William Ray Irick was born on August 26, 1958, in Knoxville, Tennessee. From a young age, he exhibited signs of severe behavioral issues and was subjected to abuse at home. At age six, his mental health was first questioned, leading to evaluations that suggested he might have suffered from mild organic brain damage. Irick was institutionalized and later placed in an orphanage for emotionally disturbed children. By his twenties, he was working as a dishwasher at a truck stop in Knoxville, where he befriended Kenny and Kathy Jeffers. In 1984, Irick moved in with the Jeffers family and frequently babysat their children. Despite previous incidents of erratic behavior, the family continued to entrust him with their children's care. This trust would ultimately have tragic consequences.

On April 15, 1985, while babysitting for the Jeffers family in Knoxville, Tennessee, 26-year-old Billy Ray Irick raped and murdered 7-year-old Paula Dyer. The following morning, Irick called the child's father, stating he couldn't wake her. Paula was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the hospital; an autopsy revealed she had been sexually assaulted and died from asphyxiation. Irick was arrested shortly thereafter and confessed to the crime.

In November 1986, Irick was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated rape. He was sentenced to death on December 3, 1986. Over the next three decades, his execution was delayed multiple times due to legal challenges, including questions about his mental competency and the constitutionality of Tennessee's lethal injection protocol.

On August 9, 2018, after exhaustive appeals were denied, Irick was executed by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee. Witnesses reported that he showed signs of distress during the execution process, leading to debates about the humaneness of the state's execution method.