Larry Lee Ranes was born on March 22, 1945, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was the younger brother of Danny Ranes, who was born just a year earlier. Their father was strict and often used harsh methods of parenting. This made life tense for the two brothers. They often argued and fought over small amounts of money. They were also encouraged to drink alcohol at a young age.

In 1954, when Larry was nine, his father left the family. He moved to Florida to work as a gas station attendant. This left Larry and Danny to be raised primarily by their mother.

As a teenager, in 1958, Larry met a neighbor named Sue, who was 23 years old and had three children. He spent a lot of time with her and helped take care of her kids. Over the next few years, he developed a close relationship with Sue. Larry and his brother Danny both dated a girl named Kathy from their high school in the early 1960s. The competition for Kathy's attention began to affect Larry's schoolwork. He eventually dropped out of school in the tenth grade.

In 1962, Larry and a friend were caught stealing a car. Instead of facing a harsh punishment, the district attorney offered Larry a deal. He could avoid jail time if he enlisted in the U.S. Army, which he agreed to do.

After joining the Army, Larry struggled with the rules and often got into trouble. He had problems with alcohol and was disciplined multiple times. During this time, his brother Danny married Kathy and started a family, which further complicated Larry's life.

In 1963, while still in the Army, Larry had a serious incident. He attacked a fellow soldier while intoxicated. This led to his dismissal from the Army. After returning to Kalamazoo, he repeatedly asked Sue to marry him, but she turned him down every time. These rejections caused Larry a lot of emotional pain. In December 1963, he reached a breaking point and attempted to take his own life by inhaling exhaust fumes in his car. Fortunately, a police officer found him and took him to the hospital. He spent ten days in the Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital for treatment.

On May 30, 1964, Larry Lee Ranes was picked up by Gary Albert Smock, a 30-year-old schoolteacher, while posing as a hitchhiker. During the drive, Larry brandished a weapon and forced Smock into the trunk of his car. Smock attempted to escape, which led Larry to stop the car. He then tied Smock up and shot him twice in the back of the head. Afterward, Larry stole $3 and other valuable items from Smock before leaving the car abandoned on the side of the road. The vehicle was discovered shortly after.

Over the following months, Larry talked about the murder to his acquaintances. This talk led to his arrest on June 5, 1964. When arrested, he did not resist and admitted to killing Smock. Personal items belonging to Smock were found in Larry's possession. After being taken to the police station, Larry confessed to having murdered four other people during robberies at gas stations. Among the victims he named were Charles E. Snider in Indiana, an Air Force serviceman in Michigan, a man in Las Vegas, and another man in Kentucky. Investigators suspected that one of these additional victims might have been Vernon La Benne, who was shot dead a day before his wedding.

Larry claimed he committed these murders for robbery. He went on to say that he had tried to take his own life after consuming food and alcohol but never went through with it. After a psychiatric evaluation, he was deemed insane, with doctors attributing his actions to psychological trauma from childhood abuse.

Larry's trial began on September 29, 1964. On October 8, he was found guilty of Gary Smock's murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on October 23, 1964. Following his conviction, Larry changed his name to Monk Steppenwolf in the early 1970s. While in prison, he kept in touch with his brother’s ex-wife and married her on his 31st birthday.

Larry Ranes remained in prison until his death at the Saginaw Correctional Facility on November 12, 2023.