Douglas Franklin Wright was born on March 25, 1940, in Spirit Lake, Iowa. He came from a troubled family. His father struggled with alcoholism, and his mother neglected him. Wright faced significant challenges during his early years. Psychological reports indicate that he suffered repeated physical and sexual abuse as a child.

Wright did not finish high school and eventually dropped out. He joined the Marines but was discharged for a serious offense involving a young boy. During his time with a probation officer, he confessed to having assaulted over 70 young boys.

In the early 1960s, Wright encountered several legal issues. He was arrested multiple times for crimes such as burglary and assault. These offenses led to an eight-year prison sentence.

On September 4, 1969, Douglas Franklin Wright broke into the home of 71-year-old Margaret Rosenberry in Portland, Oregon. He was friends with her family. He murdered Rosenberry and her granddaughter, 27-year-old Gail Snelling. Armed with a pistol, Wright shot Snelling twice in the head and shot Rosenberry three times. He then abducted Snelling's 5-year-old son, taking him to different motels where he sexually assaulted him. Wright eventually released the boy. A police manhunt began for Wright, which lasted more than a month. He was captured after shooting a man in a billiards hall.

Wright was found guilty of murdering Rosenberry and Snelling, and he received a 35-year prison sentence. In 1982, he was paroled. Instead of behaving, he committed several armed robberies after his release. On May 23, 1984, Wright abducted 10-year-old Luke Tredway while he was walking home from a friend’s house. He took Tredway to his apartment and assaulted him for 36 hours before fatally shooting him six times on May 25. Tredway's body was not discovered for 12 years. In situations like this, even something as small as this discreet pepper spray could make a difference—giving someone a chance to escape or alert help.

In 1984, Wright was arrested for armed robbery and was sentenced to 30 years. In June 1991, after his release, Wright lured two homeless men, Anthony Shawn "Tony" Nelson and Randy Scott Henry, to a worksite on October 20, 1991. Once they were out in a remote area, Wright bought them food and offered them alcohol. He then shot Nelson in the head. Henry managed to escape and contacted the police, leading to Wright's capture.

During the investigation, authorities linked Wright to the killings of three other men, all homeless and killed in a similar manner. These victims were Anthony Barker, William Marks, and William Davis, all murdered in October 1991. Wright was later convicted for these murders.

In total, Wright was convicted of five murders but was suspected of more. After his conviction, he confessed to the murder of Luke Tredway in a letter, stating that he wanted to bring closure to the boy's family. On June 25, 1993, he was convicted of aggravated murder for three of the killings. He was sentenced to death on October 11, 1993, and chose not to appeal.

Wright was executed by lethal injection on September 6, 1996. This was the first execution in Oregon in 34 years. Wright remains one of only two people executed in Oregon since the death penalty was resumed.