What an ill-suited pair! Still "in love" with his dead fiancee-who he didn't seem to love enough to marry- and she too young and shallow. Fascinating story, BC. Thanks!
Somehow I knew Judd was gonna mess up the murder. Then she messed up her acting and interrogation. Smart police work also. These videos beat watching forensic files. Thanks for your work.
Berating a stranger for a simple mistake before stalking her at work, and then marrying the stranger while obsessing over a dead woman? Albert sets the romance bar high ❤️
I'm not sure it was obsessing over a dead woman. I lost my husband recently to cancer, at 36.. I have no desire to, but if I ever were with another I would definitely keep a photo of my husband and Our daughter up. Simply bc you lose a spouse to death, doesn't mean your love died as well. If your new significant other can't respect & understand that, perhaps they aren't the one for you.. ya know? I get your point lol but I don't know that a picture on a desk equals obsessing.
@@denisenoe3702 AND talked to the photo instead of to his actual living wife AND kept comparing her to his dead fiance and how she was inferior. Like of course if he had loved her he wouldn't just erase her existence completely, but maybe show some respect to your living family lol... Otherwise if he was never going to get over her, then why go to all these lengths to marry a girl he accidentally met because of a wrong number?
Very true! Also, it was probably the first time, most people had ever seen the picture of someone about to to go to the electric chair! Let alone a woman!
My Time I was young and not thinking. At that young age we think we can get away with anything but in reality we can’t. Don’t think about going down such a path cause it’s not worth it, trust me.
Clare Morgan I watch this stuff to try and understand human psychology and relationships. It’s not a bad thing watching them but often, it doesn’t feel like a good thing either. My husband is just happy I’m not watching politics. 🤓
Some of the nicest things about youtube are communities like this one which has sprung up around Brief Case. We're a cheery crowd, despite our taste for crime! Thanks, Brief Case!
@@melissaivy5309 ... Their really really worth watching. Great movies and fantastic actors/actresses and brilliant story lines. Both well made movies and made good money in their time at the cinemas .
Judd had a daughter, too. Both those kids were shafted, but the one lost both her parents. Although, the father wasn’t really present before he was killed😔.
As a mom, I can’t imagine being so selfish that taking care of your child is less important that living a more exciting life. That poor little girl grew up without her parents. I’d be curious to know how the grandmother afforded the cost of taking care of her granddaughter.
Little Lorraine was raised by her grandma but I don't know more. I've long wanted to know more. Although neither cops nor public gave it credence, Ruth's story was very different than Judd's. She said it was him that wanted the murder and that he murdered Albert while she was in the restroom. She claimed she took out the insurance policies because she feared he would snitch to Albert if she didn't do what he told her.
Life Insurance Salesman: "Yes ma'am, you heard that correctly. You will receive twice the payout in the case of a violent suspicious death." Ruth: "Take my money!"
This story reminds me of the film titled (Dial M for Murder), starring Ray Milland and Grace Kelly, with a little bit of (Double Indemnity) starring Barbara Stanwyck thrown into the mix. Thank you for the interesting story.
Love hearing these mostly forgotten stories. Brief case does them extremely well and the time, hard work and effort is greatly appreciated 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. Thanks
1) No wonder this case is also called “The Dumbbell Murder”... not just after the weapon but the criminals themselves 2) I’d say that Albert’s fiancé was with him even in death...Her initials just so happen to match his wife’s lover’s? Which was what lead to Ruth’s confession... 3) Poor Loraine to have such a mother. But at least she had a good grandma.
janey doe-nuts By that logic you’d be pegging Loraine as a “bad person” because HER mother was a murderer. There are plenty of cases where the parent/s are horrible people who’s kids turn out to be decent, law abiding citizens and vice versa. The grandmother was good enough to take her in and raise her in anonymity.
@@littlereddstar5264 So true. But their are also so many bad parents who raise bad children. It all depends on the person. I would say more bad parents seem to raise good decent children, the children seem to see how bad their parents are and want to become something completely different to that said parent(s).
I cannot believe they hid incriminating jewellery under a mattress in her home??? They were very wicked people, not only did they kill her husband, but they, to all intents and purposes, orphaned her daughter and left her stigmatized! Incidentally, as an Italian lady, i felt a bit offended when they decided to tell the police, that two 'Italian men' had robbed and murdered her husband! Huh!!! .... Thank you for sharing these great videos with us all and great narration! xxxx
There was a huge influx of Italians into the United States in the late 1800s early 1900s. As with all new immigrants coming in as a large group, they were looked down upon and people thought that they were violent etc etc. You can see this in the writings of Sherlock Holmes. And also which most people don't know is that people from the very south of Italy and from Sicily were called the n word by some people in the United States because they were dark.
Yay, one of my favorite historical crimes! I'm reminded of Damon Runyon's description of Ruth Snyder: "A chilly-looking blond with frosty eyes and one of those marble you-bet-you-will chins, and an inert, scare-drunk fellow that you couldn't miss among any hundred men as a dead set-up for a blond, or the shell game, or maybe a gold brick." Runyon referred to the crime as "what might be called, for want of a better name, The Dumbbell Murder. It was so dumb." How very true. Also, check out "Murder on the Links" (1923) by Agatha Christie.
Have you ever read the description of this crime in "Women Who Kill" by Ann Jones? Admittedly, Jones is often distorted by her radical feminism. But I believe she is correct to view Ruth's version as "plausible" as Judd Gray's version. Reading Jones might give you a fresh look at the whole thing.
Great story as always Brief Case - you really wonder why people have always thought that killing someone who is in their way is the “perfect” solution!! None of the people involved in this sad case had a chance. I hope the daughter found happiness somewhere. Thanks BC - love your work 👍👍
@@BriefCaseOfficial It will soon happen but remember with more subscribers comes more people trying to pick you apart, just remember to let them say what they want to say and ignore it. The love will outweigh the bad.
No, I really can't blame it on a wrong number. If she'd not called that wrong number she'd have bumped into a guy while buying groceries, or someone would have knocked on her door by mistake, or whatever. The problem was that when she & Judd started talking about "getting Albert out the way" they didn't immediately say, "Whoa! This is a really, really bad idea. If we want him out the way, there's this thing called divorce." (Interestingly, they don't seem to have discussed getting Mrs Gray out the way, were they going to arrange an accident for her or was Judd going to divorce her or were they planning a _ménage à trois?)_
Jimmy "the Shiv" DeStefano, the Death House barber at Sing-Sing, cut Ruth's hair before she was strapped into the electric chair. Jimmy grew up with Al Capone and his brothers, and their father Gabriel Capone had taught Jimmy how to cut hair. After he was released from prison, he became an airline pilot. I knew his daughter, and she told me a great deal about him. Jimmy Durante was a cousin of their's.
On January 13, 1928 the Headline on the New York Daily News was just one word: "DEAD." The headline was in reference to Ruth Snyder being electrocuted at Sing Sing Prison the night before at 11:06 p.m. for the murder of her husband by her and her lover Judd Gray (who followed right after Ruth in the electric chair). Ruth Snyder's crime and execution were nothing special until a photo of her electric chair in action ended up on the front page of the daily news. Tensions were high as Tom Howard walked into New York’s Sing Sing prison on the afternoon of Jan. 12, 1928. As he made his way through security and into the execution chamber, he stepped carefully as he was carrying contraband that if found, was certain to get him ejected or possibly arrested. Strapped to his right ankle was the reason for his careful footsteps. A custom single-use camera, a miniature version of a classic model, was neatly tucked beneath his pant cuff. A wired shutter release ran up his leg, the button within undetectable reach of his hand. Photography was strictly prohibited during executions and the rule was enforced even more so at Ruth Snyder’s. The press had been enamored with her case since it broke and were clamoring to be allowed in to photograph her final moments. As an unknown person who was from out of town, Howard was the only one who had managed to smuggle a camera in. After Snyder was brought in, the small crowd watched as she was strapped to the chair. When it was turned on, Howard pointed his toe toward her chair and snapped a single photo. Though Ruth Snyder was dead, her photo lived on. Albert Snyder seemed to be continuously and hopelessly devoted to his late fiancee Jessie Guishard. Even after marrying Ruth, he proclaimed Guishard (who had been dead for 10 years) to be the finest woman he had ever met. At one point, he hung a picture of her on the wall of their home and then insisted upon naming his boat after her. So Ruth, shunned by a man in love with a dead woman, took a lover by the name of Henry Judd Gray. Gray was a corset salesman who lived in Queens Village, where Ruth and Albert Snyder made their home, and the two had met in town. Shortly after meeting, the two began to plot Albert’s murder. First, Ruth persuaded Albert to purchase life insurance, a $48,000 policy that had a double indemnity clause, meaning that even if Albert died from an unexpected act of violence (say, murder), Ruth would still get her money. Then, Ruth and Gray began to plot. According to testimony Gray gave after he was arrested, the couple tried to kill Albert seven times before they actually succeeded. Finally, on March 20, 1927, they managed to kill him. After garrotting him, and stuffing his nose with chloroform-soaked rags, they staged his death and the home to appear as if it had been burgled. The police quickly saw through her lies, after a hastily constructed tale of the so-called burglary fell through. A few days after Albert’s death, both Gray and Ruth were arrested. Though Ruth maintained her silence throughout questioning, Gray folded almost immediately under pressure, fessing up to the entire crime. Upon hearing Gray had confessed, Ruth turned on him, claiming it was his idea from the start. Both were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The press coverage of Ruth Snyder’s trial had been covered by the biggest names in crime reporting, such as James M. Cain. Cain would later write a novella which would be turned into the film “Double Indemnity,” which loosely mirrors the Snyder case. The attention given to the case by reporters had successfully turned it from a small town murder into a sensational nationwide crime. As soon as the people heard there would be an execution, the first woman’s in 30 years, everyone wanted a piece of the action. However, when the police heard that everyone wanted coverage, they shut it down. While photography was usually prohibited in executions, Sing Sing guards took it especially seriously in Ruth’s case. No member of the media would get in with a camera, that much the guards were sure of. Little did they know what Tom Howard had up his sleeve - or his pant leg, to be exact. The editors of the New York Daily News knew that the Sing Sing guards were familiar with all of their reporters, so they outsourced. Howard, a photographer for the Chicago Tribune which owned the Daily News, agreed to go to Sing Sing as an undercover reporter. The photo he took was angled slightly and blurry, but nonetheless priceless. Despite not being able to even see what he was taking a photo of, and having to guess his aim by using the toe of his shoe as a pointer, the photo was ultimately a good one. The morning after the execution, the photo was splashed across the front page of the New York Daily News under a headline that simply read: “DEAD!” The photo was instantly hailed as the most famous tabloid photo of the decade, and indeed, it was. The photo itself - as hazy it was - was shocking. The image of Ruth Snyder’s fingers curled around the arms of the electric chair haunted audiences for years. Howard was given a $100 bonus for the photo, which caused a change in prison procedure. For decades after, anyone attending an execution was thoroughly searched before they were allowed in the room - with particular attention paid to pant legs.
Crazy how many people become enamored with convicts. At least this time it was men proposing to a woman. That’s a switch 😉 thanks again for an interesting story.
The strange thing is, she showed no propensity towards violence or crime at any point in her life prior to the murder. The photograph of her in the electric chair at the moment of her death is, indeed, a chilling one and probably best not included here.
No, should be included here because it is part of history. And history should be shown. And maybe somebody will see that and it might make them hesitate about killing someone.
The death sentence was passed down May, 1927 and they were executed January, 1928. They did not mess around back then. Today a person sentenced to death can expect to live for many years on death row before they are executed.
They never learn and still haven't to this day. The get rich quick by killing your spouse thing doesn't seem to work very much 😁 My big question is why didn't he take the jewelry and the stuff they used for murder out of the house when he left? So crazy. Great episode brother
That was bugging me. They could have also tried harder with evidence. Have Judd leave old bootprints all over the house and then discard the boots that night. I mean, I'm glad they were caught but they didn't exactly make it hard xD
I don't think the public knew about forensics like they do today. They probably thought nobody is going to look at boot prints because the brand sell so many etc. Or it wasn't even a thought.
Absolutely incredible job once again! Given how old these cases are and how much info and details you share to us, goes to show you how much work you pit into each case! Just fantastic! Cheers mate
I know it's not a rule but the older I get this guideline seems more accurate: "if you'll lie you'll cheat, and if you'll cheat you'll steal, and if you'll steal you'll kill". If you'll cheat on your spouse with me, buzz off and get some decency. If life with your spouse is that bad keeping assets will not be on your mind. You won't feel entitlement even towards what you did invest into, you'll just want freedom and peace.
The picture he had of his ex was quite large. You can't really blame her for not wanting it up. She tried to take it down many times, but he always put it back up Didn't she put her jewelry in between her bed between the mattress? EDIT: Lol, nevermind. It's absolutely insane that people send love letters, and marriage proposals to murders! Examples: Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and recently the monster Chris Watts.
Maybe she should have burned the photo of the dead fiance. I'll never understand either the lure of these dangerous criminals to the opposite sex who want to marry and have children with them.
Another great doc from B.C.!! Binge watching today. You always find old, interesting cases. Love hearing their stories and how tough life was back then.
Thanks for introducing me to this American case, of which I was previously unaware. The m.o. (one perpetrator tying up the other, to simulate a break in and robbery) appears, I think in one of Conan Doyle's stories. As always, clearly and interestingly presented.
At 10:30 Ruth claimed that 'Two Italian men had broken into the house and committed the crime'. I suppose Italian men were a convenient scapegoats like Blacks would be later.
When the shit hits the fan there is no loyalty 'each blames the other 'anything to save there own skin '''love is only a fleeting moment 'and once the moment is gone it everyone for themselves 'I don't know anyone who is happily married after 25 years 'they both run their spouse's down and they don't have any respect for each other '''
even though your video doesn't come up until just before midnight Monday where I am I always stay up to wait for it. I find these cases fascinating the way these people always think they're smart enough to get away with it. sounds like there really was three in the relationship which I imagine took a toll but one would think divorce, even in the 20's rather than murder would be the better option particularly when getting caught means you're probably going to die as well and not get what you wanted anyway.
So many out there back then and even now, that actually believe they can get away with murdering someone. They are oblivious that law enforcement are a few steps ahead of them. These 2 were like clowns at a circus act. The dumb just get dumber. Put to death for something that could have been avoided by getting a divorce and moving on. There are alot selfish, ignorant people out there.
Actually, the majority of murders go unsolved. A case has to be one extreme or the other, either two morons like this, or some wack job collecting heads for the cops to solve it so quicklly. The police would have everyone think it's like this or CSI but its really not, Look up unsolved murder cases on YT, you'll be shocked at how many cases are never resolved.
Lisa don’t be fooled only 48% of violent crimes are solved. Crime shows exaggerates policing capabilities. I know murders who have gotten away with it. Why? because the police were to lazy to try to prove it.
FYI Queens Village is in Queens NY. Queens is a borough of NYC; Long Island is a suburb right outside NYC, east of the borough of Queens. Maybe it queens was districted as part of LI then🤔...?
A physical description of Ruth Snyder by Damon Runyon: "She is not bad-looking. I have seen much worse. She is thirty-three and looks just about that, though you cannot tell much about blonds. She has a good figure, slim and trim, with narrow shoulders. She is of medium height, and I thought she carried her clothes off rather smartly. She wore a black dress and a black silk coat with a collar of black fur. Some of the girl reporters said it was dyed ermine; others pronounced it rabbit. They made derogatory remarks about her hat. It was a tight-fitting thing called, I believe, a beret. Wisps of her straw-colored hair straggled out from under it. Mrs. Snyder wears her hair bobbed, the back of the bobbing rather ragged. She is of the Scandinavian type. Her parents are Norwegian and Swedish. Her eyes are blue-green and as chilly-looking as an ice cream cone." I don't think he liked her, do you?
I just wish I had a dude, that we get some popcorn on select nights, put this crap on the TV and trip and go off on how interesting and crazy these stories are. Wake up go to work, take care of the kids together and just have this as our "Our time" arrrgh. Life can't be this hard man 😣😣😣
Dear Brief Case, you're my favorite TH-camr. Every time I see a new video, I feel like saying "YES!" My day is always better when you post. I know you take a lot of time preparing these videos. They are so appreciated! THANK YOU! :)
Nowadays I don't understand, but in those times it was quite different I think. I do have to wonder though, why not just stay in a loveless marriage like most everyone else did during that time? She seemed to have an enormous amount of freedom and money, so why couldn't she be satisfied with that? You are not going to get a happily ever after by killing someone.
BC, Syracuse, New York where Judd was arrested is 3 hours away from where I live in Saratoga Springs, New York, it’s just too bad Ruth didn’t just divorce her husband. This makes me grateful I had a wonderful marriage with my late husband.
Her electric chair pic isn't even bad...I'm surprised you omitted it. I know like 98% of the people who watch your videos religiously want to see! (If anyone is curious, just Google her name and the pics come up.)
Why didn’t you show that famous photo of Ruth in the electric chair?its extremely well known here in the USA. It can be easily googled under “ Ruth Snyder in the electric chair”. It’s still quite chilling . I didn’t know how to transport it to the comments section.
Hair raising from start to finish, the plotting and deed to do-and into Justice and strapped to the electric chair, is stunningly sad, and for share brutality not much different to been clubbed by a rod of metal. Oh adultery and the price we pay, the cost, and the normalization a MSM staple.
I'm not placing blame in him, but why in gods name did Albert marry Ruth when they had so little in common? I have no idea why she even starting seeing him after he snapped at her like that. He seemed entitled to coming down with someone if he was not happy, and it sounds like he was unkind to her in the marriage. Her attempt to murder him was just so damn stupid... I understand why she would want to relationship to end, and NOT want a divorce in that time, but why didn't she just continue her affairs and leave her husband alone like he wanted? So long as she kept it under wraps enough that she did not get a bad name around town, her husband was aloof enough not to know or care to look into what she did so long as she was not around him and did not act obviously guilty.
Why are the faces of so many who lived so long ago so severe looking in their pictures? Not quite monster but not quite human looking either. Disquieting if not outright disturbing.
What an ill-suited pair! Still "in love" with his dead fiancee-who he didn't seem to love enough to marry- and she too young and shallow. Fascinating story, BC. Thanks!
@Joons Melodie Why, thank you!
Probably only loved her because she died ahhahahahaha 😳
He was shallow too. He only married her because he liked how she looked.
@@janinedear-barlow it seems that way, doesn't it?
It was doomed to be unhappy.
Maybe there were reasons for them being engaged for so long that you don't know.
The stupidity and evil of people never ceases to amaze me.
Especially when there are alternate ways to get out of situations that don’t involve murder.
164 offers of marriage...and I can’t even get a text back 🤷♀️
Heres your frist tex lol
bhahahahahaha
Hi 👋 from Toronto Canada 🇨🇦
Hi Canada 👋 from England 🏴
@@shehitch4565 Hi England from England lol.
"One can live for years sometimes without living at all, and then all life comes crowding into one single hour."
Oscar Wilde.
The corset salesman failed to give the police the slip!
Good One :)
🤣🤣🤣 Golden Bear
Good one. He would have soon lost his business cuz corsets were going out of style anyway.
Ayyyyy!
Lol that's a good
Somehow I knew Judd was gonna mess up the murder. Then she messed up her acting and interrogation. Smart police work also. These videos beat watching forensic files. Thanks for your work.
Someone called it "The Dumb Bell Murder" because it "was done by two dumb bells with a dumb bell."
Berating a stranger for a simple mistake before stalking her at work, and then marrying the stranger while obsessing over a dead woman?
Albert sets the romance bar high ❤️
Hahaha!😂
I'm not sure it was obsessing over a dead woman. I lost my husband recently to cancer, at 36.. I have no desire to, but if I ever were with another I would definitely keep a photo of my husband and Our daughter up. Simply bc you lose a spouse to death, doesn't mean your love died as well. If your new significant other can't respect & understand that, perhaps they aren't the one for you.. ya know? I get your point lol but I don't know that a picture on a desk equals obsessing.
@@Mandy-nt2cs He put pics of Jessie Guischard up on the wall even though Ruth begged him not to put those pictures up there.
@@denisenoe3702 AND talked to the photo instead of to his actual living wife AND kept comparing her to his dead fiance and how she was inferior. Like of course if he had loved her he wouldn't just erase her existence completely, but maybe show some respect to your living family lol... Otherwise if he was never going to get over her, then why go to all these lengths to marry a girl he accidentally met because of a wrong number?
@@nexbatistaVery true.
I can believe that those papers sold that fast. Humans have always had a morbid curiosity when it comes to death.
Yup.
Thank god today we have cell phones I'd never make to news stand in 15 min
@@bobross8786 lol!! It's both sad and amusing that this was my first thought too.
Very true! Also, it was probably the first time, most people had ever seen the picture of someone about to to go to the electric chair! Let alone a woman!
BLOODY POND LIVES Exactly! And that is exactly why I had to google that photo.
I'll never understand people who think killing their spouse is a way to solve problems.
It's still happening.
It didn’t work for me. I got caught.
My Time I was young and not thinking. At that young age we think we can get away with anything but in reality we can’t. Don’t think about going down such a path cause it’s not worth it, trust me.
@@jgharts4949 You should pick up another hobby then, as you clearly aren't very adept at this kind of stuff!!!
Dominic Field Yep, young and dumb! Big mistake.
I guess everyone who loves this channel has a morbid curiosity, including me! Lol
I love true crime since I was 11 yrs old
You think that's a bad thing?
The human dilemma. 😔
Clare Morgan I watch this stuff to try and understand human psychology and relationships. It’s not a bad thing watching them but often, it doesn’t feel like a good thing either. My husband is just happy I’m not watching politics. 🤓
Perhaps we feel empowered and prepared, just in case.
Some of the nicest things about youtube are communities like this one which has sprung up around Brief Case. We're a cheery crowd, despite our taste for crime! Thanks, Brief Case!
Very true.
Thank you for contributing to that positive atmosphere!
@Nicky L I feel the same way about those people, but I just pass over their comments.
I love true crime since I was 11 sad for those who were killed .
If a guy engaged you for 10 years it means you don't want to marry you
@Lon Hixson I would love to marry myself. Lol.
TERRY- Yes. Just hanging on in there for whatever reason.
@@melissaivy5309 yeah I'd be cool
That was my thought too !
TERRY olitz I’d agree if this case and details didn’t show that he obviously loved her like crazy
The film Double Indemnity was based on this case
Worth watching.
I've seen that movie! Also, there's The Postman Always Rings Twice.
OOOooh. I'm going to have to watch both! Thanks guys.
@@melissaivy5309 You're welcome 😊!
Yes! Considered one of the top 100 US films of all time by the American Film Institute (I think it was #28 in 2007). :)
@@melissaivy5309 ... Their really really worth watching. Great movies and fantastic actors/actresses and brilliant story lines. Both well made movies and made good money in their time at the cinemas .
I remember reading about this case. I feel sorry for her daughter.
Or how about great grandchildren deciding to do a little research on Ancestry just to find out they're related to this gal.
Judd had a daughter, too. Both those kids were shafted, but the one lost both her parents. Although, the father wasn’t really present before he was killed😔.
Should have listened to her mother and just divorced the guy.
Miss Marple would have commented that these things always happen because of greed.
@@MsLogjam: MsFluffySama, you and Miss Marple are all correct!
As a mom, I can’t imagine being so selfish that taking care of your child is less important that living a more exciting life. That poor little girl grew up without her parents. I’d be curious to know how the grandmother afforded the cost of taking care of her granddaughter.
Little Lorraine was raised by her grandma but I don't know more. I've long wanted to know more. Although neither cops nor public gave it credence, Ruth's story was very different than Judd's. She said it was him that wanted the murder and that he murdered Albert while she was in the restroom. She claimed she took out the insurance policies because she feared he would snitch to Albert if she didn't do what he told her.
Just think how many times this basic scenario has repeated itself over time.
Life Insurance Salesman: "Yes ma'am, you heard that correctly. You will receive twice the payout in the case of a violent suspicious death."
Ruth: "Take my money!"
Hahaha!😂
50 shades of Grey (Mr & Mrs) - Good afternoon BC, What a great story again. Thanks.
This story reminds me of the film titled (Dial M for Murder), starring Ray Milland and Grace Kelly, with a little bit of (Double Indemnity) starring Barbara Stanwyck thrown into the mix. Thank you for the interesting story.
Double Indemnity was based on it :)
I love that movie (dial m)
I've seen Double Indemnity.
Yes, both films are great. I equally love The Postman always rings twice (1981) with. Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange
@@valeriashcheglov7387 The earlier Lana Turner and John Garfield one was good too.
Sickening how these types turn on each other when the plot unravels, isn't it?
This story was on Deadly Women
Time 9:11PM Sun 5/30/21
Love hearing these mostly forgotten stories. Brief case does them extremely well and the time, hard work and effort is greatly appreciated 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. Thanks
1) No wonder this case is also called “The Dumbbell Murder”... not just after the weapon but the criminals themselves 2) I’d say that Albert’s fiancé was with him even in death...Her initials just so happen to match his wife’s lover’s? Which was what lead to Ruth’s confession... 3) Poor Loraine to have such a mother. But at least she had a good grandma.
🤣🤣
We have no idea if her grandmother was good or not. I mean she raised a murdering daughter.
janey doe-nuts By that logic you’d be pegging Loraine as a “bad person” because HER mother was a murderer. There are plenty of cases where the parent/s are horrible people who’s kids turn out to be decent, law abiding citizens and vice versa. The grandmother was good enough to take her in and raise her in anonymity.
@@littlereddstar5264 So true.
But their are also so many bad parents who raise bad children.
It all depends on the person.
I would say more bad parents seem to raise good decent children, the children seem to see how bad their parents are and want to become something completely different to that said parent(s).
“It was like there were three people in the relationship, and one of them was dead.”
ZZING!!
I cannot believe they hid incriminating jewellery under a mattress in her home??? They were very wicked people, not only did they kill her husband, but they, to all intents and purposes, orphaned her daughter and left her stigmatized! Incidentally, as an Italian lady, i felt a bit offended when they decided to tell the police, that two 'Italian men' had robbed and murdered her husband! Huh!!! .... Thank you for sharing these great videos with us all and great narration! xxxx
There was a huge influx of Italians into the United States in the late 1800s early 1900s. As with all new immigrants coming in as a large group, they were looked down upon and people thought that they were violent etc etc. You can see this in the writings of Sherlock Holmes. And also which most people don't know is that people from the very south of Italy and from Sicily were called the n word by some people in the United States because they were dark.
I love that you show the pictures! My Auntie worked in a Switchboard,& I worked in a Hospital Switchboard for 15 years! I can relate.
She looks so sad, in every picture. He looks kind of blank. I've heard Ruth's name, but never really read about her. Thanks!
Morning 🌞 BC and folk's 👋👋👋. Happy Monday 😏 Glad to see you here 😊
Good morning! ☺️🙋🏾♀️
And we think of the old days as so square and uninteresting! Hi Brief Case, I think these are fantastic videos. And now I’ve got the creeps😂
Yay, one of my favorite historical crimes! I'm reminded of Damon Runyon's description of Ruth Snyder: "A chilly-looking blond with frosty eyes and one of those marble you-bet-you-will chins, and an inert, scare-drunk fellow that you couldn't miss among any hundred men as a dead set-up for a blond, or the shell game, or maybe a gold brick." Runyon referred to the crime as "what might be called, for want of a better name, The Dumbbell Murder. It was so dumb." How very true. Also, check out "Murder on the Links" (1923) by Agatha Christie.
All I can think of is there existed a time when people payed attention to your chin.
Same here. I’ve always been fascinated with this case too. 👍
@@chickenlover657 Well, they still do. Look at Jay Leno! 😉
Have you ever read the description of this crime in "Women Who Kill" by Ann Jones? Admittedly, Jones is often distorted by her radical feminism. But I believe she is correct to view Ruth's version as "plausible" as Judd Gray's version. Reading Jones might give you a fresh look at the whole thing.
Great story as always Brief Case - you really wonder why people have always thought that killing someone who is in their way is the “perfect” solution!! None of the people involved in this sad case had a chance. I hope the daughter found happiness somewhere. Thanks BC - love your work 👍👍
Engaged for 10 years?!
Phone was broken.
Cadillac Deville you’d be surprised. I had a friend who was engaged for 15 years. At the end they broke up. Smh
I know, 10 years is ridiculous especially as she was "the love of his life."
Ruth should have listened to her mother & got divorced
@@berja3895 I sure would HAVE
@@katias24 I'm not being engaged no more than a year. 2 at the most.... that's it. 10 years is too long for anyone. Ugh, 15 WTH?
I live in New York State and you pronounced everything beautifully! Thank you! I appreciate your attention to detail.
Thanks :)
This was just so sad...
Great job as always BC
Hugs from Sweden
Ruth and Judd weren't the brightest pair, I remember this case.
Well she should have thrown the things of his girlfriend out and listen up captain crunch I'm the new snap ,crackle,and pop .lol🔮🎭
You remember this case? You mist be very old.
@@lowrider81hd No I wasn't alive when it happened, what I mean is I saw this case or read about it elsewhere
Your channel is really blowing up! I gonna remember this when you’re at a million subs.
Long way off but Thanks :)
@@BriefCaseOfficial It will soon happen but remember with more subscribers comes more people trying to pick you apart, just remember to let them say what they want to say and ignore it.
The love will outweigh the bad.
So tragic.... and all because of a wrong number.
Butterfly Effect?
No, I really can't blame it on a wrong number. If she'd not called that wrong number she'd have bumped into a guy while buying groceries, or someone would have knocked on her door by mistake, or whatever.
The problem was that when she & Judd started talking about "getting Albert out the way" they didn't immediately say, "Whoa! This is a really, really bad idea. If we want him out the way, there's this thing called divorce." (Interestingly, they don't seem to have discussed getting Mrs Gray out the way, were they going to arrange an accident for her or was Judd going to divorce her or were they planning a _ménage à trois?)_
@@resourcedragon your last sentence, I thought exactly the same..
I fairly new the channel but damn I love it
Thanks :)
Hey! You can't have it- it's mine!
Just kidding. 😉 Yep, this channel is addictive.
Jimmy "the Shiv" DeStefano, the Death House barber at Sing-Sing, cut Ruth's hair before she was strapped into the electric chair. Jimmy grew up with Al Capone and his brothers, and their father Gabriel Capone had taught Jimmy how to cut hair. After he was released from prison, he became an airline pilot. I knew his daughter, and she told me a great deal about him. Jimmy Durante was a cousin of their's.
Very Interesting - Thanks :)
Wow! You got the skinny!!
Thanks for the info.
Thank you for these cases, well done. Love your accent: "muurdaare". Only you can say that so interestingly. Take care and best wishes.
Huh. Grey looks like the brother off of Everybody Love Raymond. Interesting story. Thanks for another great episode.
HelloKittyfouronesix oh good lord he does
On January 13, 1928 the Headline on the New York Daily News was just one word: "DEAD." The headline was in reference to Ruth Snyder being electrocuted at Sing Sing Prison the night before at 11:06 p.m. for the murder of her husband by her and her lover Judd Gray (who followed right after Ruth in the electric chair).
Ruth Snyder's crime and execution were nothing special until a photo of her electric chair in action ended up on the front page of the daily news.
Tensions were high as Tom Howard walked into New York’s Sing Sing prison on the afternoon of Jan. 12, 1928. As he made his way through security and into the execution chamber, he stepped carefully as he was carrying contraband that if found, was certain to get him ejected or possibly arrested.
Strapped to his right ankle was the reason for his careful footsteps. A custom single-use camera, a miniature version of a classic model, was neatly tucked beneath his pant cuff. A wired shutter release ran up his leg, the button within undetectable reach of his hand.
Photography was strictly prohibited during executions and the rule was enforced even more so at Ruth Snyder’s. The press had been enamored with her case since it broke and were clamoring to be allowed in to photograph her final moments. As an unknown person who was from out of town, Howard was the only one who had managed to smuggle a camera in.
After Snyder was brought in, the small crowd watched as she was strapped to the chair. When it was turned on, Howard pointed his toe toward her chair and snapped a single photo. Though Ruth Snyder was dead, her photo lived on.
Albert Snyder seemed to be continuously and hopelessly devoted to his late fiancee Jessie Guishard. Even after marrying Ruth, he proclaimed Guishard (who had been dead for 10 years) to be the finest woman he had ever met. At one point, he hung a picture of her on the wall of their home and then insisted upon naming his boat after her.
So Ruth, shunned by a man in love with a dead woman, took a lover by the name of Henry Judd Gray. Gray was a corset salesman who lived in Queens Village, where Ruth and Albert Snyder made their home, and the two had met in town. Shortly after meeting, the two began to plot Albert’s murder.
First, Ruth persuaded Albert to purchase life insurance, a $48,000 policy that had a double indemnity clause, meaning that even if Albert died from an unexpected act of violence (say, murder), Ruth would still get her money. Then, Ruth and Gray began to plot.
According to testimony Gray gave after he was arrested, the couple tried to kill Albert seven times before they actually succeeded. Finally, on March 20, 1927, they managed to kill him. After garrotting him, and stuffing his nose with chloroform-soaked rags, they staged his death and the home to appear as if it had been burgled.
The police quickly saw through her lies, after a hastily constructed tale of the so-called burglary fell through. A few days after Albert’s death, both Gray and Ruth were arrested. Though Ruth maintained her silence throughout questioning, Gray folded almost immediately under pressure, fessing up to the entire crime. Upon hearing Gray had confessed, Ruth turned on him, claiming it was his idea from the start.
Both were convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
The press coverage of Ruth Snyder’s trial had been covered by the biggest names in crime reporting, such as James M. Cain. Cain would later write a novella which would be turned into the film “Double Indemnity,” which loosely mirrors the Snyder case.
The attention given to the case by reporters had successfully turned it from a small town murder into a sensational nationwide crime. As soon as the people heard there would be an execution, the first woman’s in 30 years, everyone wanted a piece of the action.
However, when the police heard that everyone wanted coverage, they shut it down. While photography was usually prohibited in executions, Sing Sing guards took it especially seriously in Ruth’s case. No member of the media would get in with a camera, that much the guards were sure of.
Little did they know what Tom Howard had up his sleeve - or his pant leg, to be exact.
The editors of the New York Daily News knew that the Sing Sing guards were familiar with all of their reporters, so they outsourced. Howard, a photographer for the Chicago Tribune which owned the Daily News, agreed to go to Sing Sing as an undercover reporter.
The photo he took was angled slightly and blurry, but nonetheless priceless. Despite not being able to even see what he was taking a photo of, and having to guess his aim by using the toe of his shoe as a pointer, the photo was ultimately a good one. The morning after the execution, the photo was splashed across the front page of the New York Daily News under a headline that simply read: “DEAD!”
The photo was instantly hailed as the most famous tabloid photo of the decade, and indeed, it was. The photo itself - as hazy it was - was shocking. The image of Ruth Snyder’s fingers curled around the arms of the electric chair haunted audiences for years.
Howard was given a $100 bonus for the photo, which caused a change in prison procedure. For decades after, anyone attending an execution was thoroughly searched before they were allowed in the room - with particular attention paid to pant legs.
Crazy how many people become enamored with convicts. At least this time it was men proposing to a woman. That’s a switch 😉 thanks again for an interesting story.
The strange thing is, she showed no propensity towards violence or crime at any point in her life prior to the murder. The photograph of her in the electric chair at the moment of her death is, indeed, a chilling one and probably best not included here.
No, should be included here because it is part of history. And history should be shown. And maybe somebody will see that and it might make them hesitate about killing someone.
This is the earliest I've ever been, and it was worth it.
Another great upload. Thanks again BC👍😉
People should take care of HOME. Not so tempting, or tempted, if one is focusing on Home. Thank you!!
Yup.
A home can be a prison too.
Very true!! Point taken!! Have a good day!
Wut
@lois lane thanks!!🌞🌞
‘....worked in the magazine motorboating....’
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
The death sentence was passed down May, 1927 and they were executed January, 1928. They did not mess around back then. Today a person sentenced to death can expect to live for many years on death row before they are executed.
Nope
They never learn and still haven't to this day. The get rich quick by killing your spouse thing doesn't seem to work very much 😁 My big question is why didn't he take the jewelry and the stuff they used for murder out of the house when he left? So crazy. Great episode brother
That was bugging me. They could have also tried harder with evidence. Have Judd leave old bootprints all over the house and then discard the boots that night. I mean, I'm glad they were caught but they didn't exactly make it hard xD
Armature
Dumb
I don't think the public knew about forensics like they do today.
They probably thought nobody is going to look at boot prints because the brand sell so many etc.
Or it wasn't even a thought.
Absolutely incredible job once again! Given how old these cases are and how much info and details you share to us, goes to show you how much work you pit into each case! Just fantastic! Cheers mate
Thanks :)
I really want to know if the daughter ever read the letter, and what was in it...
I know it's not a rule but the older I get this guideline seems more accurate: "if you'll lie you'll cheat, and if you'll cheat you'll steal, and if you'll steal you'll kill".
If you'll cheat on your spouse with me, buzz off and get some decency. If life with your spouse is that bad keeping assets will not be on your mind. You won't feel entitlement even towards what you did invest into, you'll just want freedom and peace.
Not unless you're a Narcissistic
KoreaMojo old folks words, honest and true.
I just thought it rhymed till it said kill. Idk Ik a lot of cheaters but dam sure no killers
Criminal profiles now know that people committing petty crimes, if undetected and not stopped, will eventually escalate into major crimes
There's a reason Damon Runyon called this "The Dumbbell Murder".
am i the only one that thinks paying double for a violent death is an insurance company asking for trouble?
I have heard of the case - killing was way easier than a divorce. /sarcasm
Divorce was rare then. Women got nothing and usually lost their children.
This was on deadly woman, but I love how you sent more in depth of this story
The picture he had of his ex was quite large. You can't really blame her for not wanting it up. She tried to take it down many times, but he always put it back up
Didn't she put her jewelry in between her bed between the mattress? EDIT: Lol, nevermind.
It's absolutely insane that people send love letters, and marriage proposals to murders!
Examples: Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and recently the monster Chris Watts.
Maybe she should have burned the photo of the dead fiance.
I'll never understand either the lure of these dangerous criminals to the opposite sex who want to marry and have children with them.
Another great doc from B.C.!! Binge watching today. You always find old, interesting cases. Love hearing their stories and how tough life was back then.
I have become addicted to these stories & Brief Case's accent.
I never knew life insurance was that high!!
You decide how much.
This is one of my Ancestors!!! I just found this out!
When someone dies, the spouse better have a good alibi as they are always the number one suspect.
Thanks for introducing me to this American case, of which I was previously unaware. The m.o. (one perpetrator tying up the other, to simulate a break in and robbery) appears, I think in one of Conan Doyle's stories. As always, clearly and interestingly presented.
At 10:30 Ruth claimed that 'Two Italian men had broken into the house and committed the crime'.
I suppose Italian men were a convenient scapegoats like Blacks would be later.
Another amazing case, I'm listening with my friends in South Africa and it 14:39
Its 5am on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada. Coffee and Brief Case
Seems like a horrific and unusual crime. It's not. Worked for the ME office for 18 years and that scenario never stopped.
When the shit hits the fan there is no loyalty 'each blames the other 'anything to save there own skin '''love is only a fleeting moment 'and once the moment is gone it everyone for themselves 'I don't know anyone who is happily married after 25 years 'they both run their spouse's down and they don't have any respect for each other '''
Moral of the story? Don't let your marriage be boring. 😜🙂
Swift justice back then! Now.....they die of old age waiting instead!🙄
Some of your caese was on deadly women but you ALWAYS give the best details..
even though your video doesn't come up until just before midnight Monday where I am I always stay up to wait for it. I find these cases fascinating the way these people always think they're smart enough to get away with it. sounds like there really was three in the relationship which I imagine took a toll but one would think divorce, even in the 20's rather than murder would be the better option particularly when getting caught means you're probably going to die as well and not get what you wanted anyway.
Engaged for 10 years but didn't marry? Sounds closeted.
I've only just discovered your channel. Thanks for the unusual, lesser-known stories to us.
Thanks for listning
Aw, the good old days when death sentences were swiftly carried out.
So many out there back then and even now, that actually believe they can get away with murdering someone.
They are oblivious that law enforcement are a few steps ahead of them.
These 2 were like clowns at a circus act.
The dumb just get dumber.
Put to death for something that could have been avoided by getting a divorce and moving on.
There are alot selfish, ignorant people out there.
But... THE MONEY!
Actually, the majority of murders go unsolved. A case has to be one extreme or the other, either two morons like this, or some wack job collecting heads for the cops to solve it so quicklly. The police would have everyone think it's like this or CSI but its really not, Look up unsolved murder cases on YT, you'll be shocked at how many cases are never resolved.
Lisa don’t be fooled only 48% of violent crimes are solved. Crime shows exaggerates policing capabilities. I know murders who have gotten away with it. Why? because the police were to lazy to try to prove it.
FYI Queens Village is in Queens NY. Queens is a borough of NYC; Long Island is a suburb right outside NYC, east of the borough of Queens. Maybe it queens was districted as part of LI then🤔...?
A physical description of Ruth Snyder by Damon Runyon: "She is not bad-looking. I have seen much worse. She is thirty-three and looks just about that, though you cannot tell much about blonds. She has a good figure, slim and trim, with narrow shoulders. She is of medium height, and I thought she carried her clothes off rather smartly. She wore a black dress and a black silk coat with a collar of black fur. Some of the girl reporters said it was dyed ermine; others pronounced it rabbit. They made derogatory remarks about her hat. It was a tight-fitting thing called, I believe, a beret. Wisps of her straw-colored hair straggled out from under it. Mrs. Snyder wears her hair bobbed, the back of the bobbing rather ragged. She is of the Scandinavian type. Her parents are Norwegian and Swedish. Her eyes are blue-green and as chilly-looking as an ice cream cone." I don't think he liked her, do you?
I just wish I had a dude, that we get some popcorn on select nights, put this crap on the TV and trip and go off on how interesting and crazy these stories are. Wake up go to work, take care of the kids together and just have this as our "Our time" arrrgh. Life can't be this hard man 😣😣😣
You know it is an attainable goal, right? Sometimes time is the only solution... It might take a minute, but the right one could show up any time.
I almost felt sorry for her until she decided to be greedy and murder instead of just divorcing. 🤑💀
Dear Brief Case, you're my favorite TH-camr. Every time I see a new video, I feel like saying "YES!" My day is always better when you post. I know you take a lot of time preparing these videos. They are so appreciated! THANK YOU! :)
Thanks :)
another couple that are incompatible and they getting married , it's just a red flag
I will never understand how in the US you can take out an insurance on someone other than yourself.
Why didn't she just leave the man? Why murder him? Yes, her husband was not particularly a great husband, but he didn't deserve to die.
I always think this..
Logic eludes many.
@@phoenixdavida8987 You are so right.
Nowadays I don't understand, but in those times it was quite different I think. I do have to wonder though, why not just stay in a loveless marriage like most everyone else did during that time? She seemed to have an enormous amount of freedom and money, so why couldn't she be satisfied with that? You are not going to get a happily ever after by killing someone.
They don't think they'll get caught. Many people are filled with anger and bitter which leads them to inflicts violence on others. So sad.
BC, Syracuse, New York where Judd was arrested is 3 hours away from where I live in Saratoga Springs, New York, it’s just too bad Ruth didn’t just divorce her husband. This makes me grateful I had a wonderful marriage with my late husband.
Great story, full of detail and well narrated. Thanks BC thoroughly enjoyed!
Her electric chair pic isn't even bad...I'm surprised you omitted it. I know like 98% of the people who watch your videos religiously want to see! (If anyone is curious, just Google her name and the pics come up.)
This is litterly the only thing I look forward to on mondays. You're awesome man.
Error: Women in the USA could vote everywhere only starting in 1920 with the passage of the 19th amendment.
Damn, Ruth Synder was 31 in that mugshot? Man, she look like she could be my great-grandma!! She aged fast, LMAO!!
Why didn’t you show that famous photo of Ruth in the electric chair?its extremely well known here in the USA. It can be easily googled under “ Ruth Snyder in the electric chair”. It’s still quite chilling . I didn’t know how to transport it to the comments section.
yay been waiting :)
Hair raising from start to finish, the plotting and deed to do-and into Justice and strapped to the electric chair, is stunningly sad, and for share brutality not much different to been clubbed by a rod of metal. Oh adultery and the price we pay, the cost, and the normalization a MSM staple.
How you gonna tell us there was a photo published in the paper AND NOT SHOW US!!? HOW RUDE
Ah the good old days, where one could stroll into a corner store to purchase chloroform...
No questions asked.
Like wtf...
If only the society was less cruel towards divorced women as compared to divorced men..90% of these murders wouldn't have happened..
I'm not placing blame in him, but why in gods name did Albert marry Ruth when they had so little in common? I have no idea why she even starting seeing him after he snapped at her like that. He seemed entitled to coming down with someone if he was not happy, and it sounds like he was unkind to her in the marriage. Her attempt to murder him was just so damn stupid... I understand why she would want to relationship to end, and NOT want a divorce in that time, but why didn't she just continue her affairs and leave her husband alone like he wanted? So long as she kept it under wraps enough that she did not get a bad name around town, her husband was aloof enough not to know or care to look into what she did so long as she was not around him and did not act obviously guilty.
Stupid ppl think they can murder ur spouse and nobody gonna know bout it.if that the case they be alot of missing spouses........
He was engaged to his finance who he was in love with for 10 years but never married her ? But then goes to Marry Ruth who ended up killing him.
Why are the faces of so many who lived so long ago so severe looking in their pictures?
Not quite monster but not quite human looking either.
Disquieting if not outright disturbing.
almost misheard the guy's name as Hendrik Jut, only to be reminded it is a different clip
That's a quick thinking cop to grasp the situation when she asked if Jut confessed.
It’s done all the time that’s why suspects are interrogated in separate rooms .