Thomas Whisenhant was born on January 29, 1947, in the small town of Prichard, Alabama. His childhood was far from normal, marked by a series of difficult and troubling events. Thomas's mother had a history of mental illness, which created an unstable home environment. This instability was further compounded by his father’s absence, as he was often away working long hours. Thomas felt lonely and neglected, which deeply affected him.

During his school years, Thomas struggled academically and socially. He was frequently bullied by his classmates, which made him feel even more isolated. He sought comfort in books and found a temporary escape from his harsh reality. However, this was not enough to counterbalance the problems he faced at home. As a teenager, Thomas started to exhibit troubling behaviors. He began to withdraw from those around him, and his actions became more erratic and unpredictable.

By the time Thomas reached adulthood, his early life experiences had left a lasting impact. The combination of a turbulent home life and the trauma from his school years shaped his troubled mindset. Without the necessary support or guidance, Thomas's issues only grew worse, setting the stage for the dark path he would eventually take. His early years were a precursor to the disturbing and violent behavior that would later define his life.

On May 6, 1963, 72-year-old widow Lexie Haynes was shot and killed in Prichard. The police found the murder weapon in an empty lot near Thomas Whisenhant's home. At 16, Whisenhant was already in trouble, recently charged with robbing a blind woman. Despite this, his family gave him an alibi, saying he was home at the time of the shooting. Witnesses reported seeing Whisenhant playing with a stolen gun and even heard him claim a bullet would soon kill someone. Haynes had spoken to him about this behavior, which made the police suspect him even more. Surprisingly, he was never tried for Haynes' murder.

After the shooting, Whisenhant joined the Air Force and was stationed in Colorado. On October 25, 1965, he attacked Rose Covington, a 22-year-old Air Force member. He beat her with a metal ashtray, leaving her with severe injuries. Despite denying the attack, evidence linked him to the crime, and he was convicted of assault with intent to murder in 1966. Whisenhant was sentenced to 20 years in prison but served only about seven before being paroled in 1973.

Whisenhant's violent spree continued after his release. On November 21, 1975, he murdered Patricia Hitt, a convenience store worker in Mobile County, Alabama. He beat and shot her, but initially, two other men were arrested for the crime. In April 1976, he kidnapped and murdered Venora Hyatt, another convenience store clerk. He killed her and then mutilated her body the next day. Later that year, on October 16, Whisenhant kidnapped Cheryl Lynn Payton, raped her, and shot her in the head. He returned to the crime scene the next day to further mutilate her body. Whisenhant was eventually captured near the crime scene and confessed to all his crimes during interrogation.

His trial for Payton's murder was moved to Birmingham due to local publicity. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1977. Despite many appeals and a retrial in 1981, his death sentence was upheld. After spending over three decades on death row, Whisenhant was executed by lethal injection on May 27, 2010. He declined to make a final statement and spent more time on death row than any other prisoner in Alabama at that time.