William Dale Archerd was born on May 5, 1912, in Dardanelle, Arkansas. Not much is known about his early childhood. However, it is clear that he developed an interest in medicine as he grew older. Despite this interest, he faced challenges that prevented him from pursuing a medical career.

In 1940 and 1941, Archerd worked as an assistant at the Camarillo State Mental Hospital. There, he was involved in treatments where patients received insulin shock therapies.

In 1950, Archerd faced legal troubles. He was sentenced to five years of probation for possessing morphine in San Francisco. His legal issues continued, leading to another conviction that caused his parole to be revoked. At one point, he managed to escape from a minimum-security prison in Chino. However, he was caught again and sent to San Quentin Prison. He was released on probation once more in 1953.

During his life, William Dale Archerd lived in the Alhambra region of the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California.

William Dale Archerd was arrested on July 27, 1967, in Los Angeles for committing three murders. He was convicted of killing his fourth wife, Zella Archerd, just two months after their wedding on July 25, 1956. He also killed his nephew, Burney Archerd, on September 2, 1961, in Long Beach, and his seventh wife, Mary Brinker Arden, on November 3, 1966.

In addition to these confirmed murders, there are suspicions that Archerd may have been involved in the deaths of other individuals. These include William Jones Jr., who died on October 12, 1947, in Fontana; Juanita Plum Archerd, his fifth wife, who died on March 13, 1958, in Las Vegas; and Frank Stewart, who died on March 17, 1960. All of these suspected victims showed symptoms of hypoglycemia before their deaths.

Archerd received a death sentence on March 6, 1968, for the three murders. However, during the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that was later deemed unreliable. This involved the lack of awareness about an accurate test for blood insulin levels that had been developed earlier. The outcome of the trial was affected by this oversight.

In December 1970, the California Supreme Court upheld the death sentence. In 1972, the United States Supreme Court ruled to change his sentence from death to life imprisonment. William Dale Archerd died of pneumonia in 1977 at the age of 65.