Bill, 49, was born in Colorado and raised on a farm east of Aurora, the sixth of 12 children of Bill and Ethel Ritter. Bill's dad was a heavy equipment operator, while his mom stayed home until tight economic circumstances forced her to find work as a bookkeeper when Bill was in his early teens.

Bill started working full time in construction at age 14 to help support the family. As a member of the local laborer's union, he continued working construction to pay his way through Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Law School. He earned his law degree in 1981 and was hired as a Denver deputy district attorney.

In 1987, Bill and his wife, Jeannie, began a three-year commitment to manage and expand a nutrition center in Zambia, Africa, where thousands of children suffered from malnutrition. Returning home in 1990, Bill worked as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office. In May 1992, Bill returned to the DA's Office.

Bill was appointed as Denver's district attorney in 1993. He was elected to the position in 1994 and re-elected in 1996 and 2000.