Yavuz Yapıcıoğlu was born in 1967 in Adana, Turkey, as one of ten siblings. His upbringing was troubled; he was raised by his stepmother after his father married a woman with whom he had an affair. Despite these challenges, Yapıcıoğlu excelled academically, finishing primary and middle school at the top of his class and actively participating in school football teams. 

However, he dropped out in the tenth grade following a dispute with his parents and left home. He briefly married, but the union lasted only about 1.5 years. Yapıcıoğlu attempted to establish a leather trading business in Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, but it was unsuccessful. Before 1994, he joined a religious cult in Merter, Istanbul, and, lacking a stable income, lived with his brother during this period.

Yapıcıoğlu's criminal activities began in 1994. In one incident, he stabbed three individuals to death after one of them greeted him with "good morning." Following these murders, he hijacked a car and killed the driver, Rasim Aydın, before being apprehended in Avcılar. He was committed to Bakırköy Psychiatric Hospital but was released after a medical report indicated diminished responsibility.

After his release, Yapıcıoğlu continued his violent spree. He intervened in a dispute between a girl and a servant in Istanbul, resulting in the servant's death when he attempted to interfere. Fleeing to Adana, he murdered three more individuals without apparent cause. During a stopover in Ankara, he killed another man and subsequently murdered an eyewitness by slitting his throat. 

In Çorlu, he set his brother's shop and two relatives' houses on fire after disputes over money. He attempted to kill his father in Silivri, but his father defended himself with a shotgun, forcing Yapıcıoğlu to flee. In Edremit, he killed his maternal grandmother by striking her with a crystal ashtray after an argument. His mother died of a heart attack two days later upon learning of this incident.

In 2002, Yapıcıoğlu committed a series of murders in Çorlu, stabbing three individuals with a screwdriver and a knife over trivial matters. He also wounded several others before being apprehended on December 24, 2002. A psychiatric evaluation determined he was fully criminally liable, leading to his conviction and a 40-year prison sentence.