Austin Gregory Myers was born on January 4, 1995. He grew up in Waynesville, Ohio. From a young age, he attended local schools. During middle school, he became friends with another boy named Justin Back. They spent time together during their seventh and eighth grades.

Myers was known to be an average student. He had a few close friends but was often described as quiet. As he entered high school, he still kept in touch with Justin. After graduating high school, Justin was planning to join the Navy. Myers, on the other hand, did not have clear plans for his future.

In their teenage years, Myers and his friend Timothy Mosley began discussing ways to make quick money. They talked about robbing a drug dealer or Justin's stepfather, Mark Cates. Myers had heard about a safe in the Cates home and believed it contained a large amount of money.

On January 27, 2014, Myers and Mosley thought about breaking into the Cates house. They drove to the home but saw that Justin was there, so they decided to leave. The two friends talked about how they could still get the money. It was during this conversation that Myers suggested a violent plan to rob Justin.

On January 28, 2014, Austin Gregory Myers and Timothy E. Mosley planned to kill Justin Back and steal from his home. In the morning, they bought supplies including septic enzymes and rubber gloves. They arrived at Back's home around 1:00 p.m. The plan was for Myers to distract Back while Mosley attacked him from behind. When Back let them in, they talked for a while before Back went to the kitchen.

Mosley then attacked Back and tried to strangle him while Myers held him from the front. A struggle ensued, and all three men fell to the kitchen floor. During the chaos, Mosley became panicked and used a knife to stab Back multiple times. Mosley and Myers both participated in the attack, with Back suffering a total of 21 stab wounds.

After killing Back, the two men looked for a safe in the house but found it locked. They found a handgun that belonged to Back's stepfather and loaded it. They attempted to clean up the scene using ammonia and then wrapped Back's body in a blanket. They placed the body in the trunk of Mosley's car and took various items from the house, including the safe and jewelry.

On their way, Mosley was worried about being followed, so they took back roads to a remote area. There, they parked the car and checked for blood. Myers found Back's wallet in one of the bags and took more than $100 from it. They returned to Mosley's house, where they unloaded items and planned what to do next.

They decided to hide Back's body behind a log in a field. After moving the body, Myers poured ammonia on it. He suggested shooting the body, and Mosley handed him the stolen gun, which jammed after two shots.

After hiding the body, Myers suggested killing Back's stepfather to cover up the crime, but they decided against it. They drove to a park and disposed of Back's laptop. They bought a crowbar to open the safe but found it contained nothing of value. They burned the evidence of the crime, including their bloody clothes.

Later that day, Back's stepfather discovered that something was wrong when he found his safe and handgun missing. He called the police, who investigated the crime and found Myers' car, which had been seen at the scene. Myers was arrested and initially denied involvement.

Under pressure, Myers admitted to being present during the stabbing but claimed he did not know what Mosley planned to do. Mosley, overhearing this, confessed and implicated Myers as the mastermind. After further questioning, Myers changed his story, admitting to shooting Back's body but still denying his role in the actual murder.

Later, police found Back's body based on directions given by Myers. An autopsy confirmed that Back died from multiple stab wounds.

During the trial, the case received significant attention, especially for the different sentences received by Myers and Mosley. Myers received a death sentence while Mosley received life in prison without the chance of parole. Myers was sentenced to death at age 19 and is currently on death row. Mosley is serving his life sentence in a separate prison nearby.