Hamed Mohammad Shafia was born in Afghanistan in 1991. He was the eldest son of Mohammad Shafia and Tooba Mohammad Yahya. The Shafia family left Afghanistan in 1992, living in Pakistan, Dubai, and Australia before settling in Montreal, Canada, in 2007.​

Within the household, Hamed was expected to uphold the family's strict cultural and religious values. He was seen as an enforcer of discipline, especially when his father was away on business trips. The family maintained a patriarchal structure, with Mohammad Shafia exerting control over family members.​

On June 30, 2009, the bodies of Zainab (19), Sahar (17), Geeti (13), and Rona Amir Mohammad (52) were found in a car submerged in the Rideau Canal in Kingston, Ontario. Initially deemed an accident, investigations revealed that the deaths were premeditated murders.​

Evidence presented at trial indicated that Hamed, along with his parents Mohammad and Tooba, orchestrated the killings to restore family honor, believing the victims had brought shame upon the family through their behavior. Hamed's role included helping to stage the scene to look like an accident.

During the trial, Hamed maintained his innocence, claiming he was only guilty of being "stupid" for not preventing the incident. However, the jury found him guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 25 years.​