Malik Samartaney was born Lawrence Banks on June 7, 1953, in Maryland, United States.

On July 3, 1975, Malik Samartaney, then known as Lawrence Banks, was involved in a serious incident where he threatened his wife, Vivian Banks, with a knife. This event led to police involvement, but ultimately, the charges against him were dropped at his wife's request. Later that year, on December 27, he threw his 7-month-old daughter, Dominique, through a glass door during a fight with Vivian. Dominique was severely hurt and required 22 stitches.

While Lawrence was out on bail, Vivian was found dead in an apartment. Although detectives believed he was involved, they could not prove it since the body had decomposed for weeks, making it impossible to determine a cause of death. Lawrence was convicted of assaulting Dominique and sentenced to 15 years in prison, from which he was released in December 1988.

In the fall of 1991, Dominique and her brother, 17-year-old Lawrence Jr., accused their father of beating them. Dominique also reported that he had raped her. On November 19, 1991, Lawrence shot and killed Michael Chisholm, a friend who had been drinking with him. Later that day, he fatally shot Lawrence Jr. at a foster home. Due to issues with evidence and witnesses, he plead guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and received two concurrent 20-year sentences. He was released in October 2002.

After changing his name to Malik Samartaney, he faced new legal troubles. In 2004, he was charged with assaulting his second wife, Patricia. She accused him of choking her and making threats to kill her, but Malik was acquitted after spending nine months in jail awaiting trial.

On December 1, 2006, his girlfriend's daughter, Lisa Brown, obtained a protective order against him after a dispute. Eleven days later, Lisa and her 9-month-old daughter, Labria Fogle, were found shot to death in their home. Malik was suspected of their murders but was not charged due to insufficient evidence.

In May 2019, Malik killed Dominique, now 43 years old and a mother of six. Her remains were discovered in a shopping cart wrapped in black trash bags, and only part of her body was found. According to Dominique's daughter, Malik had expressed disdain for her mother's struggle with drug addiction and threatened her during a phone call.

During the investigation, Malik's ex-fiancée testified that he returned home covered in scratches on the day Dominique was killed. His lawyers argued that gang members were responsible for her death, suggesting that she might have been involved in Baltimore's drug trade.

In October 2021, Malik was convicted of second-degree murder and unauthorized disposal of a body, but he was acquitted of first-degree murder. At his sentencing hearing in February 2022, he sought leniency, claiming innocence and expressing remorse for past actions. The judge sentenced him to the maximum of 41 years in prison, emphasizing the need to protect the public based on his history of violence. He must serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.