Hadj Mohammed Mesfewi was born in Morocco, but his exact birthdate is not clearly known. He lived in Marrakesh and worked as a shoemaker. People often trusted him because he was respected in the community. He owned a shop where many people, especially young women, would visit.

Between the early 1900s and April 1906, Mesfewi became responsible for the murders of at least 36 young women. He had an accomplice, an older woman named Annah, who helped him lure victims into his shop. They tricked women by offering them drugged drinks. Once the victims were unconscious, Mesfewi and Annah killed them. They usually strangled or decapitated the victims and stole their money and jewelry. Afterward, Mesfewi hid the bodies under his shop and in nearby areas.

The murders were finally discovered in April 1906. Authorities became suspicious after several women went missing. When the police investigated Mesfewi's shop, they found human remains buried beneath it. Mesfewi and Annah were arrested in April 1906. During questioning, Annah died, but Mesfewi confessed to killing 36 young women. He said he committed these murders mainly for robbery.

Mesfewi was convicted soon after his confession in April 1906. His punishment began with daily public whippings for four weeks. At first, he was sentenced to death by hanging, but the public demanded a harsher punishment. Instead, on June 11, 1906, Mesfewi was sealed alive inside a wall—a punishment known as immurement—in Marrakesh. He survived two days, screaming in pain, before dying on June 13, 1906.