Steven Washington Jr. was born on July 27, 1948, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Details about his early life remain scarce, but a significant event occurred in October 1963 when he married Gwendolyn, a 15-year-old girl, under Florida's child marriage laws. Together, they had one daughter.

On August 28, 1963, Steven Washington committed a home invasion, attacking a 52-year-old woman. During the assault, he choked, sexually assaulted, and beat her, but ultimately decided not to kill her. Six days later, he broke into the home of a 72-year-old woman, repeating his previous actions of rape and beatings but again left her alive. Both women reported the attacks, with one describing her assailant as a black man with a grin on his face during the rape.

On September 25, Washington invaded the home of 75-year-old Austria native Mary Pawliw by climbing through an open window. He sexually assaulted, beat, choked, and ultimately strangled her to death, using such force that a bone in her neck was broken. Her slightly decomposed body was found the next day by police after concerned neighbors reported not hearing from her.

On October 20, Washington struck again, strangling 67-year-old Oleeta Lavina Beard McWaters to death. Her body was discovered the following day. Due to decomposition, it was unclear if she had been raped. By this time, authorities were investigating whether these attacks were linked.

On December 30, Washington entered the home of 80-year-old Eva Miller through an open window. He raped, beat, and strangled her to death. Neighbors reported hearing her cries, and her body was found the next day. By this attack, police had concluded that all the assaults were connected, and the attacker was nicknamed the "window-screen rapist/murderer" by the Tampa Tribune.

At each crime scene, Washington left his fingerprints, typically on the windows he had used to enter. This evidence led to his arrest on January 3, 1964. He confessed to the killings but claimed insanity. In November, he pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to three life sentences in December. Washington was denied a retrial in 1969, and in 1970, his appeal to the federal court was rejected by the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

On March 18, 2004, Steven Washington died at the age of 55.