Ahmad Suradji was born on January 10, 1949, in Pasar Rongkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia. He grew up in a rural area and spent his childhood in a simple environment. As a young man, he worked hard and learned the ways of farming and raising animals.

As he got older, Suradji moved to Medan, which is the capital and largest city in North Sumatra. In Medan, he became a cattle breeder and also worked as a dukun. A dukun is a type of shaman or healer in Indonesian culture. Many people visited him for advice on personal matters or for help with spiritual issues. He was known for providing guidance to women who wanted to improve their lives or beauty.

In 1986, Suradji experienced a significant event in his life. He claimed that his father, who had passed away, visited him in a dream. In this dream, his father instructed him to engage in a ritual that involved killing women. This dream greatly influenced his beliefs and actions in the years that followed. Suradji believed he could gain special powers through these rituals.

On April 24, 1997, a 21-year-old woman named Sri Kemala Dewi asked a rickshaw puller to take her to Ahmad Suradji's house. She told him to keep it a secret and never arranged for a pick-up afterward. Three days later, her naked and decomposing body was discovered in a sugarcane field by a man. The area was later searched by a group who then called the police. The rickshaw puller reported dropping Dewi off at Suradji's home, prompting police to question him.

Suradji initially denied involvement in her death. However, police found Dewi's handbag, dress, and bracelet in his home. He was arrested on April 30, 1997. Under interrogation, Suradji confessed to Dewi's murder and mentioned that he had killed up to 42 girls in a similar manner. Authorities then excavated the sugarcane field where Dewi's body was found. They exhumed 42 bodies, many of which were too decomposed to identify.

Suradji explained that he had a dream in 1986 where his father's ghost told him to drink the saliva of 72 dead women to become a mystic healer. Believing it would take too long to find 72 women who died naturally, he chose to kill instead. He had many women visiting him for spiritual guidance or charms. After luring them to the sugarcane field, Suradji buried them up to their waists, claiming it was a ritual. He then strangled the women, drank their saliva, stripped their clothes to speed up decomposition, and buried them completely with their heads pointing toward his home.

The trial started on December 11, 1997, with a lengthy charge against Suradji. He maintained his innocence. His three wives, all sisters, were also arrested for helping in the murders. Tumini, one of the wives, was tried as an accomplice. Suradji was found guilty on April 27, 1998, and sentenced to death by firing squad. The courtroom erupted in cheers when the verdict was read. Tumini initially received the same sentence, but her punishment was later reduced to life in prison.

Suradji was executed by firing squad on July 10, 2008, after a death warrant was issued the week before.