Billy Ray Irick

Billy Ray Irick
Born
William Ray Irick

(1958-08-26)August 26, 1958
DiedAugust 9, 2018(2018-08-09) (aged 59)
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
ConvictionsFirst degree murder
(November 1, 1986)
Two counts of aggravated rape (November 1, 1986)
Criminal penaltyDeath (December 3, 1986)
Details
VictimsPaula Kay Dyer, 7
DateApril 15, 1985

William Ray Irick (/ˈrɪk/ EYE-rik, August 26, 1958 – August 9, 2018) was an American convicted murderer from Tennessee who was sentenced to death and executed for the 1985 rape and murder of 7-year-old Paula Dyer in Knoxville. Irick, then aged 26, had been living with Dyer's family for over a year, and was babysitting five of the family's children (including Paula) on the night of the girl's murder. Irick was the first inmate executed in Tennessee in almost a decade.