Wilbert Lee Evans was born on January 20, 1946, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was one of six children in his family. His mother passed away when he was six years old, and his father, a funeral home director, died of a heart attack in March 1990, just months before Evans's execution. Evans had only an elementary school education but taught himself to read and write while on death row by studying court opinions and legal materials.

At the age of 18, Evans committed a burglary at a gas station, during which he seriously injured a person. In another incident, he took three members of a prison disciplinary committee hostage at knifepoint. At the time of Deputy Truesdale's murder, Evans was facing charges in North Carolina for assault and robbery. He had been temporarily transported to Alexandria, Virginia, to testify in an extradition hearing for another inmate.

On January 27, 1981, while being escorted back to the Alexandria City Jail after testifying in court, Evans overpowered Deputy Sheriff William Gene Truesdale, seized his service revolver, and shot him in the chest. Evans then attempted to shoot off his handcuffs and fled the scene. He was apprehended approximately 30 minutes later after shooting himself in the stomach in a failed suicide attempt. Deputy Truesdale succumbed to his injuries during surgery the following day.

Evans was convicted of capital murder on April 18, 1981, and sentenced to death. His trial and sentencing were marred by prosecutorial misconduct, including the presentation of falsified prior convictions to the jury to establish future dangerousness. Despite these issues, a resentencing in 1984 reaffirmed the death penalty.

While on death row, Evans was involved in thwarting a 1984 escape attempt at Mecklenburg Correctional Center, during which he protected prison staff from harm. This act led to appeals for clemency, arguing that Evans no longer posed a threat to society. However, these appeals were ultimately denied.

Evans was executed by electrocution on October 17, 1990. Witnesses reported that the execution was botched, with blood streaming from his facial orifices during the process. Despite official statements claiming the electric chair functioned properly, the incident was widely regarded as one of Virginia's most gruesome executions.