Winston Salazar grew up in Miami with his mother, after his father walked out on them. His mother was forced to work several jobs to make ends meet, because Winston's wealthy father severed all monetary ties when he abandoned them. When he was twelve, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and subsequently died ten months later. In high school Winston showed great promise as a student, however having now spent several years in the foster care system he decided to run away the morning of his high school graduation. He ended up in the Greater Baltimore area, and amassed a rap sheet of offenses ranging from burglary to grand theft auto. In 2006, Winston was convicted of armed robbery, which caused his father to sever any weak ties that remained.