Michael Ross
Encyclopedia
Michael Bruce Ross was an American
serial killer
. In 2005, he was executed by the state of Connecticut
, making it the first execution in Connecticut (and the whole of New England
) since 1960.
to Patricia Hilda Laine and Dan Graeme Ross. The oldest of four children, having two younger sisters and a younger brother, he grew up on a chicken farm in Brooklyn, Connecticut
. Ross' home life was extremely dysfunction
al; 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 boy who performed well in school. He attended Killingly High School and later attended Cornell University
, studied agricultural economics
, and became an insurance
salesman. He also exhibited antisocial
behavior from a young age, however; he began stalking
women in his sophomore year of college and, in his senior year, he committed his first rape
. His first murder
followed soon after.
.
He raped seven out of his eight murder victims. He also was alleged to have raped, but not killed a 21-year old woman named Vivian Dobson in 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 eight murders, and he was convicted for the last four of them. He was sentenced to death on July 6, 1987, and spent the next 18 years on death row
.
. Powers broke up with Ross in 2003 but still visited him until his death. He became a devout Catholic
after his arrest in 1984, meeting regularly with two priest
s through the years and praying the rosary
each morning. Ross had accomplishments, such as translating Braille
, acting as a "big brother" to other inmates, and sponsoring an impoverished child from the Dominican Republic
.
. That's what is ironic about the death penalty. He's looking forward to the peace." Yeager also said that Ross had come to believe there was no way his death sentences would be commuted without forcing the victims' families to suffer through more legal hearings; and that he knew his life would be meaningful, even behind bars: "He's had a horrible life, and he's wanted to do good."
In spite of this, an hour before the execution was to take place in the early hours of January 26, 2005, Ross' lawyer, acting on behalf of Ross' father, obtained a two-day stay of execution
. Ross was then scheduled to die by lethal injection
on January 29, 2005, at 2:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
. 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
. His attorney claimed that Ross was incompetent to waive appeals, as he was suffering from death row syndrome
.
Vivian Dobson, whom Ross was alleged to have raped, became a vocal opponent of the death penalty in an effort to save Ross' life.
In his final days, Ross became an oblate
, or associate, of the Benedictine Grange, a Roman Catholic
monastic community
in West Redding, Connecticut
.
Ross was executed by lethal injection
on May 13, 2005, at Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers, Connecticut
. He was 45 years old. Ross did not request a special last meal
before facing his execution, thereby dining on the regular prison meal of the day: turkey à la king with rice, mixed vegetables, white bread, fruit, and a beverage. When asked if he would like to make a last statement, he said, without opening his eyes, "No, thank you." Ross was pronounced dead at 2:25 a.m. His remains were buried at the Benedictine Grange Cemetery in Redding, Connecticut
.
After the execution, Dr. Stuart Grassian, a psychiatrist
who had argued that 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!"
Ross' execution was the first in Connecticut (and in all of New England) since 1960. It was also the first execution in Connecticut administered by lethal injection. As of 2010, Ross is the most recent inmate executed in Connecticut, although the state's death row
houses 10 convicted murderers who are in various stages of legal appeals.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. In 2005, he was executed by the state of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, making it the first execution in Connecticut (and the whole of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
) since 1960.
Early life
Ross was born in Putnam, ConnecticutPutnam, Connecticut
Putnam is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,002 as of the 2000 census. It is home to WINY, an AM radio station.-History:...
to Patricia Hilda Laine and Dan Graeme Ross. The oldest of four children, having two younger sisters and a younger brother, he grew up on a chicken farm in Brooklyn, Connecticut
Brooklyn, Connecticut
Brooklyn is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2000 census. The town center village is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
. Ross' home life was extremely dysfunction
Dysfunction
Dysfunction can refer to:* Abnormality * Dysfunctional family* Sexual dysfunction* Dysfunction , an album by the rock band Staind...
al; 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
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
when Ross was six.
He was a bright boy who performed well in school. He attended Killingly High School and later attended Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, studied agricultural economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
, and became an insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
salesman. He also exhibited antisocial
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
behavior from a young age, however; he began stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
women in his sophomore year of college and, in his senior year, he committed his first rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. His first murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
followed soon after.
| Victims |
| 1. Dzung Ngoc Tu (25) May 12, 1981. Cornell University student |
| 2. Tammy Williams (17) January 5, 1982. Brooklyn, Connecticut |
| 3. Paula Perrera (16) March 1, 1982. Wallkill, New York Wallkill, New York Wallkill is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Wallkill, Orange County, New York, a town*Wallkill, Ulster County, New York, a hamlet... , |
| 4. Debra Smith Taylor (23) June 15, 1982. Griswold Griswold, Connecticut Griswold is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,807 at the 2000 census. Griswold contains one borough, Jewett City, and also contains the villages of Doaneville,Rixtown, Glasgo, Hopeville, and Pachaug... , |
| 5. Robin Dawn Stavinsky (19) November 19, 1983. Norwich Norwich, Connecticut Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing... |
| 6. April Brunais (16) April 22, 1984. Griswold |
| 7. Leslie Shelley (14) April 22, 1984. Griswold |
| 8. Wendy Baribeault (17) June 13, 1984. Griswold |
Crime spree
Between 1981 and 1984, Ross murdered eight girls and women aged between 14 and 25 in Connecticut and New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
He raped seven out of his eight murder victims. He also was alleged to have raped, but not killed a 21-year old woman named Vivian Dobson in 1983.
Plainfield
Plainfield, Connecticut
Plainfield is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,619 at the 2000 census. The town comprises four villages: Plainfield , Moosup , Wauregan , and Central Village . Each village has their own respective United States Post Office and fire department...
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 eight murders, and he was convicted for the last four of them. He was sentenced to death on July 6, 1987, and spent the next 18 years on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
.
Imprisonment
During his incaraceration, he met his fiancée, Susan Powers, of OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Powers broke up with Ross in 2003 but still visited him until his death. He became a devout Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
after his arrest in 1984, meeting regularly with two priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s through the years and praying the rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
each morning. Ross had accomplishments, such as translating Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
, acting as a "big brother" to other inmates, and sponsoring an impoverished child from the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
Execution
Though he opposed the death penalty, 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. According to Kathry Yeager, a Cornell graduate, Ross believed that he had been "forgiven by God" and that he would be going to "a better place" once he was executed. She said, "He's not being punished. He's moving on to life eternalHeaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
. That's what is ironic about the death penalty. He's looking forward to the peace." Yeager also said that Ross had come to believe there was no way his death sentences would be commuted without forcing the victims' families to suffer through more legal hearings; and that he knew his life would be meaningful, even behind bars: "He's had a horrible life, and he's wanted to do good."
In spite of this, an hour before the execution was to take place in the early hours of January 26, 2005, Ross' lawyer, acting on behalf of Ross' father, obtained a two-day stay of execution
Stay of execution
A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not necessarily mean the death penalty; it refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed....
. Ross was then scheduled to die by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
on January 29, 2005, at 2:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
. 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
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
. His attorney claimed that Ross was incompetent to waive appeals, as he was suffering from death row syndrome
Death row phenomenon
The death row phenomenon, also known as the death row syndrome, is a term used to refer to the emotional distress felt by prisoners on death row. Concerns about the ethics of inflicting this distress upon prisoners have led to some legal concerns about the constitutionality of the death penalty in...
.
Vivian Dobson, whom Ross was alleged to have raped, became a vocal opponent of the death penalty in an effort to save Ross' life.
In his final days, Ross became an oblate
Oblate (religion)
An oblate in Christian monasticism is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Currently, oblate has two meanings:...
, or associate, of the Benedictine Grange, a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
monastic community
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in West Redding, Connecticut
Redding, Connecticut
Mark Twain, a resident of the town in his old age, contributed the first books for a public library which was eventually named after him.-Government:...
.
Ross was executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
on May 13, 2005, at Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers, Connecticut
Somers, Connecticut
Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, USA. The population was 10,417 at the 2000 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
. He was 45 years old. Ross did not request a special last meal
Last meal
The last meal is a customary part of a condemned prisoner's last day. Often, the day of, or before, the appointed time of execution, the prisoner receives a last meal, as well as religious rites, if they desire. In the United States, inmates generally may not ask for an alcoholic drink...
before facing his execution, thereby dining on the regular prison meal of the day: turkey à la king with rice, mixed vegetables, white bread, fruit, and a beverage. When asked if he would like to make a last statement, he said, without opening his eyes, "No, thank you." Ross was pronounced dead at 2:25 a.m. His remains were buried at the Benedictine Grange Cemetery in Redding, Connecticut
Redding, Connecticut
Mark Twain, a resident of the town in his old age, contributed the first books for a public library which was eventually named after him.-Government:...
.
After the execution, Dr. Stuart Grassian, a psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
who had argued that Ross was not competent to waive appeal, received a letter from Ross dated May 10, 2005, which read "Check, and mate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
. You never had a chance!"
Ross' execution was the first in Connecticut (and in all of New England) since 1960. It was also the first execution in Connecticut administered by lethal injection. As of 2010, Ross is the most recent inmate executed in Connecticut, although the state's death row
Capital punishment in Connecticut
Capital punishment in Connecticut currently exists as an available sanction for a criminal defendant upon conviction for the commission of a capital offense. Connecticut, along with New Hampshire, are the only two New England states that maintain a death penalty. Since the 1976 United States...
houses 10 convicted murderers who are in various stages of legal appeals.
Order of execution
Michael Bruce Ross' was the first execution in Connecticut in 2005, first execution in Connecticut since 1960, 22nd execution in the United States in 2005, and 966th execution in the United States since 1976.Nickname
Michael Ross appeared in a British television series about serial killers in 1995. The filmmakers who produced the segment gave him the nickname "The Roadside Strangler" because the other killers in the series had nicknames. One of the producers of the series said the name may have been the result of a brainstorming session at a motel bar. Ross was not called "The Roadside Strangler" by the Connecticut media or by local law enforcement while he was alive. The nickname has appeared sporadically in the media and on the Internet since it was added to Ross's Wikipedia entry in July 2009.See also
- Capital punishment in ConnecticutCapital punishment in ConnecticutCapital punishment in Connecticut currently exists as an available sanction for a criminal defendant upon conviction for the commission of a capital offense. Connecticut, along with New Hampshire, are the only two New England states that maintain a death penalty. Since the 1976 United States...
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
- Death row syndromeDeath row phenomenonThe death row phenomenon, also known as the death row syndrome, is a term used to refer to the emotional distress felt by prisoners on death row. Concerns about the ethics of inflicting this distress upon prisoners have led to some legal concerns about the constitutionality of the death penalty in...
- List of individuals executed in Connecticut
- List of most recent executions by jurisdiction
- List of murderers by number of victims
External links
- Indefinite Reprieve for Ross, NewsdayNewsdayNewsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, February 1, 2005 - Connecticut serial killer put to death, CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, May 13, 2005 - Photograph of Connecticut Lethal Injection Table
- Michael Bruce Ross - Summary of Execution
- Michael Bruce Ross on Crime LibraryCrime LibraryThe Crime Library is a website documenting major crimes, criminals, and trials, forensics, and criminal profiling from books, police reports, crime television shows, and writers...
