Stephen Christopher Stanko was born on January 13, 1968, at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

In April 2005, Stephen Christopher Stanko committed multiple violent crimes in South Carolina. He strangled Laura Ling, a 43-year-old librarian with whom he had been living. He also shot Henry Lee Turner, a 74-year-old library patron, killing him instantly. During these events, Stanko sexually assaulted Ling's teenage daughter and slashed her throat. Fortunately, she survived and was able to call 911 for help.

After the murders, there was a nationwide manhunt for Stanko. He was eventually captured by the U.S. Marshals Service on April 12, 2005, in Augusta, Georgia. Following his arrest, he went through trials for his crimes. In the trial for Laura Ling's murder held in 2006, he claimed insanity as part of his defense. The trial for the murder of Henry Turner took place in 2009. After being convicted of both murders, he received the death penalty in each case.

Stanko's home contained articles about famous serial killers, suggesting a possible interest in them. His previous criminal history included serious offenses, and he had been in prison before for assault and kidnapping. He is currently on death row at the Broad River Correctional Institution in South Carolina. Despite multiple appeals, his convictions have been upheld.