Ruth Snyder: Dumb True Crime Case With A Legacy
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Ruth Snyder has a special place in the history of New York’s crime and American culture. Only 6% of executions are women. In addition, the Ruth Snyder electric chair photo is one of the rare photos of an inmate being executed.
We’ll look at the story of Ruth Snyder, the murder of Albert Snyder and the execution of Ruth and her lover.
Dig into one of the most historical moments in the history of crime. It might be one of the dumbest ways to kill your husband ever, but the impact of Albert’s murder, the trial, and the Ruth Snyder photo make it a useful case to understand.
Who Is Ruth Snyder (Full Name May Ruth Brown Snyder?
Ruth Synder was an American murderer who killed her husband Albert Snyder. She was sentenced to death row at Sing Sing Prison in New York City.
Her story began on March 27, 1895 when she born in New York City to Harry and Josephine Brown who named her May Ruth Brown. Her mother described her as a tomboy who enjoyed parties, bridge, restaurants, and theaters.
Ruth only had an 8th grade education, but Ruth’s first job was with the phone company. She also took shorthand and typing courses to help her career. That’s how she got her secretarial job at Motor Boating magazine, where she’d meet her husband at 19 years old.
Who Is Albert Snyder?
Albert Snyder was the art editor at Motor Boating magazine (It’s about boats not rubbing a face between the breasts for anyone who wonders). He was good-looking, but 13 years older than Ruth. When he showed interest in her Ruth began dating him.
He’d been previously engaged, but the woman died before they got married. He enjoyed working on his car, creating things, and hanging out at home. He also expected a wife to manage the home, care for the children, and work. Ruth’s mother described him as being glum, moody, and evil-tempered.
Despite all this, Ruth married Albert Snyder in 1915 and became Ruth Snyder. Three years later she gave birth to their daughter Lorraine.
Who Is Henry Judd Gray?
Henry Judd Gray was a corset & bra salesman who met Ruth Snyder when she was out to lunch. He was just one of those dumb guys that would do anything to please a woman…even kill her husband with her to help her commit insurance fraud. He explained the power she had over him.
She would place her face an inch from mine and look deeply into my eyes until I was hers completely. While she hypnotized my mind with her eyes she would gain control over my body by slapping my cheeks with the palms of her hand.
What Did Ruth Snyder Do?
Ruth Snyder started cheating on her husband. Whether it was loneliness, the abuse (both physical and emotional. He’d compare her to his dead fiancee), or something else she started seeing other men. Her mom was encouraging her to get a divorce, but she had other plans.
Ruth convinced Albert to get a $48,000 insurance policy with a double indemnity clause (we’ll explain the clause in the FAQ).
Ruth convinced one of the men she met, Henry Judd Gray, to help her kill her husband. After they were arrested he told police:
She tried to kill her husband seven times before I finally helped her.
On March 20, 1927, Ruth and Henry strangled Albert with a picture wire while holding chloroform-soaked rags over his mouth and beating him with a sash weight. Once he was dead, they staged the house to look like a burglary.
Gray left and Ruth called the police to report that there was a burglary and her husband was dead. When police got to the house things weren’t adding up. The house didn’t look like it had been burglarized, nor was Ruth acting like someone who had just watched the horrible death of her husband. She provided the police a list of items that were stolen.
The police searched the house and found the items hidden under the mattress. Oops!
It gets worse. Detectives found a letter from her husband’s former fiancee with the initials J.G. and when they asked her who it was. Ruth asked what Gray had to do with the murder which instantly made the police suspicious about foul play in Albert’s murder.
The detectives hunted Gray down, but he claimed he had an alibi and had been at the hotel all night. That Alibi didn’t hold up though because the person who booked the hotel room wasn’t actually Gray. Once, police proved his alibi was nonsense, he admitted to killing Albert with Ruth.
During the court trial, there was little evidence, but given confessions and the finger pointing that broke out between Ruth Snyder and Henry Judd Gray, both were found guilty, given the death penalty, and Ruth Snyder would become the first woman executed by the Sing Sing electric chair.
Why Did Ruth Snyder Kill Her Husband?
Ruth Snyder definitely killed her husband to collect money from an insurance company, but there might have been more to it than that.
People who knew Ruth Snyder’s story have different guesses as to why Snyder killed Albert. Some say it was because he hung his ex-fiancee’s picture on the wall and named their new boat after her (what a douche). Others think it was because he was abusive to both her and her daughter.
It could have been Albert found out about her extramarital activities or that she just wanted a pay day.
New York Convicts Henry Judd Gray And Ruth Snyder
New York tried Snyder and Gray for first degree murder and pursued capital punishment, which meant they could receive a death sentence. Ruth wanted separate trials but prosecution and Gray both wanted them to be tried together. The judge sided with Ruth.
Both defendants had confessed during police interrogations so it was hard for them to argue that they were not guilty. Ruth tried to convince the jury that her confession was under duress and that Gray was the one who wanted to kill her husband. Gray went about blaming Ruth for pushing it so she could claim life insurance.
The jury concluded both were guilty and both were sentenced to the electric chair. The court case ended in 1927 and she went to Sing Sing prison to await her death.
Sing Sing Prison
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is the 5th prison in New York and has been open since 1825. It used to hold both men and women, but is not a men’s facility. 614 people, 606 men and 8 women have been put to death there by electric chair.
Ruth Snyder Execution In The Electric Chair
The execution of Ruth Snyder and Henry Judd Gray occurred on January 12, 1928, less than a year after the crime was committed. Ruth Snyder’s execution was notable for several reasons including:
First woman killed in Sing Sing since 1899
Third woman executed in New York
First photo of electric chair in use
The Ruth Snyder chair photo was the first electric chair photo ever published. Tom Howard, a young reporter working with the Chicago Tribune in conjunction with New York Daily News, illegally snuck in a miniature camera strapped to his ankle and captured Ruth’s electrocution (seen in the photo above).
The executioner, Robert G. Elliot is of mixed opinion about the Ruth Snyder execution photo. He thinks that routinely sharing the photos from executions would either discourage crime or get the death penalty banned.
Why Did The Ruth Snyder Make Front Page News?
Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray killing Albert Snyder would seem unremarkable today. But it was the roaring twenties.
There was a Tabloid war going on and everyone was trying to one up each other. The Daily Graphic, the Daily News, and Daily Mirror were constantly sensationalizing everything.
One journalist called them “The Dumbbell Murders” for how dumbly they were committed. They gave her nicknames like Ruthless Ruth, synthetic blonde murderess, and vampire wife just to stir up public attention.
The case became even bigger with the picture of Ruth's execution.
FAQ
What Is Double Indemnity?
Double indemnity is a life insurance provision that provides double the face value of an insurance policy when specific events occur like the murder of Albert Snyder. Insurance companies really don’t like it when you purchase a murder provision and the kill your husband or wife. It’s insurance fraud and it’s unlikely to pay off.
The insurance agent that wrote the policies on Albert got in trouble for insurance fraud and the family was never paid.
Why Is Ruth Snyder Famous?
Ruth Snyder is famous because of the electric chair execution photo taken by Tom Howard. According to Death Penalty Photo executions are not public events and photography is specifically not allowed making the Ruth Snyder death photo one of the rare published photos of an execution.
In addition, her court case set the precedent that co-defendants do not have to be tried separately.
How Old Was Ruth Snyder When She Died?
Ruth Snyder was 32 years old when she was executed at Sing Sing Correctional Facility.
Where Is Ruth Snyder Buried?
Ruth Snyder is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. The Google Maps below shows the approximate location of her grave.
What Happened To Lorraine Snyder, Daughter Of Ruth Snyder?
Ruth Snyder had a daughter named Lorraine. After Ruth’s execution, the Snyder and Brown families had court battles over the only child. Given Ruth’s Mom, Josephine Brown had been caring for her after her father was murdered and mom imprisoned , the court’s gave custody to Josephine.
Lorraine managed to stay out of the spotlight of American history after that. I would assume at this point she is no longer living as she would be 108 years old.
Final Thoughts On The Murder Of Albert Snyder
The murder of Albert Snyder seems commonplace today, but the carelessness of Ruth Snyder and her lover is an unexpected act of stupidity. Seriously! If you’re going to kill someone don’t hide the evidence under the bed.
For any parents out there, don’t describe your kid as “the finest woman” after they killed someone. It looks callous and out of touch with reality.
In addition, the bravery of a young photographer to sneak a camera in and capture her final moments on camera is a pretty ballsy media stunt. I’m not quite sure why more journalists haven’t attempted similar tactics. It would be super easy today with camera glasses and other technology.
Have you ever known anyone who killed their husband or wife? What stupid mistakes did they make?
