Eduard Vasilyevich Shemyakov was born on September 30, 1975, in Ignatpol, which is located in the Zhytomyr Oblast of Ukraine. He grew up in a family that later moved to St. Petersburg, Russia. After finishing school, Eduard joined the army. He served in border troops in a town called Kuvshinskaya Salma. During his time in the army, some reports suggest that he faced bullying from senior officials.

Once he returned home to St. Petersburg, he found work as a security guard. Eduard had a strong interest in computer equipment. Despite his work and interests, he faced personal challenges. He experienced frequent headaches and had difficulty socializing, especially with girls. Eduard lived with his parents throughout this time.

Eduard Vasilyevich Shemyakov killed ten people between 1996 and 1998 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He often targeted women and committed his crimes on the outskirts of the city. His youngest victim was just 11 years old. In some cases, his attacks did not result in murder. Once, he was interrupted by a passer-by, and in another instance, he let a victim go free, telling her to inform the police about him.

Shemyakov was eventually caught after he killed his sister’s girlfriend. His mother discovered a piece of human meat in their refrigerator. Concerned, she called the police. When the police arrived at their home, they arrested Shemyakov. Despite being warned by a neighbor about the police waiting for him, he dismissed the warning and went home, where he was taken into custody.

Experts diagnosed Shemyakov with paranoid schizophrenia. He claimed that voices told him to "kill the people and drown their heads" in water. In 2002, he was found insane and was sentenced to compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital. The families of his victims tried to challenge this decision, but their appeals were unsuccessful.