Valery Iosifovich Fabrikant was born on January 28, 1940, in Minsk, which was part of the Soviet Union and is now in Belarus. He grew up in a country with strict political conditions. Fabrikant later claimed that he was a political dissident. However, journalists found records showing that he was dismissed from various jobs in the Soviet Union due to his disruptive behavior.

In 1979, Fabrikant decided to leave the Soviet Union and emigrated to Canada. He started his new life in Canada by getting a job at Concordia University in 1980. There, he began working as a research assistant, receiving limited grant money. Over time, he moved up to academic positions supported by departmental funding. He taught students and did research, even though many people reported having issues with his behavior. Some described it as “undesirable to intolerable.”

Fabrikant faced conflicts with his colleagues. He often tried to collect information to use against university officials to get promotions. He also threatened officials and blamed others for his problems. When he was denied tenure, he directed his anger towards his peers, accusing them of wanting to terminate his employment.

From late 1991 into 1992, Fabrikant began accusing the university of allowing the practice of listing co-authors on research papers without their contributions. During this time, he also initiated a court case to remove the names of certain colleagues from papers he had authored in the past. This legal matter continued for years and was not settled until 2007.

On August 24, 1992, Valery Iosifovich Fabrikant carried weapons and ammunition to the Engineering Department of Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. He concealed these items and went to the ninth floor of the Henry F. Hall Building. There, he began a shooting spree. Fabrikant shot and killed four individuals: Department Chair Phoivos Ziogas and professors Matthew Douglass, Michael Hogben, and Jaan Saber. Additionally, he injured Elizabeth Horwood, who was a staff secretary in the department.

Phoivos Ziogas survived for a month in a coma after the shooting but eventually died from severe internal injuries caused by the bullet that ricocheted inside him. The incident was shocking and tragic, resulting in widespread discussion about safety on university campuses and the management of difficult employees.

Fabrikant was arrested and underwent a trial where he acted as his own lawyer after dismissing his legal counsel multiple times. During the proceedings, he claimed that he had acted in self-defense, asserting that he feared for his life due to perceived threats from faculty members. The trial lasted five months, during which Fabrikant's behavior raised concerns about his mental fitness for trial.

Psychiatrists were brought in to assess him. They concluded that Fabrikant was fit to stand trial but noted he displayed signs of severe paranoia and hostility. In the end, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, resulting in a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Following the trial, Fabrikant continued to maintain his innocence and claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy. He filed numerous legal actions from prison, but in 2000, the court designated him as a vexatious litigant, limiting his ability to pursue further legal claims. He has remained incarcerated at Archambault Institution in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, where he continued his scientific research and published over 60 papers, raising ethical questions about his work.