John Wolfgang Alexander Ausonius was born Wolfgang Alexander Zaugg on July 12, 1953, in Lidingö, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden. His father was Swiss and his mother was German. Both parents had moved to Sweden from their home countries. Ausonius grew up in Vällingby, another working-class suburb of Stockholm.

As a child, Ausonius faced bullying because of his non-Swedish background. He was teased for having very dark hair and brown eyes. This experience affected him and his identity. As an adult, he decided to change his appearance. He bleached his hair to make it blonde and wore blue contact lenses to change his eye color. Eventually, he legally changed his name from Wolfgang Alexander Zaugg to John Wolfgang Alexander Stannerman, and then to John Wolfgang Alexander Ausonius.

For his education, Ausonius attended the German School in Stockholm, which was an international school. However, he dropped out before graduating. Later, he completed his secondary school education through an adult education program. He was accepted into the Royal Institute of Technology but left after a few years without completing his studies.

In the 1980s, Ausonius had a mix of financial success and trouble. He worked as a taxi driver before becoming involved in stock trading. His skills in the stock market helped him earn a considerable amount of money, allowing him to live a yuppie lifestyle. By the late 1980s, he owned a luxurious apartment and drove a high-end car, a Toyota Supra. He was well ahead of his time by having a mobile phone, a luxury item at that time. Unfortunately, poor investment choices and a gambling addiction led to significant financial losses.

By the mid-1980s, Ausonius had begun to develop strong negative feelings toward Communists, Social Democrats, and immigrants. These beliefs were fueled by his experiences and associations, particularly during his time in prison. In 1986, he was incarcerated for multiple assaults, which led to a noteworthy interaction with a fellow inmate involved with a far-right organization.

In 1991, John Wolfgang Alexander Ausonius began a series of shootings targeting immigrants in Stockholm and Uppsala, Sweden. His attacks were motivated by a strong hatred for immigrants and foreigners. He shot his first victim, David Gebremariam, on August 3, 1991. Gebremariam was shot in the back but survived the attack. Two friends of his reported seeing a red light on his body before the shot was fired.

On October 21, 1991, Ausonius shot Shahram Khosravi in the face outside Stockholm University. Khosravi also survived. Just days later, on October 27, he shot Dimitrios Karamalegos, a homeless man, twice in the stomach; Karamalegos survived and reported seeing a bright red light before the shooting.

The following month, on November 1, Ausonius shot Heberson Vieira Da Costa, a musician, once in the head and several times in the stomach. Da Costa managed to survive and provided police with a good description of Ausonius. However, on November 8, he shot and mortally wounded Jimmy Ranjbar, another student, who died the next day.

In January 1992, Ausonius continued his spree. On the 22nd, in Uppsala, he shot Erik Bongcam-Rudloff in the head, who survived. The next day, he shot Charles Dhlakama, a bus driver, in the chest, but Dhlakama survived as well. That evening, he entered a Somali club and shot two men, both of whom also survived.

On January 28, 1992, Ausonius shot Isa Aybar four times in the head and arm. Aybar was seriously wounded but managed to call the police and survived. On January 30, he shot Hasan Zatara in the head, paralyzing him but not killing him.

After these attacks, a massive manhunt was launched by the police. Ausonius was arrested on June 12, 1992, during a bank robbery. He faced charges of murder and robbery. Although he could not be linked to all the shootings at the time, he later confessed to them in 2000. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

In 2016, Ausonius was extradited to Germany for the murder of Blanka Zmigrod, a Holocaust survivor, in 1992. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany. After his conviction, Ausonius was extradited back to Sweden to serve his sentences.