Henry Judd Gray

Name

Henry Judd Gray

Status / outcome

Henry Judd Gray was executed by electrocution in New York on January 12, 1928. He sat smiling in his cell when the warden came for him. He received a letter from his wife forgiving him. He told the warden that he was ready to go and that he "had nothing to fear."

Timeline

• March 19, 1927 — Gray gave in and agreed to help Ruth Snyder plan the murder of her husband.
• Saturday, March 19, 1927 — Gray spent most of the day drinking while trying to summon the courage to go through with the murder.
• Saturday, March 19, 1927 — Gray traveled by train to New York from Syracuse and then by bus to Long Island.
• Saturday, March 19, 1927 — After arriving in Queens Village, Gray walked around for an hour, stopping under street lights to take drinks from his flask.
• Saturday, March 19, 1927 — Gray entered the Snyder home through the back door as planned and hid in a spare room with a window weight, rubber gloves and chloroform.
• After 2:00 am — The Snyder family returned and Ruth opened the bedroom door a crack. Ruth whispered, "Are you in there, Bud, dear?"
• After about an hour — Gray grabbed the window sash weight and Ruth led him to the master bedroom where Albert Snyder slept with the blankets over his head.
• After Gray raised the sash weight and brought it down clumsily — Gray raised the sash weight and brought it down clumsily onto Snyder's head; the weak blow glanced off Snyder's skull and he let out a roar and tried to seize his attacker.
• Shortly after — Gray became terrified and let out a whining scream: "Momsie, Momsie, for God's sake, help!"
• After Ruth grabbed the weight from Gray's hands — Ruth crashed the weight down on Snyder's skull, killing him.
• After Gray left — Ruth began banging on Lorraine's door; Lorraine removed the gag and told her mother to get help, then ran next door to a neighbor's house where the police were called.
• January 12, 1928 — Gray was executed first by electrocution.

The offence

Albert Snyder was killed during an attempted burglary staged as a robbery. Gray and Ruth Snyder entered the Snyder home, used chloroform and a window sash weight, and killed Snyder while he slept. After the killing, they faked a robbery by knocking over chairs and loosely tying Ruth's hands and feet.

Investigation

Police questioned Ruth after the burglary story failed to convince experienced officers. Stolen property started turning up in the house and items that Ruth said had been taken were found hidden in the house. A detective found a paper with the letters "J.G." on it and asked about it; Ruth immediately asked what Henry Judd Gray had to do with this, which was the first time Gray had been mentioned at all. Detectives began questioning Ruth and she confessed while blaming Gray.

Arrest

Gray was found hours later hiding in his Syracuse hotel room. He shrieked his innocence and insisted he was not in New York. When confronted with the train ticket stub that he had carelessly tossed in the trash can of the hotel room, he broke down and confessed. He blamed everything on his accomplice, Ruth Snyder.

Trial

The case was covered by Peggy Hopkins Joyce, Mary Roberts Rinehart, D. W. Griffith, Damon Runyon, and Nora Bayes. The defense blamed the other for killing Albert Snyder. The jury returned a verdict of "guilty" after deliberating for 98 minutes. The jury also returned a sentence of death for Gray.

Sentencing

Gray was sentenced to death along with Ruth Snyder. Both defendants were stunned when they learned the sentence was death.

Execution

Gray was executed first on January 12, 1928.

Other people and relationships

• Ruth Brown Snyder was Gray's accomplice and his lover.
• Albert Snyder was Ruth Snyder's husband and the victim.
• Lorraine Snyder was the couple's daughter.
• Damon Runyon wrote that Ruth and Judd were "inept idiots" and called the whole mess the Dumb-bell Murder, "because it was so dumb".
• Nora Bayes attended the trial.
• Sister Aimee Semple McPherson received a large sum from the New York Evening Graphic to write up a piece on the case.
• The judge glanced in Ruth Snyder's direction when Gray described himself as not responsible for the death blow.
• The Sister Aimee column encouraged young men to say "I want a wife like mother -- not a Red Hot cutie."
• Gray's elderly mother sat in the courtroom next to Nora Bayes, who had come to watch the show.

Quotes (verbatim)

Ruth Snyder whispered: "Are you in there, Bud, dear?" Gray screamed: "Momsie, Momsie, for God's sake, help!" Gray told the warden that he "had nothing to fear."

Other details

A $48,000 life insurance policy on Albert Snyder with a double indemnity clause was connected to the plan. The policy was intended to pay extra if an unexpected act of violence killed Albert Snyder. A $200 check in Ruth Snyder's desk was made out to H. Judd Gray. A tie clip with his initials was found on the bedroom floor. Police found Gray's name along with 28 other men in Ruth Snyder's address book. A later life insurance policy on Albert Snyder for $90,000, including double indemnity clauses, turned up in a safe deposit box registered in her maiden name. Gray contributed to the couple's downfall. After leaving the scene of the crime, Gray walked to a bus stop and asked a policeman how long it would be before the next bus would come. He took the bus, then went to Manhattan by taxi; the cabbie remembered Gray because he had given him a miserly five cent tip. Gray tried to escape the police by taking a taxi from Manhattan to Long Island. He was caught and returned to Jamaica, Queens and charged along with Ruth Snyder.