Tiffany Ann Cole was born on December 3, 1981, in South Carolina, United States. Not much is publicly known about her early family life or childhood. She grew up in a family that had connections with another family, the Sumners, who lived in South Carolina as well. The Sumners included Carol and Reggie, who were a couple and later became prominently connected to Cole's life.

As time went on, the Sumners moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in March 2005. They sold a car to Cole during this transition. Cole agreed to make monthly payments for the vehicle and would often drive to Jacksonville with her friends. 

In June 2005, Tiffany Ann Cole and her boyfriend, Michael James Jackson, went to Jacksonville, Florida. During their visit, Jackson talked to Cole about a plan to rob a couple named Carol and Reggie Sumner. The couple allowed Cole and Jackson to stay at their home, which made them familiar with the Sumners.

In early July 2005, Cole, Jackson, and two other men, Alan Wade and Bruce Nixon, drove to the Sumners' house. Wade and Nixon went to the front door and asked to use the phone. After the Sumners let them in, Nixon threatened them with a fake gun. Wade had duct tape and bound, gagged, and blindfolded Carol and Reggie.

The group looked for financial documents in the Sumners' home. They called Jackson for help with getting information about ATM access. While searching, they took the Sumners' coins, mail, bank records, and jewelry. With the Sumners still tied up, they put them in the trunk of their own car.

Wade and Nixon drove the Sumners' car to Georgia. Cole and Jackson followed in another vehicle. They reached a remote area where they had dug a grave for the Sumners two days before. After arriving at the gravesite, Jackson likely recorded the couple's PIN numbers, which they told him. He wrote this down on a yellow notepad. The Sumners were then placed into the grave while still alive. Wade and Jackson covered the grave with dirt, leaving them buried.

After the crime, Cole pawned some of the stolen jewelry and used the Sumners' ATM card to withdraw cash. Law enforcement eventually tracked the group through the use of the ATM card back to a hotel in South Carolina. They were arrested there. After being apprehended, Nixon took the police to the grave where the Sumners were buried.

At Cole's trial in October 2007, the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder after a brief deliberation. They recommended the death penalty with a 9-3 vote. In early 2008, Cole received two death sentences for the murders, along with a life sentence for the kidnappings. She was one of three women on death row in Florida.

In 2017, the Florida Supreme Court ordered new hearings for Cole. This was due to a change in the law that required unanimous jury recommendations for the death penalty. In 2023, after a new sentencing, Cole was given life imprisonment. A jury voted 10-2 to spare her from the death penalty.