Trent Christopher Benson was born on October 7, 1971, in South Korea. Abandoned at age 3, he was left to fend for himself on the streets until he was taken in by an orphanage. He was later adopted by David and Elizabeth Benson, an American couple from Fosston, Minnesota, who had already adopted several children. The Bensons were known as kind, caring parents who raised their children in a loving home.

Benson grew up in a structured environment and became well known in his community. At Fosston High School, he excelled in athletics—particularly swimming and track—and participated in the school choir. He was described as likable and outgoing, but some classmates later recalled subtle signs of controlling or inappropriate behavior, especially in his interactions with women.

After high school, Benson attended Minnesota State University Moorhead from 1990 to 1992. During that period, he was arrested for shoplifting from a department store in Fargo, North Dakota, though it is unclear whether he served time. Despite this minor legal blemish, Benson was not seen as a threat.

In 1996, he relocated to Mesa, Arizona, where he worked as a used car salesman and married Merchelle Tohonnie, with whom he had a son. The marriage later dissolved, with Benson blaming Tohonnie’s supposed alcoholism. In 2000, with financial help from his parents, he moved into a Mesa condominium in a wealthy area. There, Benson became known as a model citizen, often attending neighborhood meetings and operating a small business—Lindsay Water and Ice, selling drinks and snacks in a strip mall. His neighbors viewed him as courteous and successful. Behind this façade, however, he was living a double life.

On November 1, 2004, Trent Christopher Benson left a strip club and picked up Alisa Marie Beck, a 21-year-old woman. After having a sexual encounter, he became angry when Beck criticized him. In his rage, he hit her head on the steering wheel and choked her until she passed out. He then abandoned her partially-clothed body in an alley just a mile from his home. Later that day, Beck's body was discovered.

On August 16, 2007, Benson kidnapped a 47-year-old Hispanic woman from a busy intersection. He forced her into his car and took her to an empty house. There, he stripped her of her clothes and raped her. After the attack, the woman was able to catch a taxi home and reported the assault to the police.

On October 14, 2007, Benson approached Karen Jane Campbell, a 44-year-old woman, on the street. After negotiating a price for sex, he became upset when she asked for more money. In a fit of anger, he murdered her and left her body on a side street. In his haste to leave, he accidentally ran over her body. Ten days later, her nude body was found, but investigators could not determine the cause of her death.

Benson's final known attack occurred on November 4, 2007. He abducted a 35-year-old woman from Phoenix and took her to an abandoned house, where he raped and assaulted her. Fortunately, this victim survived and was later found by someone passing by.

Initially, law enforcement did not connect these crimes, but DNA evidence eventually linked them all to Benson. The investigation started as officers watched him due to past arrests for soliciting prostitutes. On May 14, 2008, police collected a used cigarette and matched its DNA to the one from the crime scenes, leading to his arrest. He faced charges for two counts of murder, sexual assault, and kidnapping.

Benson's arrest shocked his community and his family, who believed he was incapable of such crimes. After his arrest, police suspected he might be involved in more assaults, including the 2007 murder of another woman, Elisa Dewakuku.

During interrogations, Benson admitted to sexual encounters with the murdered women but claimed he could not remember the events after that. Authorities suggested he may have had an accomplice, but this person was never found.

Benson's trial began three years later. He pleaded not guilty to all charges but was ultimately found guilty. The jury did not find any reasons to lessen his punishment and recommended a death sentence for the murders. He was later sentenced to death and received an additional 135 years for the sexual assaults. As of April 2022, he remains on death row in Arizona.