Paul Michael Stephani was born on September 8, 1944, in Austin, Minnesota. He was the second of ten children in a Catholic family. His early childhood was marked by difficulty. When he was just three years old, his mother remarried. His stepfather was known to be abusive, often beating his stepchildren and sometimes even throwing them down the stairs.

As he grew up, Stephani faced many challenges. He married Beverly Lider and together they had a daughter. However, their marriage did not last, and they soon divorced. Throughout his life, he held several different jobs to support himself. In 1977, he worked as a janitor at Malberg Manufacturing Company, but he was fired from this position.

On December 31, 1980, Paul Michael Stephani attacked Karen Potack in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He beat her severely, causing serious injuries. Later, he called the police himself to report the incident, telling them about a girl who was hurt.

On June 3, 1981, Stephani killed Kimberly Compton, an 18-year-old student, in Minneapolis. After the murder, he called the police again, crying and saying, "God damn, will you find me? I just stabbed somebody with an ice pick. I can't stop myself. I keep killing somebody." He expressed remorse in later calls and even said he would turn himself in but did not follow through.

His next victim was Kathleen Greening, who was found dead in her home just outside Saint Paul. Stephani later admitted that he drowned her in her bathtub. The last person he murdered was Barbara Simons, a nurse he had met at a bar. After spending time with her, he stabbed her to death and then contacted the police again. He confessed to stabbing her multiple times and mentioned Kimberly Compton in that call.

Stephani picked up Denise Williams on August 21, 1982, and attacked her in a suburban area of Minneapolis. He stabbed her fifteen times using a screwdriver. Williams fought back and screamed, attracting attention from a nearby resident who intervened. This person helped identify Stephani later.

After the attack on Williams, Stephani went to seek medical help for his injuries from the struggle. This led to his identification as the "Weepy-Voiced Killer." Through further investigations, police linked him to the murders of Simons and Compton.

In 1997, Stephani was diagnosed with skin cancer. He confessed to the murders of Kimberly Compton, Barbara Simons, and Kathleen Greening. He had previously not been suspected in Greening's case. In total, he admitted to beating Karen Potack, murdering the three women, and attacking Denise Williams.

During the trial for Simons' murder, testimonies from his ex-wife and others suggested that Stephani was the caller who reported his crimes. He was convicted for the murder of Simons and the attempted murder of Williams, receiving a 40-year sentence. Paul Michael Stephani died in prison in 1998 due to skin cancer.