Michael Bruce Ross
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Michael Ross | |
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 Mugshot |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name: | Michael Bruce Ross |
| Born: | July 26, 1959 Putnam, Connecticut |
| Died: | May 13, 2005 (aged 45) |
| Cause of death: | lethal injection |
| Penalty: | capital punishment |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims: | seven confirmed |
| Span of killings: | 1981 through 1984 |
| Country: | USA |
| State(s): | Connecticut |
Michael Bruce Ross (July 26, 1959 – May 13, 2005) was an American serial killer. He was executed by the state of Connecticut, making it the first execution in Connecticut and the whole of New England since 1960.
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[edit] Early life
Ross was born in Putnam, Connecticut to Patricia Hilda Laine and Dan Graeme Ross.[1] He grew up on a farm in Brooklyn, Connecticut. His home life was extremely dysfunctional; his mother, who had abandoned the family at least once and had been institutionalized, beat all four of her children, saving the worst for him. Some family and friends have suggested that he was also molested by his teenaged uncle, who committed suicide when Ross was six.
He was a bright young boy with an IQ of 122, and he performed well in school. He would later attend Cornell University and study agricultural economics. He began stalking women in his sophomore year. In his senior year, he committed his first rape, and his first murder soon after. Between 1981 and 1984, he raped and murdered eight girls and women (aged 14 to 25) in New York and Connecticut.
[edit] Rape and murder spree
His murder victims (seven of the eight were also raped) were:
- Dzung Ngoc Tu, 25, a Cornell University student, killed May 12, 1981
- Tammy Williams, 17, of Brooklyn, Connecticut, killed January 5, 1982
- Paula Perrera, 16, of Wallkill, New York, killed March 1982
- Debra Smith Taylor, 23, of Griswold, killed June 15, 1982
- Robin Stavinsky, 19, of Norwich, killed November, 1983
- April Brunias, 14, of Griswold, killed April 22, 1984
- Leslie Shelley, 14, of Griswold, killed April 22, 1984
- Wendy Baribeault, 17, of Griswold, killed June 13, 1984
He also raped (but did not kill):
- Vivian Dobson, 21, 1983
Plainfield police rejected the possibility that Ross had been Vivian Dobson's rapist. They did not press charges and Ross made no confession.
Ross confessed to all of the murders, and was convicted of four of them. He was sentenced to death on July 6, 1987, and spent the next 18 years on death row.
[edit] Legal battles and execution
Ross strongly supported his own death sentence in the last year of his life, saying that he wanted to spare his victims' families any more pain. In spite of this, an hour before the execution was due to take place in the early hours of January 29, 2005, Ross' lawyer, acting on behalf of Ross' father, got a two-day stay. Ross was then scheduled to die by lethal injection on January 31, 2005 at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5). However, earlier in the day, the execution was again postponed because of doubts that Ross was mentally competent; having fought against his death sentence for 17 years, he suddenly waived his right to appeal. (See also death row phenomenon)
Vivian Dobson, whom Ross had raped, became a vocal opponent of the death penalty in an effort to save his life.
In his final days, Ross became an Oblate, or associate, of the Benedictine Grange, a Roman Catholic monastic community in West Redding, Connecticut.
He was executed by lethal injection on May 13, 2005. His last meal was turkey a la king with rice, mixed vegetables, white bread, fruit, and a beverage. [2] When asked if he would like to make a last statement, he said, without opening his eyes, "No, thank you."
Ross' remains were buried at the Grange.
After the execution, Dr. Stuart Grassian, a psychiatrist who had argued Ross was not competent to waive appeal, received a letter from Ross dated May 10, 2005, which read "Check, and mate. You never had a chance!"
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- "Indefinite Reprieve For Ross", Newsday, (February 1, 2005)
- "Michael Ross." Profile of Serial Killer. Accessed on May 14, 2005.
- "Connecticut serial killer put to death", CNN, (May 13, 2005)
- "Serial killer sent taunting note before execution", CNN, (June 14, 2005)
- Crime Library article on Ross
