Stephen Wayne Anderson was born on July 8, 1953, in Troy, Ohio. From an early age, his family noticed that he had a difficult personality and struggled to fit in. His childhood was challenging, and he often felt like an outsider. As he grew older, his behavior became more troubling, leading to frequent problems.

In school, Stephen had a hard time following the rules and often clashed with both teachers and classmates. Making friends was difficult for him, and he spent much of his time alone. His family was concerned about his behavior but didn't know how to help him, which led to even more issues as Stephen began acting out more frequently.

By the time he was a teenager, Stephen's behavior had escalated to more serious problems. He started committing petty crimes and frequently found himself in trouble with the law. Despite these issues, he showed a talent for writing and had a few of his poems published.

On May 26, 1980, 26-year-old Stephen Wayne Anderson broke into the home of 81-year-old Elizabeth Lyman in Bloomington, California. Elizabeth, a retired piano teacher, was asleep when Anderson cut her telephone line and removed a glass pane from her French doors to enter the house. He searched the rooms one by one until he entered Elizabeth's bedroom, waking her up. She screamed, and Anderson shot her in the face with a .45 caliber handgun, killing her instantly. He then covered her body with a blanket, collected the bullet casing, and searched the house for money, finding less than $100.

After the murder, Anderson made himself a meal in Elizabeth's kitchen. A suspicious neighbor called the sheriff's department. While Anderson was eating and watching TV, deputies arrived and arrested him. He confessed to the murder, telling detectives that he was "born and trained to be a killer" and had always wanted to be one.

On July 24, 1981, Anderson was convicted and sentenced to death. The prosecution highlighted his violent history, including a previous incident where he stabbed and killed a fellow inmate, to prove he was too dangerous to keep alive. The jury agreed, leading to his death sentence.

On January 29, 2002, Stephen Wayne Anderson was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison. He was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. For his last meal, Anderson requested two grilled cheese sandwiches with radishes, a pint of cottage cheese, a mixture of hominy and corn, a slice of peach pie, and a pint of chocolate chip ice cream. He did not have any last words before his execution.