Kenneth Erskine was born on July 1, 1963, in Hammersmith, London. He was the son of a British mother and an Antiguan father. Kenneth was the youngest of four brothers. Both of his parents abandoned him during his childhood. Because of this abandonment, Kenneth attended various special schools.

When Kenneth was 12 years old, his parents divorced. He struggled with emotional issues and displayed violent behavior at a young age. On a school field trip, he attempted to drown some of his peers, which showed his growing aggression. As he grew older, his violence increased, and he eventually became homeless.

Kenneth Erskine began his series of murders in April 1986. His first victim was Nancy Emms, a 78-year-old woman from Wandsworth. She died on April 9, 1986, and her death was initially thought to be from natural causes. However, after her home help noticed that her television was missing, a post-mortem examination revealed that she had been murdered.

On June 9, 1986, Erskine killed his second victim, Janet Cockett, 67, in her flat in Wandsworth. Like Nancy, her death was also believed to be due to natural causes at first. A post-mortem later confirmed she had been murdered, and police found Erskine's palm print on a window.

On June 28, Erskine attacked two more victims, Valentine Gleim, 84, and Zbigniew Strabawa, 94, at a residential home in Stockwell. Both were sexually assaulted and strangled. His fifth victim was William Carman, 84, on July 8, 1986. Erskine stole money from Carman before attacking him in his home.

The sixth murder occurred on July 21, 1986, when Erskine attacked William Downes, 74, in his Stockwell bedsit. Finally, on July 23, 1986, he killed Florence Tisdall, an 83-year-old widow, in her home. She was found dead by the caretaker later that morning.

Erskine was arrested on July 28, 1986, at a social security office. Police matched his palm print to one at one of the murder scenes. A 74-year-old man identified him in a police lineup, stating that Erskine had tried to strangle him a month prior.

Erskine was convicted of seven murders in January 1988 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was found to have a mental disorder and was transferred to Broadmoor Hospital under the Mental Health Act. In 2009, his murder charges were reduced to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.