Norman Roye

Norman Roye (September 6, 1935 – January 19, 1956), known as the Dreaded Strangler, was an American serial killer who raped and killed three women in the Upper Manhattan section of New York City over the winter and spring of 1954, primarily in the Harlem neighborhood. After his arrest, he was sentenced to death and eventually executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing in 1956.

Early life Roye was born on September 6, 1935. When he was eight years old, both of his parents died of unspecified causes; afterwards he and his sister were raised by his grandmother. Around his junior year of high school Roye began a habit of committing petty crimes, which eventually landed him in a state reformatory in November 1951. During his incarceration, he began to become interested in baseball, and after his release successfully made it into his school's baseball team. He even said he aspired to one day make it into the major leagues. Roye would state that around this time he began to commit purse snatches and thefts from parked trucks in New York City.

Murders On January 2, 1954, Roye was prowling through an apartment complex in Harlem when he began stalking Margaret Branch, 40, who was walking home alone. Roye waited until Branch was nearing her room when he attacked her. With the five pennies Goomes had given him, Roye bought a box of crackers. He later ate the crackers while observing police examine Goomes' body. Detectives took notice of Roye spying on them and arrested him.

Trial 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."

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. Roye had no last words.