Stephen Oladimeji K. Akinmurele was born on March 16, 1978, in Nigeria. He had a Nigerian father and a white British mother. In 1988, when Akinmurele was ten years old, he and his mother moved to the Isle of Man. This was a significant change in his life. After living on the Isle of Man for some time, he later moved to Blackpool, England, where he worked as a barman.

From a young age, Akinmurele struggled with mental illness. His problems began early; he was known to have committed crimes against elderly people starting when he was just 11 years old. This troubling behavior continued into his teenage years. Reports suggest that he was drawn to situations where he could encounter the elderly. Police later claimed that he seemed to get a thrill from harming older adults.

During his life, Akinmurele faced difficulties that impacted his mental health. Despite these issues, he pursued work in various places. He eventually lived with his girlfriend in Ballasalla on the Isle of Man before his later arrest.

Stephen Oladimeji K. Akinmurele, known as "The Cul-de-Sac Killer," is linked to multiple murders of elderly victims in the United Kingdom between 1995 and 1998. His first confirmed victims were Eric Boardman, 77, and his wife Joan Boardman, 74. They were killed in their home in Blackpool on October 30, 1998. Their bodies were discovered by one of their daughters. Eric was found beaten to death, while Joan had been strangled.

After the Boardman murders, Akinmurele was charged with killing Jemmimah Cargill, 75, who was previously his landlady. She died in a flat fire in Blackpool in October 1998. During the investigation, police also connected him to two murders on the Isle of Man. These were Dorothy Harris, 68, who was found after a house fire in February 1996, and Marjorie Ashton, 72, who was found strangled in her home in May 1995.

Akinmurele was arrested on November 1, 1998. While he confessed to several murders, including one of a rambler on the Isle of Man, investigators believed these confessions were false. They suspected he had a "pathological hatred" of elderly people and had a history of committing crimes against them.

In August 1999, Akinmurele died by suicide in Manchester Prison, just weeks before his trial. He hanged himself in his cell. A suicide note found in his pocket revealed his troubled thoughts about his actions and feelings. He was only 21 years old at the time of his death.