William Darrell Lindsey was born William Armstrong Jr. on March 18, 1935, in Palatka, Florida. He was the only child of William, who worked as a roofer, and Mabel Armstrong, a homemaker. Tragically, when Lindsey was just five months old, he was in a car accident with his parents. The car swerved off the road and crashed, leading to the deaths of both his parents on impact. Lindsey was found wedged between the front and back seats of the car but only had minor scratches and bruises.

After the accident, Lindsey was adopted by a couple from St. Augustine, Florida. Their names were Cecil and Olean Lindsey. They had recently lost their infant son and chose to adopt William. In addition to him, they had three other children: two older daughters and a son. Cecil was a well-liked man who worked many jobs, enjoying his role as an actor in local performances. Olean, on the other hand, was a nurse and practiced strict and abusive discipline in the household. She was very religious and considered normal childhood behavior as sinful. Olean often punished the children in harsh ways, including using frying pans and leather straps. Cecil did not interfere much and allowed Olean to control the household.

Growing up, William was known for troubling behaviors. He tormented several cats and even killed one. He also set fire to a hut built by neighborhood boys. At school, he struggled academically and was labeled a C-grade student. He had been held back multiple times and graduated high school at the age of 21. Lindsey was small and meek, which made him a target for bullies among his classmates. He lacked close friends and did not join any clubs or activities, but he did have a job as a busboy at a local restaurant.

William Darrell Lindsey was linked to several murders occurring between 1983 and 1996. His first recognized victim was Lisa Foley, who was last seen with him at a bar on October 9, 1983. Her body was discovered days later in a marshy area. Lindsey later confessed to strangling her during an argument after a sexual encounter.

Next, Anita McQuaig Stevens was found dead on November 29, 1988. She was killed with a wooden plank. Lindsey's connection to her murder, along with others, came to light after he was arrested in connection with another murder.

On June 10, 1989, Constance Marie "Connie" Terrell was shot in the head with a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle. Following this, Lashawna Streeter became another victim on March 1, 1992, after a beating that resulted in her death.

In April 1993, Donetha Snead-Haile was reported missing, and her case was linked to Lindsey, but the details of her murder remain unclear. Cheryl Denise "Niecey" Lucas was found dead in mid-June 1995, bludgeoned with a metal nail bar. Diana Richardson was killed on October 12, 1995, also through beating.

Lindsey was arrested after the murder of Lucy Raymer in December 1996. A taxi driver saw Raymer entering Lindsey's trailer on the night she was killed. This led detectives to explore his past cases, connecting him to the earlier murders in Florida. He ultimately confessed to several of them.

In 1999, Lindsey pleaded guilty to a total of six murders. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He died of cancer on April 17, 2001, while he was incarcerated at the Marion Correctional Institute in Ocala, Florida.