George Henry Nassar was born on June 7, 1932, in Providence, Rhode Island. He was the oldest of two children in his family. His parents were Helen and Henry Nassar, both of Assyrian descent. Henry Nassar emigrated to America from Syria as a child and worked as a tailor in various mills in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He passed away in 1955. Helen, his wife, was born in Dover, New Hampshire, and worked as a bobbin setter in mills. Before marrying Henry, she had been married to another man named Lawrence Otis, with whom she had one son.

George Nassar grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts, along with his younger sister Eileen. They were raised in a Catholic household. During his childhood, George was active in sports and participated in the Boy Scouts. However, his teachers described him as reserved, quiet, and not very social.

On April 15, 1948, George Henry Nassar, at the age of 15, participated in a series of robberies in Lawrence, Massachusetts, with two friends. They stole $80 from three local businesses but were unsuccessful at a fourth due to intervention from the store owner. The final robbery took place at a variety store owned by Dominic Kirmil. During the robbery, Nassar shot Kirmil four times after the owner attempted to defend himself by throwing a soda bottle at Nassar. Kirmil later died from his injuries.

On May 20, 1948, Nassar was arrested after crashing a stolen car. The police found evidence linking him to Kirmil’s murder, including the gun used in the crime and ammunition in his possession. He confessed to the shooting, stating it was for excitement. Initially charged with first-degree murder, his charge was later reduced to second-degree murder. On January 17, 1949, Nassar and his accomplices were sentenced to life in prison.

In 1961, Nassar was paroled after serving part of his sentence. He later became involved in criminal activities again. On September 29, 1964, Nassar shot and killed Irvin Hilton, a Texaco station owner, in front of witnesses. He fired multiple shots at Hilton, then aimed his gun at a woman in a car before fleeing. The car used in the getaway was stolen and later found by police. Bullets from the car matched those found at Hilton's crime scene.

Witnesses identified Nassar, leading to his arrest on October 1, 1964. After undergoing psychological evaluation, which diagnosed him as having severe sociopathic tendencies, Nassar was brought to trial. On June 26, 1965, he was found guilty of Hilton's murder. He was initially sentenced to death, but his sentence was later commuted to life in prison after a successful appeal.

In 1967, Nassar was again convicted of first-degree murder, which was upheld after multiple appeals. He continued to assert his innocence throughout his life. In 1980, he and other prisoners were moved to federal custody but successfully challenged the move and returned to Massachusetts. Nassar continued to face legal challenges until he died on December 3, 2018, from prostate cancer while in prison.