William Gerald Zuern Jr. was born on December 5, 1958, in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

William Gerald Zuern Jr. was involved in two murders. The first was on May 12, 1984, when he shot Gregory Earls in the chest. This act was driven by revenge because Earls had helped convict Zuern's father in a drug trafficking case years earlier. Zuern was arrested the following day without resistance.

While awaiting his trial for Earls's murder, Zuern had a conversation with another inmate. He expressed anger towards the corrections officers and mentioned a desire to harm them. Zuern was seen sharpening a piece of metal, which raised suspicions among the staff.

On June 9, 1984, while officers searched his cell, Zuern attacked Officer Phillip Pence. He lunged at Pence with a sharpened metal shank, fatally stabbing him in the chest.

Following these events, Zuern was tried for the murder of Officer Pence. He pleaded not guilty and claimed insanity during his trial. However, he did not offer a defense or call witnesses. On October 1, 1984, a jury found him guilty of aggravated murder.

As a result, he received the death penalty on October 5, and later pleaded guilty to the murder of Gregory Earls, receiving a life sentence that would run concurrently with his death sentence.

In prison, Zuern participated in a hostage situation on October 14, 1985. He and other inmates took two guards hostage and made demands for privileges. After negotiations, the guards were released unharmed.

Zuern's convictions were upheld by the Court of Appeals in June 1986. In 2000, a federal judge overturned his conviction, but in 2003, his death sentence was reinstated.

William Gerald Zuern Jr. was executed by lethal injection on June 8, 2004, just before the 20th anniversary of Officer Pence's murder. He did not make a final statement and refused to see family members before his execution. His last meal included various comfort foods.