Steven John Grieveson was born on December 14, 1970, in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. He grew up in a working-class neighborhood. Information about his family background is limited. It is known that he had a difficult childhood. Grieveson attended Hylton Red House School. Growing up, he struggled with feelings of isolation and had trouble fitting in with his peers. During his teenage years, Grieveson became more withdrawn. He was known to have some friends, but he also faced bullying at school.

As he entered adulthood, Grieveson continued to live in Sunderland. By this time, he had experienced various challenges, including issues with employment and his personal life. At some point, he began to identify as a homosexual. In the early 1990s, he began to get involved with a group of young boys. This was a time when he faced his inner conflicts and issues related to his sexuality. 

On 26 November 1993, Steven Grieveson murdered 18-year-old Thomas Kelly in an abandoned allotment shed in Fulwell, Sunderland. He set his body on fire. On 4 February 1994, Grieveson killed 15-year-old David Hanson in Roker Terrace. His last victim was 15-year-old David Grieff, whom he murdered on 25 February 1994 in another abandoned allotment, very close to where he had killed Thomas Kelly.

All three boys had connections to Monkwearmouth Academy, and it was believed that they might have known their killer. Grieveson was arrested on 11 March 1994, after being charged with an attempted burglary at a home where David Hanson's body was found. An extensive investigation followed, and in November 1995, Grieveson was charged with the three murders.

His trial took place in 1996 at Leeds Crown Court. After the six-week trial, Grieveson received three life sentences for the murders, with a minimum of 35 years to be served before he could be considered for release.

In November 2000, while in prison, Grieveson was questioned about the murder of 14-year-old Simon Martin, who was killed in May 1990. In June 2004, he confessed in a letter to the Victim Liaison Services about the three earlier murders but did not admit to Martin's murder. Grieveson was officially charged with Martin’s murder on 22 November 2012. He confessed to this murder on 11 February 2013, but claimed it was not premeditated. On 24 October 2013, he was convicted of Simon Martin's murder.

On 20 February 2014, Grieveson was arrested regarding the 1992 murder of seven-year-old Nikki Allan, but later inquiries cleared him of direct involvement. In 2017, police identified a complete DNA profile of Allan's true murderer. This led to a re-arrest of another suspect in 2019, and in May 2023, David Boyd was found guilty of Allan’s murder.