Ruth Snyder (1895 – January 12, 1928) was executed for the murder of her husband, Alfred (Albert?) Snyder. She was electrocuted (by 'state electrician' Robert G. Elliott) at Sing Sing Prison on January 12, 1928, along with Judd Gray, her lover and co-conspirator.

The final moments of her execution were caught on film with the aid of a miniature camera strapped to the ankle of Tom Howard, a Chicago Tribune photographer working in cooperation with the New York Daily News. The picture is still controversial.

Trivia

Sophie Treadwell's play Machinal was inspired by the life and execution of Ruth Snyder, as was the novel Double Indemnity by James M. Cain, which itself was later adapted for the screen by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and late remade. Body Heat and two versions of The Postman Always Rings Twice may also have been inspired by the murder.

Ruth Snyder's execution was mentioned as the first female in New York history put to death in Polly Adler's autobiography, A House is Not a Home.

External links

• http://www.poeforward.com/mrperfumery/deadgirls/historical/executed/snyder/snyder.htm
• Executions in New York

1895 births | 1928 deaths | American murderers | People executed for murder