Michael Ross

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Michael Bruce Ross (July 26, 1959May 13, 2005) was an American serial killer. He was born in Putnam, Connecticut, and grew up on a farm in Brooklyn, Connecticut. 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 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.

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

Plainfield police rejected the possibility of Vivian Dobson being raped by Ross. 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 17 years on death row.

Ironically, Ross strongly supported his death sentence in the last year of his life, 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, acting on behalf of Ross' father, 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. (See also death row phenomenon)

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

He had no last words. When asked if he would like to make a last statement, he said, without opening his eyes, "No, Thank You." That was the only thing he said. Other than that, he lay still with his eyes closed the entire time.

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!"

Before his death, Ross had become an Oblate, or associate, of the Benedictine Grange, a Catholic monastic community in West Redding, Connecticut, inspired by the Order of Saint Benedict and the lifestyle and culture of the Shakers, a communal religious movement. The Benedictine Grange was founded by Revered John Giuliani, a Catholic priest and artist, under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. Mr. Ross's remains were buried at the Grange.

His was the first execution in New England since 1960.

Ironically, Vivian Dobson became a vocal opponent against the death penalty in an effort to save Ross's life.

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