David M. Brewer was born on April 22, 1959, in Ohio. Little is publicly documented about his early childhood or family background. By his mid-20s, Brewer was socially connected with members of a college fraternity. Through these connections, he became acquainted with 21-year-old Sherry Byrne, the future victim.

Brewer had no widely reported prior violent criminal record before the murder. However, he later admitted that personal issues and poor decision-making led him down a destructive path.

On November 30, 1985, David Brewer lured 21-year-old Sherry Byrne, the wife of his former fraternity brother, under the pretense of helping her with errands. Instead, Brewer kidnapped Byrne and subjected her to a brutal assault. Reports state that Brewer beat, stabbed, and strangled Byrne to death. He then disposed of her body in a rural location.

Brewer was quickly identified as a suspect, arrested in December 1985, and charged with aggravated murder. Choosing to forgo a jury trial, Brewer faced a three-judge panel that found him guilty on September 19, 1985. The following month, in October 1985, he was sentenced to death.

Brewer remained on Ohio’s death row for 17 years and six months while pursuing multiple appeals at both state and federal levels. Each was unsuccessful, as was his petition for clemency.

On April 29, 2003, at 10:00 a.m., David M. Brewer was led into the execution chamber at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. Before his execution, he delivered final words acknowledging his guilt while stressing that many inmates on death row were innocent. Brewer was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m., marking the seventh execution in Ohio since the death penalty was reinstated in 1981.