Seth Stephen Privacky was born on June 2, 1980, in Muskegon, Michigan. He grew up in a household where his parents had a mixed view of him. In 1997, they described him as a "good kid," and school records showed that he was a B-average student at Reeths-Puffer High School. He was known to be quiet and soft-spoken among his classmates.

Despite this, there were signs of trouble in his early life. A family friend noted that his father believed Seth was a psychopath without a conscience. At the same time, his mother expressed concerns about his behavior, describing him as "out of control." In a court questionnaire filled out by his mother in 1996, she indicated that he "sometimes" drank alcohol at the age of 16.

In the year prior to a significant event in his life, Seth faced legal issues. In 1997, he was arrested for stealing beer from a store where he worked and selling it to minors. He also shoplifted from another store. Because of these actions, a court ordered him to attend counseling and to take an antidepressant called Wellbutrin. He was placed on probation and spent ten days in a youth home. It's unclear if he took the medication consistently after this.

Privacky later wrote in a letter from prison that he began using alcohol and marijuana at the age of 14. By 16, he claimed to have tried LSD and amphetamines. He alleged that he used LSD during a critical moment in his life and experienced severe side effects after it wore off. However, law enforcement was skeptical of his claims about drug use, as he didn't mention them during his interrogation. He also noted in his letter that he sold drugs and had a promiscuous lifestyle while in high school.

On one occasion, security footage captured him trying to buy .22 caliber ammunition the night before a tragic incident, but he was turned away due to his age. It was unclear how he ultimately obtained the ammunition used later.

The murders took place on November 29, 1998, during Thanksgiving weekend. Seth Privacky shot five members of his family: his parents, his brother, his brother's girlfriend, and his grandfather. It was reported that he had been arguing with his father for months, leading up to this tragic event. On that day, after his father left to pick up his grandfather, Privacky used a .22 Ruger handgun to shoot his brother in the back of the head while he was watching TV. He then dragged his brother's body into the basement.

When his father and grandfather returned home, he ambushed them in the garage, shooting them both in the back of the head. He shot his grandfather twice to ensure he was dead. Afterward, he went upstairs and shot his mother after waiting for her to get out of the shower. His brother's girlfriend, April Boss, arrived during this time and saw the bodies, which led him to shoot her as well. All the victims were shot in the head, except for his grandfather, who was shot twice.

After committing the murders, Privacky called a friend, Steven Clayton Wallace, for help. When Wallace arrived, they wrapped the bodies in sheets and planned to bury them. Wallace disposed of the gun in a pond and cleaned up the scene. They tried to make it look like a robbery, but around midnight, they were interrupted by Boss's parents, who were searching for her. This led Privacky and Wallace to flee into the woods.

Law enforcement was called, and a manhunt for Privacky began. He hid for nearly 13 hours before being found in a barn about a mile from his home. He was arrested without resistance but did not speak, other than to request a lawyer. Police discovered evidence including bloody clothing and a stolen television in a car linked to him.

Privacky was charged with five counts of open murder and held on a bail of $5 million. He initially claimed his brother was responsible for the murders but later confessed. His demeanor following the arrest was described as flat and emotionless. He pled no contest and was convicted on multiple counts of first-degree murder, receiving a life sentence without parole.

Wallace was charged as an accessory but was later acquitted. In prison, Privacky had several misconduct issues. On July 15, 2010, he was involved in a failed escape attempt from Kinross Correctional Facility. During this attempt, he was shot and killed by a corrections officer. He died in a manner similar to his victims, having been shot in the head.