Ilpo Tapio Larha was born on July 19, 1968, in Helsinki, Finland. He worked as a taxi driver before becoming known as Finland’s first contract killer. He had no prior criminal record before committing murder for hire.

On April 20, 1992, 77-year-old businessman Wilhelm Högsten was found shot dead in his bed in his home in Jollas, a suburb of Helsinki. At first, the police thought it was a burglary gone wrong, but nothing was stolen, and the type of gun used was rare. Investigators soon realized that the killing was planned.

The police later discovered that Högsten’s 47-year-old son, Fred Högsten, had hired Larha to kill his father. Another man, 31-year-old businessman Hannu Ratia, had driven Larha to the crime scene. All three men were arrested and later sentenced to life in prison for murder.

On February 25, 1994, Larha escaped from Helsinki State Prison with 37-year-old Kullervo Haikas (also known as Pertti Ruokolainen), who was serving 13 years for drug crimes.

On March 1, 1994, Larha robbed a bank in Pitäjänmäki and almost killed a cashier during the robbery. Later, Larha and Haikas barricaded themselves inside an apartment in Lahti with two hostages.

On March 15, 1994, police surrounded the apartment, leading to a 55-hour standoff. Larha threatened to blow up the building if police tried to enter. While Larha was asleep, Haikas and the hostages escaped through the balcony.

On March 17, 1994, knowing that he was about to be captured, Larha killed himself, firing two handguns at the same time.