Steve was sent to the Rockfort Prison along with his father, who sold information about Umbrella. He was a young man who was often reckless and impulsive. During the outbreak on the island, Steve escaped the jail and met up with Claire Redfield, whom he was instantly attracted to.

At first, Claire found Steve a bit annoying, but soon realized he was a good-hearted guy. Most of Steve’s emotional turmoil came from his father, who he blamed for the death of his mother. During their escape from the island, Steve encountered his father, who had become a zombie, and in the toughest moment of his life Steve shot and killed his father.

Steve grew close to Claire as they escaped the island and traveled to the Antarctic base, and eventually Steve fell in love with Claire and wanted to protect her, even though it was often the other way around. Steve managed to shoot Alfred to save Claire, which would lead to Alexia’s wrath. Alexia captured Steve and injected him with the T-Veronica virus, which transformed him into a huge green monster that held a giant axe. The monster went after Claire, but when he saw her in Alexia's grasp, his love overcame the monster and he used the axe to cut the tentacle, after which Alexia struck Steve, mortally wounding him.

Steve returned to human form and professed his love for Claire before dying in her arms. Later, Wesker would recover Steve’s dead body in order to regain a sample of the T-Veronica virus.