Peter Howard Moore was born on September 19, 1946, in St Helens, Lancashire, England. He grew up in a typical British family environment. As a young boy, he was known to be quiet and kept to himself. His early life details are not widely documented, but he showed an interest in movies and cinema from a young age. This interest eventually led him to work in the film industry.

As he grew older, Peter became involved in managing cinemas. He held management positions in various locations, including Bagillt, Holyhead, Kinmel Bay, and Denbigh in North Wales. He was known for his work in these cinemas during the years leading up to his arrest, which marked a significant change in his life.

Between September and December 1995, Peter Howard Moore committed a series of murders that shocked the community. He stabbed to death and mutilated four men during this period. His victims included Henry Roberts, a 56-year-old man from Anglesey, who was killed in September; Edward Carthy, a 28-year-old man he met in a gay bar, murdered in Clocaenog Forest in October; Keith Randles, a 49-year-old traffic manager, who was killed on the A5 road in November; and Anthony Davies, a 40-year-old crematorium worker, killed on Pensarn Beach in December.

Moore was arrested and later put on trial for these crimes. During the trial, he claimed that a fictional homosexual lover named Jason had committed the murders. This name was inspired by the character from the Friday the 13th horror films. Despite his defense, the jury found him guilty on all counts.

In November 1996, Peter Moore was sentenced to life imprisonment. The court recommended that he never be released. Throughout his time in prison, he was known to have befriended fellow serial killer Harold Shipman. Moore continued to appeal his sentence, but in June 2008, he was informed he would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Moore challenged the ruling in the European Court of Human Rights in March 2011, seeking to overturn his life sentence. However, his appeal failed in January 2012. In July 2013, the court ruled that there must be a possibility of review for whole life orders in line with human rights.

In February 2015, the European Court upheld the legality of whole life orders under certain conditions. There were claims of Moore's death in October 2011, but these were later found to be false. Moore also expressed knowledge about another victim found in Clocaenog Forest, but this information was dismissed due to conflicting evidence.