Not much is known about Nissensohn's early years. He was born on December 31, 1950, in North Carolina. After finishing high school in the late 1960s, he began his career as a truck driver. For the next twenty years, he traveled extensively across the United States, often visiting red-light districts where he engaged in drug use and solicited prostitutes. In the mid-1980s, he met Cheryl Rose, and they got married on August 22, 1989.

On September 5, 1990, Nissensohn was apprehended at a motel in Atlanta, Georgia, accused of murdering 46-year-old Sally Jo Tsaggaris on May 3, 1989, in Tillicum, Washington. His wife testified that they, along with her son from a previous marriage, lived in the area and spent much of their time using drugs. Nissensohn, who engaged in BDSM, kept bondage equipment in his truck. He paid Tsaggaris for sexual services and invited her over on the day of the murder.

Cheryl, Nissensohn’s wife, stated that both Nissensohn and Tsaggaris consumed large amounts of methamphetamines and then engaged in sexual activity, during which Nissensohn tortured and humiliated Tsaggaris. When she resisted, a struggle ensued, and Nissensohn stabbed her twice. Cheryl claimed she assisted in disposing of the body, and the couple fled to South Lake Tahoe, California. There, Nissensohn allegedly formed a relationship with 15-year-old Kathy Graves, a homeless runaway, with whom he spent time drinking and using drugs.

On August 10, Nissensohn allegedly drove Cheryl and Graves to a wooded area where he assaulted and killed Graves, according to Cheryl. They then moved to Florida, where Nissensohn threatened to kill Cheryl to keep her silent. In the summer of 1990, after Cheryl suffered a severe beating from a new boyfriend, she sought refuge at a homeless shelter. Following medical attention, she disclosed to police that Nissensohn had killed Graves and Tsaggaris, and claimed he had committed three other murders.

Nissensohn was subsequently arrested and charged with Tsaggaris' murder. On October 17, 1991, he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 25 years in prison by a Washington State court. In late 2007, Nissensohn was granted parole, scheduled for release on February 8, 2008. However, on January 29, the District Attorney's Office in El Dorado County, California, charged him with Kathy Graves' murder, leading to his transfer to the Pierce County Jail awaiting extradition to California. A judge also ordered a predator commitment hearing.

In October 2008, Nissensohn faced additional charges for the murders of 13-year-old Tammy Lynn Jarschke and 14-year-old Tanja Jones, who ran away from a Seaside foster home on June 24, 1981. Their bodies were discovered in a forest in September 1981. In mid-2009, Nissensohn was extradited to California. A preliminary hearing in February 2010 determined there was enough evidence for trial, based primarily on testimony from Nissensohn’s friend Jesse Prieto, who alleged they picked up the girls in 1981, took them to a wooded area, and murdered them.

Nissensohn’s trial began in November 2013. Testimonies from Prieto and Cheryl were key evidence, despite both having died before the trial. Nissensohn denied involvement in the Jarschke-Jones murders and claimed his ex-wife had killed Graves. Despite inconsistencies in Cheryl's accounts, Nissensohn was found guilty in October 2013 and sentenced to death on December 11, 2013. As of April 2023, Nissensohn remains on California's death row at San Quentin State Prison.