Artyom Alexandrovich Anoufriev was born on October 4, 1992, in Irkutsk, Russia. He grew up in a challenging environment, raised without a father. His mother, Nina Ivanovna Anoufrieva, worked as an accountant in an insurance company. Although childhood friends described him positively in court, his upbringing had significant psychological difficulties. The headmaster of his school revealed that his mother had instilled feelings of hatred toward others in him. When Artyom received poor grades, she would write letters complaining about the teachers, blaming them for putting pressure on her son. This behavior created tensions at school. By the time Anoufriev was in the 9th grade, the school had to seek a new physics teacher because the previous one refused to teach his class.

Despite these challenges, Anoufriev was a good student. He excelled in literature and English, took part in various school activities, and learned to play the guitar and double bass. He also sang and played in a local music group that later disbanded. However, from the first grade, Artyom was regarded as an outcast. Only in his senior classes did he begin to connect with his classmates, but his academic performance dropped in the 10th grade, resulting in a modest graduation.

In his final year of high school, his classmates created an amateur film where they shared their views on happiness. Artyom was the only one who admitted he didn't know what happiness was but wanted to learn. After graduating, he enrolled at Irkutsk State Medical University while also working as an auxiliary worker in an art museum.

There was a notable instance during his childhood when he was reportedly beaten by a group of Armenians. A police investigation was opened, but no charges were filed. His family received financial compensation for this incident, but his mother claimed Artyom became unstable afterward. Some sources indicated that he might have provoked the situation by insulting the other group online. His mother discouraged him from befriending Nikita Lytkin, fearing that their friendship would lead him into trouble.

Artyom Alexandrovich Anoufriev and Nikita Vakhtangovich Lytkin, known as the "Academy maniacs," committed a series of brutal murders in Irkutsk, Russia. Their first known victim was 12-year-old Danil Semyonov, whom they targeted on December 1, 2010. They ambushed him while he was playing outside, using a mallet and a baseball bat to inflict fatal injuries. Although Danil’s family found him still alive, he succumbed to his wounds shortly after.

On December 16, 2010, they murdered 69-year-old Olga Pirog in a similar manner. They stabbed her over 30 times, leaving her body in the same area where they had killed Semyonov. Despite this, they initially escaped detection for several months.

Their attacks continued into 2011, targeting both men and women in the Akademgorodok area. On January 1, they attacked a homeless man, and by January 30, they assaulted a student named Oleg Semyonov, who managed to escape but suffered severe injuries.

In February 2011, they killed Alexander Maximov after ambushing him late at night. The pair used a variety of weapons, including knives and hammers, to commit their attacks. They often attacked from behind, making it difficult for victims or witnesses to identify them.

One notable incident occurred on March 10-11, when they attacked another homeless person, Roman Faizullin. They shot him in the face and subsequently mutilated his body with knives. Anoufriev even photographed the scene from his apartment window.

Their final victim was 63-year-old Alevtina Kuydina, killed on April 3, 2011. After her murder, the duo recorded themselves mocking her body, which later became crucial evidence against them.

The police began to connect the dots when the duo's activities gained attention in the community. Multiple attacks led to increasing public fear, and on April 5, 2011, both Anoufriev and Lytkin were arrested after a relative of Lytkin found video evidence of the murder of Kuydina and reported it to the authorities. During interrogation, they confessed to six murders and several attempted murders, leading to their eventual conviction in court.