Vladimir Ivanovich Kuzmin was born on September 14, 1965, in Moscow, Russia. He grew up living alone with his mother, who was sick and blind. From a young age, Kuzmin had a difficult childhood. At the age of 10, he started stealing. By the time he turned 12, he had been caught several times and had multiple convictions for vagrancy.

Instead of taking care of his mother, Kuzmin stole money from her and sometimes even hurt her when she tried to confront him about his behavior. This led to him being sent to a special school for three years when he was just 14 years old. This school, Kashirskaya special school, housed children from troubled homes and young offenders.

When he returned home in June 1982, he had no intention of following the laws of society. He began breaking into apartments, focusing on those on the first and second floors, where he could easily get in through a window. After stealing items, he would sell them for money. In September 1982, he was caught and sentenced to seven years in a youth detention center. His time there was horrific, and he was raped multiple times by other inmates. To gain respect, he started to target weaker boys and treated them the same way he had been treated.

During his time in this youth detention center, Kuzmin committed a violent act by throwing hydrochloric acid into another inmate's face, blinding him. This resulted in an additional five years added to his sentence.

In the spring of 1993, Vladimir Ivanovich Kuzmin escaped from prison and went to Moscow. There, he met a 13-year-old boy named Denis Kalistratov near an orphanage. Kuzmin offered Denis beer and took him to a construction site, where he tried to force him into sexual acts. Denis initially refused, but after Kuzmin threatened him with a knife, he complied. They began a relationship, and Denis moved in with Kuzmin.

By June 1997, Kuzmin returned to Moscow to find Denis again. He discovered that Denis had been living alone after his mother died. Kuzmin threatened Denis to break up with his girlfriend and moved in with him. Denis eventually expressed he did not want to continue a sexual relationship, leading to an arrangement where he agreed to help Kuzmin with his activities.

On July 2, 1997, Kuzmin met a 15-year-old boy named Yuri. He invited Yuri to his home where he made sexual advances. After Yuri refused, Kuzmin attacked him with a knife, raped him, and later, with Denis's help, they disposed of Yuri's body by burning it in a barn near Borisov Pond.

Later, on August 30, Kuzmin met another 15-year-old named Vladimir. He told Vladimir he was offering a job and invited him to discuss the details at Denis's apartment. Once there, Kuzmin raped Vladimir, and Denis suffocated him with a pillow. They disposed of Vladimir’s body in the Moskva River.

As time passed, Denis fled from Kuzmin. Kuzmin then committed more murders on his own, confessing to a total of 11 murders, which included three minors, five men, and three women. Authorities found bodies of some victims, but four of his potential victims remained missing.

On September 25, 1997, a body of a young man named Vladimir K. was discovered. He had been missing for two days and was last seen at Denis's apartment. Police surveillance was set up, leading to Denis's arrest. During the investigation, blood was found in the apartment, which was later linked to recent events. Denis confessed to the police that Kuzmin had a set of keys to the apartment.

Investigators located and arrested Kuzmin, who had been living with a relative in Moscow. His trial began in 1999, resulting in a life sentence for murder, rape, and other crimes. He spent the first five years in prison and the remainder in a special regime penal colony.