Rita Shapiro was born in 1948 in Chernovtsy, Ukrainian SSR, to Holocaust survivors Paula and Leib Shapiro. Her early life was marked by hardship; at age 10, she was raped by a police officer, an event her mother advised her to keep secret. Subsequently, her father was interned in a prison camp, and her mother left to support him, leaving Rita to care for her younger sister. During this period, they survived by scavenging and relying on neighbors' assistance. ​

In 1969, Rita married Yakov Gluzman, a scientist. Facing resistance from Soviet authorities regarding Yakov's emigration, Rita campaigned vigorously, including a hunger strike and appeals to international figures, eventually securing permission for Yakov to join her in Israel. The couple later moved to the United States in 1977, settling in New Jersey, where they had a son, Ilan. Rita established ECI Technologies, an electronics company, while Yakov pursued a career in molecular biology. ​

By 1995, the Gluzmans' marriage had deteriorated, leading Yakov to file for divorce and move to an apartment in New York. He had begun a relationship with a younger woman in Israel, which further strained relations. Rita, unwilling to accept the divorce and fearing financial loss, devised a plan to murder Yakov. ​

On April 6, 1996, Rita and her cousin, Vladimir Zelenin, waited in Yakov's apartment. Upon his arrival, they attacked him with axes and a hammer, resulting in his death. They then dismembered his body into approximately 66 pieces, placing the remains in garbage bags for disposal. The following day, Zelenin was apprehended while attempting to discard the bags into the Passaic River. He confessed to the crime and implicated Rita as the mastermind. ​

Rita was arrested on April 18, 1996. She was charged under the Violence Against Women Act, becoming the first woman convicted under this statute. On April 30, 1997, she was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. ​

While incarcerated, Rita's health declined; she suffered multiple strokes and was diagnosed with early Parkinson's disease. Citing her medical condition and the COVID-19 pandemic, a judge granted her compassionate release on July 28, 2020, after she had served nearly 24 years in prison. She was placed on supervised release for five years, residing in New Jersey under her sister's care. ​