Levi Bellfield was born on May 17, 1968, at West Middlesex Hospital in Isleworth, London. His birth name was Levi Rabbetts. He was the son of Jean Rabbetts and Joseph Bellfield and is of Romani descent. When Levi was 10 years old, his father passed away from leukaemia. After his father’s death, Levi lived with his mother and his four siblings: two brothers named Joelion and Harry, and two sisters named Josephine and Maxine. The family lived on a council estate in Southwest London.

Levi attended several schools during his childhood. He first went to Forge Lane Junior School and then moved on to Rectory Secondary School. Finally, he attended Feltham Comprehensive School. As a child, he struggled academically and was known for playing truant.

Throughout his life, Levi became a father to 11 children with five different women. In May 2022, it was reported that he was engaged and had applied to marry a woman he met while in prison. He had proposed to her after she started writing to him two years before their engagement. In June 2023, it was announced that Levi had converted to Islam and taken the name Yusuf Rahim.

Levi Bellfield committed a series of violent crimes between 2002 and 2004. His first known victim was Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl who disappeared on March 21, 2002. Six months later, she was found dead in Yateley Heath Woods. In 2009, police linked Bellfield to her murder. He was charged and convicted in 2011.

On February 4, 2003, Bellfield attacked Marsha McDonnell, a 19-year-old woman. He hit her with a blunt object as she got off the bus near her home in Hampton. She died in the hospital two days later. Bellfield sold his car shortly after the attack, which raised suspicions.

Kate Sheedy, an 18-year-old, was run over by Bellfield's car on May 28, 2004, when she crossed the road. She survived the attack and later testified against him.

On August 19, 2004, Amélie Delagrange, a 22-year-old French student, was found with serious head injuries at Twickenham Green. She died in the hospital shortly after. Bellfield was suspected of her murder.

Eventually, Bellfield was arrested on November 22, 2004. He was charged with multiple offenses, including the rapes and murders of several women. He was tried and convicted for the murders of McDonnell and Delagrange in February 2008, alongside the attempted murder of Sheedy.

In 2010, he was charged with the abduction and murder of Milly Dowler. His trial began in 2011, leading to another conviction for her murder. He received life sentences with a whole life order for his crimes.

Over the years, Bellfield was also investigated for other unsolved cases, including the murder of Patsy Morris and Judith Gold, as well as the murders of Lin and Megan Russell. In 2023, he claimed responsibility for the murders of Elizabeth Chau and Lola Shenkoya. However, evidence regarding these claims remains under review. As of 2020, Levi Bellfield is serving his sentences in HM Prison Frankland.