John Reginald Birchall was born into a well-to-do family in Lancashire on 25 May 1866 and was educated in England; he matriculated at Lincoln College, Oxford, in 1885. While at Oxford he cultivated a high‑living social life and founded a club known as the Black and Tan Club, but he also accumulated debts and became notorious for gambling and extravagant living. By 1888 mounting liabilities forced Birchall to leave college and to sell inherited property to meet his obligations. That same year he purchased what he represented as a Canadian estate for £600 and — after eloping with his fiancée Florence Stevenson — emigrated to Canada, presenting himself there as a landed English gentleman under the aristocratic-sounding alias Lord Frederick A. Somerset.

In February 1890, John Reginald Birchall traveled to New York City with a group of investors. He was trying to convince them to invest in a horse farm he claimed to own in Canada. Among the investors was Frederick Benwell, the son of the largest potential investor. Birchall took Benwell to Ontario to show him the farm.

When they arrived near Woodstock, Birchall led Benwell into the woods. There, he shot Benwell twice in the back of the head. After the murder, Birchall returned to Buffalo and told the other investors that Benwell had decided to return to England.

On February 20, Birchall sent a telegram to Benwell's father in England, stating that his son had agreed to invest and requested £500. On February 23, 1890, hunters discovered a body in a swamp in Princeton, Ontario. The body was later identified as Frederick Benwell.

Birchall was arrested in Niagara Falls, Ontario on March 3. He was taken back to Princeton, where he denied killing Benwell. His trial started on September 22, 1890. The case received a lot of attention from news organizations in multiple countries.

On September 30, Birchall was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial. While in prison, he wrote an account of his story, hoping to provide for his wife after his death. Birchall was hanged on November 14, 1890. He was buried in the courtyard of the Woodstock City Gaol, and the swamp where Benwell's body was found became known as "Benwell Swamp."