Vinko Pintarić was born on April 3, 1941, in Zrinski Topolovac, a small village near Bjelovar in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He grew up during a difficult time in history, as World War II significantly affected his family. His father, Ilija, joined the Partisan resistance during the war. However, near the end of the conflict, he was captured by the Ustaša, a rival group. In June 1945, Ilija was beaten in front of his family, including Vinko and his older brother, Josip. Despite efforts by Vinko's mother to seek help from Ilija's comrades, they refused to intervene. Ilija was taken away and was rumored to have been shot the day after his arrest.

After a couple of years, Vinko's mother remarried. Her new husband struggled with alcohol and often abused Vinko. These traumatic experiences left Vinko with feelings of betrayal and anger, which he expressed by often talking about "avenging his father." As he grew older, Vinko became interested in firearms. He used them for poaching and was caught several times by the police with weapons he owned illegally.

Vinko's first marriage lasted only a few months, ending due to conflicts with his in-laws, which led him to physically assault them. This incident resulted in Vinko spending some time in prison, after which he never returned to his wife. He later moved to Zabok, where he married Katica Tisanić, a divorced woman with a child. They built a house together and had a daughter.

Vinko Pintarić committed his first murder on April 26, 1973. After being rejected for a job at a local factory, he drank heavily at a nearby inn. On his way home, he got into a fight with his neighbors. In anger, he went home to get a pistol and shot one neighbor dead while wounding another. He then hid for 18 days before turning himself in to the police. Pintarić was sent to Vrapče Psychiatric Hospital for evaluation but escaped on September 18, 1973.

On October 24, 1973, Pintarić shot and killed his wife from his brother's house. He was drunk at the time and did not remember the event until he learned what he had done the next day. After being captured on January 20, 1974, he was tried for two murders and other charges. Pintarić pleaded not guilty, claiming he was provoked while intoxicated. He was initially sentenced to death, but this was later changed to 20 years in prison.

While in Stara Gradiška prison, Pintarić behaved well and had special duties. However, he began threatening his former neighbors after eight years. On February 21, 1982, he escaped by adding his name to a list of prisoners granted leave. A few days later, he wrote to his attorney, stating he planned to kill many people.

Pintarić then lived with Barbara Šipek and they committed crimes together. When she was arrested in April 1983, Pintarić burst into the Kucelj family home with a shotgun, threatening to kill unless she was released. He was overpowered and left for dead but survived severe injuries, losing full use of his right arm.

After being sentenced again to 20 years in Lepoglava prison, he escaped once more on September 3, 1989, during a day of leave. Pintarić returned to his life of crime, breaking into cottages. In June 1990, he murdered Rudolf Belina and a neighbor of Šipek. His fifth victim, Božo Habek, was shot for asking Pintarić if he was looking for someone.

By 1991, police intensified their search for Pintarić. They learned about his habits and found that he was visiting his lover, Ankica Buhiniček. A stakeout was set up at her house. On the third night, he was spotted approaching. When police called for him to surrender, he opened fire, injuring a policeman, and then retreated into the house.

Pintarić continued to refuse to surrender, even after the police used tear gas to force him out. In a final act of violence, he shot Buhiniček. Eventually, a police officer entered the house and killed Pintarić. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Lepoglava cemetery.