Troy Graves was born on May 4, 1972, and lived in Pennsylvania before becoming known as one of the most feared predators in Philadelphia in the late 1990s. He served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at several locations before settling in the city. Outwardly, Graves appeared stable—he was married and worked jobs that helped him blend in. However, beneath the surface, he was living a double life as a serial rapist, terrorizing women across the Philadelphia area. Between 1997 and 1999, he carried out a string of brutal rapes, often breaking into homes late at night.

During his series of attacks in Philadelphia, Graves committed murder on May 7, 1998, when he broke into the apartment of 23-year-old Shannon Schieber, a University of Pennsylvania student. He raped and strangled her to death. The case shocked the community and sparked outrage when it was revealed that police failed to respond quickly enough to a 911 call placed by neighbors who heard her screams. Though her death remained unsolved for years, it was later linked to the same pattern as other "Center City Rapist" assaults.

After moving to Fort Collins, Colorado in 2000, Graves resumed his attacks, raping several more women. Police in both cities noticed striking similarities in the crimes and worked together. DNA and fingerprint evidence finally tied Graves to both the Philadelphia and Colorado assaults. He was arrested in April 2002 and, within five weeks, pleaded guilty to 13 rapes, 1 murder, and multiple burglary and assault charges. Graves is currently serving multiple life sentences without parole at the Sterling Correctional Facility in Colorado.