Ioan Balaban was born in April 1924 in Nădab, a town in Arad County, located in western Romania. According to his later statements, his parents separated because his father was very cruel. His father drank a lot and eventually hanged himself.

In 1944, Balaban started reading books about philosophy and decided there was no God. Despite his atheism, he claimed that God appeared to him once and told him to follow his conscience to find happiness. In May 1946, after a fight with some Communists, Balaban was detained in a mental hospital in Cluj for three weeks.

During this time, Balaban earned a degree in physics and metallurgy. He also joined the Romanian army, where he served for nine months. In October 1947, as the Soviets were tightening their control over Romania, he escaped to France.

On the night of February 22, 1948, Ioan Balaban murdered Riva Kwas, a 32-year-old Polish woman, in her apartment in the Auteuil district of Paris. Kwas worked as a chemist, and her body was found five days later. According to Balaban's confession, he strangled her in a fit of rage because she refused to have sex with him. He claimed he didn't intend to kill her but felt compelled to do so. After the murder, Balaban changed his residence and left France.

The murder remained unsolved until Balaban was detained in Australia for other crimes. In April 1953, Adelaide police informed Alexander Duncan, the Chief Commissioner of Victorian Police, that Balaban had confessed to murdering Kwas. Interpol confirmed the details of the crime with the French authorities. In August 1953, Balaban made a written confession from his prison cell in Adelaide, providing specific details about the murder.

Balaban arrived in Australia in January 1951 aboard the Hellenic Prince. His occupation was listed as a chemist, and he was part of a large group of post-war immigrants. During the voyage, he got into a fight with a migration official and was locked up in the ship's cells. By November 1951, Balaban was living in Adelaide, working various jobs like grape-picking, oxy-welding, and laboring.

Balaban met Thelma Cadd, a divorced woman who owned a café in Adelaide. They married on September 27, 1952, but the marriage quickly fell apart. By December 1952, they had separated, and Balaban blamed Thelma's mother, Susan Ackland, for interfering.

On December 5, 1952, the mutilated body of Zora Kusic, a 29-year-old Yugoslav migrant, was found in her shack behind a boarding house in Torrensville. The next day, police questioned Balaban after finding newspapers about the murder in his room. Although he initially denied knowing Kusic, he later admitted meeting her but claimed he didn’t go to her room. A few days later, he was arrested and charged with her murder.

In January 1953, a hearing was held for the charge of murdering Kusic. The evidence was insufficient, and Balaban was discharged. However, after his later arrest, he confessed to Kusic's murder, admitting he killed her because she asked for money in exchange for sex, which angered him.

On April 11, 1953, Balaban went on a violent rampage along the River Torrens in Adelaide. He attacked several people with an iron bar before returning to his wife's café. Early the next morning, he decided to kill his wife, blaming her for his troubles. He grabbed a hammer and killed Thelma, then attacked Susan Ackland and Thelma's young son, Phillip. He also attacked a café employee, Verna Manie, who managed to escape by jumping out a window.

Police found Thelma dead and Susan critically injured. Phillip was taken to the hospital but died eleven days later. Verna survived with severe injuries. Balaban was arrested and confessed to the murders.

In July 1953, Balaban's trial for the murder of Zora Kusic began. He pleaded not guilty, and his defense argued insanity. However, the court found him guilty, and he was sentenced to death by hanging. His appeal was dismissed, and he was executed on August 26, 1953, at Adelaide Gaol. Balaban was buried in the prison grounds.