Alexander Yuryevich Pichushkin was born on April 9, 1974, in Mytishchi, a town near Moscow. He lived with his mother, Natalia Elmouradovna, in a small two-bedroom apartment on Khersonskaya Street in Moscow. His family also included his younger half-sister, her husband, and their son. Their home was a short walk from Bitsa Park, where Pichushkin would later spend a lot of time.

As a child, Pichushkin was friendly and sociable. This changed after he had a serious accident when he fell off a swing. The swing hit him in the forehead, and many experts believe this incident caused damage to his brain. This damage led to increased aggression and poor control over his impulses. After the accident, he started to act out and became hostile.

Because of his behavior, Pichushkin's mother decided to move him to a school for children with learning disabilities. Before this change, he faced bullying from classmates at his old school, who called him names. This bullying added to his anger and frustration. Later, his grandfather noticed that Pichushkin was very intelligent. He thought that Pichushkin's talents were not being used properly at school, where the focus was more on overcoming challenges than on achieving goals.

Pichushkin moved in with his grandfather, who encouraged him to explore his interests outside of school. He became very interested in chess, which became an important part of his life. He learned to play and quickly showed a talent for the game. He played exhibition matches against older men in Bitsa Park. Chess provided him an outlet for his aggressive feelings, as he often won against his opponents.

Unfortunately, Pichushkin continued to face bullying even after he moved in with his grandfather. His life took another hard turn when his grandfather died during his adolescence. This loss greatly affected him, and he moved back in with his mother. Following this change, he began to drink a lot of vodka to cope with the pain and calm his anger.

He still played chess in Bitsa Park, but now he joined many older men who also drank vodka. Unbeknownst to others, he began a disturbing hobby. Whenever he interacted with children, he would bring a video camera along and threaten them, gaining a sense of power through these actions. 

On July 27, 1992, Alexander Pichushkin committed his first murder at the age of 18. He met his classmate, Mikhail Odïtchuk, in Bitsa Park. Pichushkin wanted to plan a series of killings, but Odïtchuk changed his mind. Feeling rejected, Pichushkin strangled him and disposed of his body in a sewer entrance. The body was never found. The police investigated after Odïtchuk disappeared, and they arrested Pichushkin on July 30. He claimed he left his classmate unharmed, but he was released due to lack of evidence.

Pichushkin killed again in May 2001 after a years-long pause. On May 17, he was playing chess with Yevgeny Pronin in Bitsa Park. After the game, he lured Pronin to a secluded area, claimed it was to remember his deceased dog, and struck him with a bottle. He then disposed of Pronin's body in a well. Between May 2001 and September 2005, he murdered thirty-six victims, primarily targeting elderly homeless people. He would offer them vodka and then attack them, often using a hammer or a bottle. Sometimes, he pushed them into sewage canals to drown.

From October 2005 to June 2006, his methods changed. He typically used a hammer to strike his victims on the head and would shove a vodka bottle into the resulting wound. Many of his victims lived near Pichushkin's residence. On June 14, 2006, he killed 36-year-old Marina Moskalyova after inviting her for a walk. Her body was found in Bitsa Park, and evidence connected Pichushkin to her murder.

After his arrest on June 16, 2006, Pichushkin was taken to the police. He led officers to various crime scenes and described details about the murders. He claimed that killing gave him a sense of power. He was convicted on October 24, 2007, of forty-nine murders and three attempted murders. Pichushkin requested to add more victims, stating he had killed a total of sixty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the first fifteen years in solitary confinement. He appealed his sentence, claiming it was too harsh. As of 2017, he was held at a prison in the Arctic region of Russia.