Born in 1972 in the Moldavian SSR, Nicolai Bonner immigrated to Israel in 2000 under the Law of Return, accompanying his Jewish wife. The couple settled in Haifa, where Bonner found employment at a pipe factory. They had a daughter together.

In January 2003, Bonner's wife succumbed to tuberculosis, a loss that profoundly affected him. Struggling with grief, he developed a severe alcohol dependency, which led to his dismissal from the factory. Subsequently, Bonner became homeless, frequenting the streets of Haifa and associating with other homeless individuals, often engaging in heavy drinking sessions.​

Between February and May 2005, Bonner committed a series of four murders in Haifa, targeting individuals within the homeless community.​

February 9, 2005: Bonner accompanied 52-year-old Rita Wolman, a fellow immigrant and former bar singer, to her apartment. After consuming alcohol together, Bonner misinterpreted Wolman's hospitality as a sexual advance. When she rejected his proposition, he became violent, striking her unconscious and subsequently raping her. Believing she was dead, he set her bed on fire to destroy evidence.​

March 11, 2005: Bonner visited 34-year-old Alexander Levant, a Russian immigrant and former soldier. While drinking together, Bonner attempted to steal alcohol from Levant. When confronted, Bonner beat Levant to death and set his body on fire.

Late April 2005: In an abandoned kindergarten, Bonner encountered 32-year-old Valeri Soznov. After an argument, Bonner fatally beat Soznov, placed his body into a fire they had started for warmth, and fled the scene.

May 1, 2005: Bonner was drinking with 39-year-old Alexander Kars in an abandoned apartment. After Kars made a disparaging remark about Bonner's mother, Bonner attacked him with a stick and strangled him with a television cable.​

Bonner's violent spree came to an end when he was arrested on May 29, 2005, at his mother-in-law's home. During interrogation, he confessed to the four murders, expressing no remorse initially but later stating, "I was drunk and I am sorry for what I did."​

In his trial, Bonner was convicted of four counts of murder, arson, and obstruction of justice. On May 6, 2007, the Haifa District Court sentenced him to four consecutive life terms, marking one of the harshest sentences delivered in Israel.

As of 2023, Nicolai Bonner remains incarcerated, serving his sentence in an Israeli prison.