Michael Ross

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jump to: navigation, search

Michael Bruce Ross (July 26, 1959May 13, 2005) was an American serial killer. He was born in Brooklyn, Connecticut, and grew up on a farm. His home life was extremely troubled; 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 8.

Ross attended Cornell University and studied agricultural economics. He began stalking women in his sophomore year. In his senior year, he committed his first rape, and another rape/murder soon after. Between 1981 and 1984, he raped and murdered eight girls and women (aged 14 to 25) in New York and Connecticut.

His murder victims (seven of the eight were also raped) were:

  • Dzung Ngoc Tu, 25, a Cornell University student, killed May 12, 1981
  • Paula Perrera, 16, of Wallkill, N.Y., killed March, 1982
  • Tammy Williams, 17, of Brooklyn, killed January 5, 1982
  • Debra Smith Taylor, 23, of Griswold, killed June 15, 1982
  • Robin Stavinksy, 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

Ross confessed to the killings, was convicted for four of the murders, and spent 17 years on death row.

Ross was sentenced to death on July 6, 1987. Ironically, Ross strongly supported his death sentence, saying that he wanted to spare his victims' families any more pain. This sudden display of remorse has been attributed to the medication Ross was administered in prison, which stopped the flow of testosterone to his brain and, according to Ross, ended the fantasies of rape and murder he said had obsessed him for years. In spite of this, an hour before the execution was due to take place in the early hours of Saturday morning, January 29, 2005, Ross' lawyer was able to get 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. The stay was given because of doubts that Ross was mentally competent given that, having fought against his death sentence for 17 years, he suddenly changed his mind and waived his right to appeal.

He was executed by lethal injection on May 13, 2005.

His last words were:

"I owe these people. I killed their daughters. If I could stop the pain, I have to do that. This is my right, and I don't think there's anything crazy or incompetent about that."

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!"

His was the first execution in New England since 1960.

References

Personal tools