Vaughn Orrin Greenwood was born on January 19, 1944, in Pennsylvania, United States.

In November 1964, Vaughn Greenwood committed his first murders by killing two transients. After this, he was convicted for a separate knifing assault in Chicago in 1966, which led to him spending five and a half years in prison. Once he was released and returned to California, Greenwood resumed his killing spree in December 1974.

Over the span of a few months, Greenwood murdered nine more victims between December 1974 and February 1975. Police later referred to these killings as the "Skid Row Slasher" murders. The victims were typically men, and their throats were cut. Some evidence suggested that Greenwood drank the blood of the victims. He also left behind cups of blood and rings of salt at the crime scenes, which led some people to believe the murders had connections to Satanism.

On February 3, 1975, Greenwood was apprehended after a failed attempt to murder a twelfth victim who survived. Following his capture, he was convicted of nine counts of murder, including eight related to the Skid Row Slasher killings. On January 19, 1977, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Vaughn Greenwood died on December 18, 2020, in California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo State Prison at the age of 76. The cause of his death is unknown.