. Carr became obsessed with her, and after being rebuffed, he decided to kill her. He stole a razor and lured her away from her home. In a secluded area, he brutally slashed her neck with the razor, leaving her for dead.

Following Louiza's murder, Carr tried to escape but was pursued by her family. He attempted to acquire a gun to kill others but ultimately hid nearby. He then attempted suicide multiple times afterward. Carr was eventually caught and put on trial.

In June 1869, he was found guilty of Louiza's murder and sentenced to death. Carr attempted to take his own life again while waiting for execution. On the day he was executed in 1870, he expressed remorse for his actions but attributed his behavior to drinking. He was hanged, and after his death, his body was buried in a local pauper's lot. His execution marked the first legal execution in Belmont County. Although Carr confessed to many murders, doubts remain about the validity of his confessions regarding those additional crimes.