Willie Jasper Darden Jr. was born on June 1, 1933, in Greene County, North Carolina. He grew up in poverty; his father worked as an auto mechanic, and his mother passed away when he was just two years old. Due to financial hardships, Darden couldn't attend school regularly and eventually dropped out after completing the eighth grade. As a teenager, he began engaging in criminal activities, starting with stealing from a mailbox. At 16, he was sent to a juvenile detention facility. Over the years, Darden was in and out of prison for various offenses, including assault, forgery, theft, and attempted rape. At the time of the 1973 murder, he was on furlough from a 20-year sentence for attempting to rape a 70-year-old woman in 1968.

On September 8, 1973, around 6:00 to 6:30 p.m., a robbery occurred at Carl's Furniture Store in Lakeland, Florida. During the robbery, the store owner, James Carl Turman, was shot and killed, and his 16-year-old neighbor, Phillip Arnold, was also shot but survived. The assailant attempted to rape Turman's wife before fleeing the scene. Later that day, Darden was arrested for a traffic violation. While in custody, investigators linked him to the furniture store robbery and murder. He was charged with first-degree murder and robbery.

Darden's trial began in January 1974. He was tried by an all-white jury, as black individuals were intentionally excluded from the jury pool—a practice later deemed unconstitutional. The prosecutor made racially charged remarks during the trial, referring to Darden as an "animal" who needed to be "chained up." Three witnesses identified Darden as the perpetrator, but none had been asked to identify him in a police lineup. Darden's defense attorneys did not challenge the eyewitnesses or present alibi witnesses who could have testified on his behalf.

Despite the questionable evidence and trial procedures, Darden was convicted on January 23, 1974, and sentenced to death. He spent 14 years on death row, during which time his case attracted international attention and protests. Notable figures, including Pope John Paul II and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, advocated for clemency, citing concerns about racial bias and the fairness of his trial. Darden received six stays of execution over the years. However, on March 15, 1988, he was executed in Florida's electric chair at the age of 54.