John Martin Scripps was born on December 9, 1959, in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Leonard Scripps, an East End lorry driver, and Jean Scripps, who worked as a barmaid on Fleet Street. John had a close relationship with his father, and they traveled often during his childhood. However, John's life changed drastically when his father died by suicide when John was nine years old.

After his father's death, John struggled with reading and writing. He found school difficult and eventually left at the age of 15. Following this, he began to travel more and made money by doing various odd jobs and selling antiques.

As a young adult, John faced a series of legal problems. He was first convicted of burglary in 1974 when he was just 14 years old. He received a conditional discharge and continued to steal after that. His criminal activities escalated, leading to multiple arrests for theft and other offenses.

In 1980, John married María Pilar Arellanos in Mexico. They traveled together for a couple of years but faced difficulties due to John's increasing criminal behavior. He was sentenced to three years in prison for theft, burglary, and resisting arrest in 1982. While in prison, he escaped during home leave in 1985. His marriage to María suffered as a result, ultimately leading to divorce.

After his release, John became involved in drug trafficking, moving heroin between Asia and Europe. He was arrested in 1987 at Heathrow Airport for drug possession. Authorities discovered a key belonging to a safe deposit box in Singapore. John received a lengthy prison sentence but escaped again during home leave.

While in prison, John was trained in butchery, which would later play a significant role in his life. He became skilled at butchering meat and expressed a desire to start a butcher shop one day.

In March 1995, John Martin Scripps committed a series of murders targeting tourists in Singapore and Thailand. He used the name Simon Davis while posing as a tourist to lure his victims.

The first confirmed victim was Gerard Lowe, a 32-year-old chemical engineer from South Africa. Upon arriving in Singapore, Lowe met Scripps at the airport. They shared a room at the River View Hotel. On March 8, Scripps killed Lowe and used his credit cards to make various purchases. Days later, body parts belonging to Lowe were found in plastic bags in Singapore's waterways.

Scripps then traveled to Thailand, where he met Sheila and Darin Damude, a mother and son from Canada, in Phuket. They checked into a hotel, but after breakfast the next day, they disappeared. Scripps had asked to change rooms to the one adjacent to theirs shortly after they were last seen. Later, severed body parts of the Damudes were found in various locations.

Scripps returned to Singapore where he was arrested on March 19, 1995. Police discovered multiple passports belonging to his victims as well as items he used in the murders. He was charged with both the murder of Gerard Lowe and the murders of Sheila and Darin Damude.

During the trial, Scripps claimed he acted in self-defense against Lowe, asserting that he had killed him accidentally. However, the prosecution presented strong evidence against him, suggesting a pattern of premeditated murder and robbery. The court found him guilty of Lowe's murder and he was also believed to be responsible for the deaths of the Damudes due to similarities in the killings.

On November 7, 1995, the judge sentenced Scripps to death. Following a series of events leading up to the execution, he withdrew his appeal. He was hanged on April 19, 1996, in Changi Prison, becoming the first Briton executed in Singapore since its independence.