Sergey Anatolyevich Chyorny was born on May 11, 1977, in Odessa, which was then part of the Ukrainian SSR. He grew up in a small house along with his disabled mother, his younger brother Mark, and his sister. From a young age, Chyorny showed an interest in sports. He became the champion of the Smolensk Oblast in martial arts. His athletic skills were notable throughout his childhood.

After finishing school, Chyorny joined the military. He served in an elite battalion of deep reconnaissance. This experience likely shaped his physical abilities and tactical skills. Upon returning from the army, he discovered that his younger brother Mark had joined a criminal group in Smolensk. Chyorny decided not to follow his brother's path into crime and instead got a job as a security guard at a market in Smolensk.

Chyorny had a peculiar habit of wearing camouflage uniforms, even in summer. His personal life was troubled, as he later remarked that his girlfriends did not wait for him to return from the army and instead married someone else. This feeling of betrayal affected him deeply, leading to a desire for revenge.

In August 1999, Sergey Chyorny attacked a girl, assaulting her and attempting to strangle her. She managed to scream, which caused him to flee when he noticed a man approaching. On September 19, he strangled a girl near the town of Komintern who was on her way to a disco. After the murder, he removed her outer clothing and took her earrings. The girl's body was later discovered in a ravine.

Just days later, on September 24, Chyorny killed another girl in Redovka Park in a similar way. A bra was tightly tied around her neck when her body was found. On September 27, in the village of Vishenka, the body of another girl was found in an abandoned warehouse, also showing signs of strangulation. A belt from her jacket was tied around her neck.

On September 29, another victim was discovered in front of GSK "Tikhvinka-3." A strap from her purse was tied around her neck in knots. Investigators at UVD Smolensk began to focus on this series of murders. Chyorny stopped killing for a while but returned on November 4, when the body of a girl was found near the Yasennaya River. She had a handkerchief and a belt tied around her neck, and several items of jewelry were stolen from her.

On November 6, another victim was found in a forest near a nuclear power plant. Her passport and student ID were missing. On November 22, Chyorny met a girl in the city center. He later assaulted her and attempted to strangle her before putting her in the trunk of his car. He drove her to a remote area and hung her from a tree using her shoelaces. She survived the attack and reported the incident to the police, but struggled to remember specific details.

In early December, investigators found the girl who had survived Chyorny's earlier attack in August. She identified him at a market. By December 14, detectives were keeping close watch on him. During this time, more bodies were discovered, including one on December 17, identified by the means of strangulation. On December 22, another corpse was found near the Yasennaya River.

On December 23, both Sergey and his brother Mark were arrested. Investigators discovered a red jacket belonging to a victim in Sergey's apartment. He did not have an alibi for any of the murders. Moreover, when the police searched his apartment again, they found jewelry belonging to the girls he had killed and firearms not connected to the case. Chyorny confessed to the murders and mentioned two additional ones, one from mid-August and another from late October. He also described another incident where he claimed to have drowned a victim, initially thought to be accidental.

Sergey was diagnosed with schizophrenia after a forensic examination. He was placed in a psychiatric hospital for treatment. On June 24, 2001, he died from pneumonia while in care.