Iouri Gherman Mikhel was born on April 9, 1965, in Leningrad, which was in the USSR at the time. He lived in the rapidly changing Soviet Union during his early years. As a young man, he experienced the cultural shifts and social struggles that came with life in a communist state.

At some point in his life, Iouri emigrated from the USSR to the United States, seeking better opportunities. He settled in Los Angeles, California, where he built a new life. In Los Angeles, he was joined by Jurijus Kadamovas, another immigrant from the Soviet Union. The two became friends and business partners.

Iouri and Jurijus owned a fish aquarium store called Designed Water World, located on Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley. They both lived in the area, with Jurijus residing in Sherman Oaks and Iouri in Encino.

In October 2001, Iouri Gherman Mikhel and his partner, Jurijus Kadamovas, kidnapped Meyer Muscatel, a real-estate developer. They lured him to Mikhel's house in Encino, California. After Muscatel arrived, he was restrained, assaulted, and questioned about his finances. They attempted to access his bank accounts but found them frozen. They then injected him with a drug and suffocated him with a plastic bag. After killing Muscatel, they transported his body to New Melones Lake and disposed of it from Parrotts Ferry Bridge.

Next, in December 2001, Kadamovas and Mikhel targeted Rita Pekler, who was pregnant and worked as a financial advisor. Kadamovas contacted her under the guise of a real estate transaction and lured her to his home. Once there, Mikhel restrained her and demanded she contact her boss, George Safiev. After Safiev could not meet, she was also injected with a drug and strangled. Her body was then thrown into the reservoir like Muscatel's.

Later in December 2001, they kidnapped Alexander Umansky, who owned an automobile shop. Mikhel pretended to be a customer and ambushed Umansky at Kadamovas' home. He was held captive for three days, during which his family received a ransom note for $235,000. The family reported to the FBI, who advised them to pay some of the ransom. Eventually, the family sent the full amount. After receiving the money, they killed Umansky, similar to the others, and discarded his body in the same manner.

In January 2002, they attempted to kidnap George Safiev again. They first abducted his business partner, Nick Kharabadze, and made him contact Safiev to lure him into their trap. Both Kharabadze and Safiev were held captive and coerced into calling for a large ransom. After receiving $940,000, both men were killed in the same way as the previous victims and thrown into the reservoir.

An investigation began when fishermen found Muscatel’s body. An accomplice of Mikhel and Kadamovas later confessed and cooperated with authorities, leading to the discovery of the other victims’ bodies. The FBI wire-tapped the suspects' phones and gathered evidence linking them to the murders. They tracked the ransom payments and found connections to the men.

Ultimately, both Mikhel and Kadamovas were arrested and charged with multiple counts. A grand jury indicted them, and their trial began in July 2006. They were found guilty and sentenced to death on March 12, 2007, for their roles in the murders and ransom schemes. Other accomplices received various sentences after cooperating with law enforcement. On December 23, 2024. Mikhel and Kadamovas were among the 37 criminals who's sentences were commuted by then sitting president Joe Biden, effectively turning their death sentence into life in prison.