Nikolai Porfirievich Shestakov was born in 1954 in the Soviet Union. Very little is known about his early childhood, family life, or upbringing. By adulthood, he lived in the Moscow Oblast region and worked as a truck driver, a job that gave him extensive mobility across towns and rural routes — a factor that would later allow him to locate and attack victims with relative ease.

Shestakov was married and had a son, indicating that he maintained an outwardly ordinary life. Despite appearing to function socially, those who later encountered him described erratic, violent, and alcohol-fueled tendencies. His psychological profile suggested the presence of psychopathy — a diagnosis later confirmed by psychiatric examination following his arrest.

There are no official reports indicating prior convictions or violent offenses before his 1975 murder spree. However, his criminal escalation was rapid and extreme. By all accounts, the crimes he committed over that single year placed him among the most brutal and prolific serial murderers in the Moscow region during the 1970s.

Between 1975 and 1976, Shestakov, often accompanied by his younger brother Vladimir and accomplice Andrei Vladimirovich Shuvalov, targeted women at bus stops. He would approach victims, typically inebriated, and strike them on the head with a heavy metal object, most frequently a sledgehammer. After incapacitating his victims, Shestakov would rape them and steal any valuables before disposing of their bodies in garbage dumps. His crimes instilled fear in the local communities, particularly in the Lyuberetsky and Balashikhinsky districts.

The authorities apprehended Shestakov on March 12, 1976, while he was planning another attack. During his arrest, law enforcement confiscated a sledgehammer from his possession. Forensic analysis revealed blood traces from his victims on both his clothing and the cabin of his truck. Notably, during transportation for his trial, Shestakov managed to escape but was swiftly recaptured at an acquaintance's residence. ​

A psychiatric evaluation deemed Shestakov sane, diagnosing him with psychopathy. In 1977, the court sentenced him to death for his heinous crimes. His accomplices faced imprisonment; Shuvalov received a 15-year sentence, while Vladimir Shestakov was sentenced to four years. Nikolai Shestakov was executed by firing squad in 1978. ​