Orhan Aksoy was born on September 16, 1971, in Samsun, Turkey. He was the youngest of nine children in his family. His parents had moved to Samsun from a town called Sürmene. When he was still quite young, the family relocated to Bursa. The home life in Bursa was difficult. Orhan and his siblings faced severe punishments from their father, Ahmet. He would beat them for the smallest mistakes.

One incident from Orhan's childhood was particularly memorable. His sisters, Perihan and Ruveyde, later talked about a time when Orhan was playing around the house during construction. He fell and hit his head. After that fall, he started waking up at night, screaming and saying that invisible forces were coming to get him.

At the age of 20, Orhan left home. He moved to Istanbul, where he began to steal to survive. He was eventually caught and sentenced to five years in prison for ten thefts and one case of fraud. After serving his time, Orhan was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He moved to Bucharest, Romania, for treatment.
 

While in Romania, Orhan met a kindergarten teacher. They married, and she later moved with him back to Turkey. She took on the name "Mine." During this time, Orhan started working as a busboy in a restaurant. The couple had two children named Esen and Esin. Eventually, he left that job and became a peddler, selling goods on the street.

Later, a series of earthquakes struck Turkey. After this, his wife suggested they return to Romania. Orhan agreed, and she and the children moved back, while he stayed in Istanbul. He rented a room in the Çarşamba district and continued to live there alone.

Orhan Aksoy committed a series of murders in Istanbul between October 2000 and January 2001. His victims included five men whom he killed due to personal grievances or suspicions of theft. Aksoy's method involved plied victims with alcohol until they were intoxicated and then strangling them with a nylon rope to avoid leaving blood at the crime scenes.

The first victim was Mehmedi Yeşilyayla, Aksoy's flatmate. Aksoy killed him while he was sleeping on October 9, 2000, suspecting him of stealing his phone. He stored Yeşilyayla's body in a box and disposed of it in Yenibosna.

The second victim was Hakan Kaya, a friend of Aksoy. On November 23, 2000, Aksoy invited him over under the pretense of sharing drinks. Once Kaya was drunk, Aksoy strangled him and placed his body in a box, leaving it in a field in Kemerburgaz.
 

The third victim was Turgut Erkan, an actor who Aksoy feared might know about Kaya's murder. He lured Erkan to his apartment on November 30, 2000, and once Erkan was intoxicated, Aksoy killed him, dumping the body in Gaziosmanpaşa.

Aksoy’s fourth victim was Ömer Şeker, a fellow peddler. Aksoy was offended when Şeker insulted a woman he held dear, so he killed Şeker on January 16, 2001. Unlike the previous victims, he disposed of Şeker's body in a trash bin at a construction site in Fatih.

The last victim was Ali Rıza İdrisoğlu, who owed Aksoy a significant debt. On January 17, 2001, Aksoy invited him over, served him alcohol, and then strangled him. Idrisoğlu's body was placed in a box and abandoned in a park.
 

Police discovered the first body on January 16, 2001, which led to an investigation. The victims were found naked and taped in a way that suggested they might have been killed by militants. However, when police tracked a stolen phone belonging to Yeşilyayla, they managed to locate Aksoy. He was arrested on January 26, 2001.

During police interrogations, Aksoy confessed to the murders but later tried to recant during his trial. He claimed that pressure from watching crime dramas influenced his confessions. Despite his family's disbelief in his guilt, he was convicted in June 2004 and received five life sentences along with two years in solitary confinement.

In a separate incident, Aksoy's father, Ahmet, was found dead on October 26, 2001. He had been killed in a manner similar to Aksoy's victims, leading authorities to suspect revenge for Aksoy's crimes.