Norman Roye

Roye was born on September 6, 1935. When he was 8 years old, both of his parents died to unspecified causes, and so he and his sister were raised by his grandmother.[2] After completing his Junior year of high school Roye began committing numerous petty crimes which landed him in a state reformatory in November 1951.[3] During his incarceration, he began to show an interest in baseball, and after his release made it into his school's baseball team.[4] He even aspired to one day make it into the major leagues. Though, Roye would state that around this time he began to commit purse snatches and thefts from parked trucks in New York City.

On January 2, 1954, Roye was prowling through an apartment complex in Harlem when he noticed Margaret Branch, 40, walking alone.[5] He followed her back to her room where he attacked, choked, and robbed her.[2] He then carried her to the fifth-floor where he raped and strangled her to death with one of her Christmas stockings.[2] Over four months later, on May 28, 1954, Roye found himself inside a subway station, where he stalked 25-year-old Kathleen Stewart through the station all the way back to her Harlem river apartment.[5] There, he threatened her with a knife which he did not actually have, forced her into the parking lot, raped her twice, tied her hands behind her back and strangled her to death.[2]

On June 7, 1954, Roye confronted 66-year-old Isadora Goomes as she entered the apartment building where she lived. Roye threw a noose around her neck and demanded money, and Goomes handed Roye five pennies, but not feeling satisfied Roye tightened the noose, resulting in Goomes dying of asphyxiation.[6] With the five pennies Goomes had netted him, Roye bought a box of crackers, which he ate while watching police examine Goomes body. Detectives took notice of this, and arrested Roye.[7]

Roye confessed to each of the murders, describing in detail how he had committed them. According to Roye's confession, he said he did not intend to kill Goomes, but claimed when he tightened the noose she "Just died on me."[8]

Two days before Roye's arrest, a man named John Francis Roche was arrested after he was spotted driving erratically, and once in custody confessed to six murders which occurred in the Yorkvile neighborhood on Manhattan's east side. The two cases, which occurred in close proximity to one another, were compared to each other by the press and the media.[6] In a jailhouse interview with his sister, Roye denied his confession, stating "They found my pants in the hallway." While awaiting trial, Roye was not eligible for bond. On February 4, 1955, Roye was convicted of first degree murder in the death of Goomes.[1] The jury did not recommend mercy, making a death sentence mandatory. Roye was formally sentenced to death on March 5, 1955.

While awaiting execution, Roye received no visitors, but turned to religion. After 10-months on death row, on January 19, 1956, Roye was executed by electric chair at Sing Sing Prison. His last meal consisted of roast chicken and steak.[9] Roye had no last words.[1]

• John Francis Roche
• Capital punishment in New York (state)
• List of people executed in New York
• List of serial killers in the United States