The Stocking Strangler, Cabin Fever and a Song of Thanks!
The Stocking Strangler
Carlton Gary met his biological father only once, when he was 12 years old. Gary's mother was extremely poor and, as a result, they frequently relocated. Gary was asked at age 6 to dig for food out of garbage cans. Gary was malnourished most of the time and was often left with his aunt and great-aunt, both maids for elderly, wealthy women.
In elementary school, Gary suffered serious head trauma when he was knocked unconscious in a playground accident. In his teens, he was a heavy drug user. Between the ages of 14 and 18, he was arrested numerous times for robbery, arson and assault. As a young adult, Carlton Gary modeled clothing at a clothing store, and was popular in the clubs.
In May 1970, soon after Carlton Gary moved to Albany, an elderly woman named Marion Brewer was robbed and attacked in her hotel room. Two months later, he robbed 85-year-old Nellie Farmer in her apartment and strangled her to death. After Gary attempted an assault on a third elderly woman, he was arrested and his fingerprints matched one left at the scene of the Farmer murder. Gary admitted having taken part in a robbery, but he claimed that his accomplice, John Lee Mitchell, was responsible for the actual murder. Gary testified Mitchell must have murdered Marion when he was waiting outside for him. Mitchell was convicted, despite no material evidence connecting him to the crime. Mitchell was later acquitted. Carlton Gary was charged with robbery, and served a sentence in the Onondaga County Correctional Institution in Jamesville, New York.
He was paroled in 1975 and moved to Syracuse, New York. Here, he attacked, raped and strangled two more elderly women in their homes; one died, but the other survived. The attacks occurred within four days of each other. The two survivors were not able to identify Gary positively, as the crimes occurred in the dark; at least one victim was sure that her attacker was a mustachioed black male, and she was strangled with a scarf.
Marion Fisher, 40, a Jamesville-DeWitt physical education teacher, was strangled while walking home from a Nedrow bar on June 27, 1975 after an argument with her husband, Jack. She was found near the Lafayette Country Club in Syracuse. Gary initially wasn’t a suspect. Instead, her husband Jack Fisher remained a suspect for years until new DNA technology cleared him in 2007. Jack had been kept away from his children for decades. The DNA found at the murder scene matched Carlton Gary. Gary admitted having been in Syracuse and claimed to have had consenting sex with Marion (after being informed of the DNA match), but stated someone must have come along later that night and killed her.
Gary was never charged for any of these crimes, but was instead sent back to prison for parole violation and robbery. He was caught trying to sell coins stolen from the same apartment building as one of the surviving Syracuse victims. On August 22, 1977, Gary escaped from his low-security prison by sawing through the bars of his cell and made it back to Columbus, Georgia.
And then began the series of murders which would later result in his execution.
The murders in Columbus, Georgia, targeted wealthy middle age to elderly women in homes like the one pictured above. All of his victims in Columbus were women who lived alone.
In August of 1977, 59-year-old Mary “Fern” Jackson was found murdered in her 2505 17th St. home. She had been brutally beaten on the left side of her face and raped, and then strangled with a stocking and a sash. Her body was left covered with a blanket. This would be his calling card for the next several murders, and hence he was called, “The Stocking Strangler.” As you can imagine, the fact that his victims were all wealthy white people put a lot of pressure on police to have this solved. There has been some conjecture that perhaps Gary wasn’t guilty of all of the murders, however, updated testing indicates that he was guilty of at least some of them.
Jean Dimenstein, age 71, was murdered. Years later, testing indicated Carlton Gary’s DNA was in her. Florence Scheible, 89, was murdered in a similar manner also. All 3 were covered with a blanket.
September 28, 1977 Kathleen Woodruff, 74 was strangled in her home.
October 25, 1977, Martha Thurmond, 69, was then murdered, despite a significant police presence in the area at the time.
On February 12, 1978, the killer broke into a home, but the woman had been trained in judo and managed to fight him off. That night, the killer then went to the home of Mildred Borom and strangled her with a venetian blind.
On April 20, 1978, Janet Cofer, 61, is strangled. Janet was the first woman murdered in the Columbus series from a new neighborhood. There is a bite mark in her breast. Carlton Gary’s teeth impression did not match the bite mark. It has been argued that Gary did not commit this murder and it’s possible he didn’t. This is not the only murder questioned, but it’s significant to note he wasn’t convicted of this murder or the attack that is questioned. One of the surviving victims identified Gary as her attacker, but she had identified 3 other African American men as her attacker previously.
It is interesting that there are a number of people in Columbus who still proclaim his innocence, suggesting he had a “star quality” and didn’t seem like a killer. We now have a better understanding of narcissism and his profile isn’t unusual. Carlton Gary grew up in poverty with an absent father and a neglectful mother. He abused drugs in his teens and had an early criminal history. This is one of the most common profiles of killers, regardless of race. His twist was that he was raised by poor aunts who worked for wealthy women, whom he would later target. While some described Gary as having “a near genius IQ,” his IQ was 115, which is at the high end of the average range.
Carlton Gary was caught after the Columbus police managed to trace a handgun stolen from one of the victim’s homes to Jim Gary. Jim told police that he bought the gun from his nephew, Carlton Gary. In 1983, Carlton Gary escaped from custody once again, and was on the run for 1 year before he was re-arrested.
Carlton Gary was convicted of the rapes and murders of Scheible, Thurmond and Woodruff, as his fingerprints were found in their homes. He was sentenced to death on August 27, 1986. Gary was granted a last interview, but refused, stating, “They’re not going to kill me.” Suffice it to say, he wasn’t a visionary. Carlton Gary was executed by lethal injection on March 15, 2018.
Do I believe there have been dynamic African American men wrongly convicted of murder? Certainly. But I don’t believe Carlton Gary was one of them. I believe they should have DNA tested the victims once the new technology became available. This testing found Gary’s DNA in at least 2 murder victims.
This Saturday and Sunday, March 6 & 7, is the Cabin Fever Event, sponsored by the Deep Valley Book Festival! This is a free virtual conference where interested readers and authors can listen to speakers and purchase books. If interested go to:
https://www.deepvalleybookfestival.com/cabin-fever-schedule
Thanks for listening,
FrankMy book, Lying Close, was given top billing in the St. Paul Pioneer Press last weekend (February 21, 2021) as Mary Ann Grossman addressed new books.
“Del, something evil is here right now. I can feel it—hidden somewhere in Stearns, Todd or Kandiyohi county. And while we’re dancing around in this circle of confusion some poor soul’s going to get caught in the crosshairs.” From Frank Weber’s Lying Close.
Still getting that post heart attack perspective. Thank you for all of your kindness and prayers. It’s certainly humbling and I am so appreciative!
Carlton Gary met his biological father only once, when he was 12 years old. Gary's mother was extremely poor and, as a result, they frequently relocated. Gary was asked at age 6 to dig for food out of garbage cans. Gary was malnourished most of the time and was often left with his aunt and great-aunt, both maids for elderly, wealthy women.
In elementary school, Gary suffered serious head trauma when he was knocked unconscious in a playground accident. In his teens, he was a heavy drug user. Between the ages of 14 and 18, he was arrested numerous times for robbery, arson and assault. As a young adult, Carlton Gary modeled clothing at a clothing store, and was popular in the clubs.
In May 1970, soon after Carlton Gary moved to Albany, an elderly woman named Marion Brewer was robbed and attacked in her hotel room. Two months later, he robbed 85-year-old Nellie Farmer in her apartment and strangled her to death. After Gary attempted an assault on a third elderly woman, he was arrested and his fingerprints matched one left at the scene of the Farmer murder. Gary admitted having taken part in a robbery, but he claimed that his accomplice, John Lee Mitchell, was responsible for the actual murder. Gary testified Mitchell must have murdered Marion when he was waiting outside for him. Mitchell was convicted, despite no material evidence connecting him to the crime. Mitchell was later acquitted. Carlton Gary was charged with robbery, and served a sentence in the Onondaga County Correctional Institution in Jamesville, New York.He was paroled in 1975 and moved to Syracuse, New York. Here, he attacked, raped and strangled two more elderly women in their homes; one died, but the other survived. The attacks occurred within four days of each other. The two survivors were not able to identify Gary positively, as the crimes occurred in the dark; at least one victim was sure that her attacker was a mustachioed black male, and she was strangled with a scarf.
Marion Fisher, 40, a Jamesville-DeWitt physical education teacher, was strangled while walking home from a Nedrow bar on June 27, 1975 after an argument with her husband, Jack. She was found near the Lafayette Country Club in Syracuse. Gary initially wasn’t a suspect. Instead, her husband Jack Fisher remained a suspect for years until new DNA technology cleared him in 2007. Jack had been kept away from his children for decades. The DNA found at the murder scene matched Carlton Gary. Gary admitted having been in Syracuse and claimed to have had consenting sex with Marion (after being informed of the DNA match), but stated someone must have come along later that night and killed her.
Gary was never charged for any of these crimes, but was instead sent back to prison for parole violation and robbery. He was caught trying to sell coins stolen from the same apartment building as one of the surviving Syracuse victims. On August 22, 1977, Gary escaped from his low-security prison by sawing through the bars of his cell and made it back to Columbus, Georgia.
And then began the series of murders which would later result in his execution.
The murders in Columbus, Georgia, targeted wealthy middle age to elderly women in homes like the one pictured above. All of his victims in Columbus were women who lived alone.In August of 1977, 59-year-old Mary “Fern” Jackson was found murdered in her 2505 17th St. home. She had been brutally beaten on the left side of her face and raped, and then strangled with a stocking and a sash. Her body was left covered with a blanket. This would be his calling card for the next several murders, and hence he was called, “The Stocking Strangler.” As you can imagine, the fact that his victims were all wealthy white people put a lot of pressure on police to have this solved. There has been some conjecture that perhaps Gary wasn’t guilty of all of the murders, however, updated testing indicates that he was guilty of at least some of them.
Jean Dimenstein, age 71, was murdered. Years later, testing indicated Carlton Gary’s DNA was in her. Florence Scheible, 89, was murdered in a similar manner also. All 3 were covered with a blanket.
September 28, 1977 Kathleen Woodruff, 74 was strangled in her home.
October 25, 1977, Martha Thurmond, 69, was then murdered, despite a significant police presence in the area at the time.
On February 12, 1978, the killer broke into a home, but the woman had been trained in judo and managed to fight him off. That night, the killer then went to the home of Mildred Borom and strangled her with a venetian blind.
On April 20, 1978, Janet Cofer, 61, is strangled. Janet was the first woman murdered in the Columbus series from a new neighborhood. There is a bite mark in her breast. Carlton Gary’s teeth impression did not match the bite mark. It has been argued that Gary did not commit this murder and it’s possible he didn’t. This is not the only murder questioned, but it’s significant to note he wasn’t convicted of this murder or the attack that is questioned. One of the surviving victims identified Gary as her attacker, but she had identified 3 other African American men as her attacker previously.
It is interesting that there are a number of people in Columbus who still proclaim his innocence, suggesting he had a “star quality” and didn’t seem like a killer. We now have a better understanding of narcissism and his profile isn’t unusual. Carlton Gary grew up in poverty with an absent father and a neglectful mother. He abused drugs in his teens and had an early criminal history. This is one of the most common profiles of killers, regardless of race. His twist was that he was raised by poor aunts who worked for wealthy women, whom he would later target. While some described Gary as having “a near genius IQ,” his IQ was 115, which is at the high end of the average range.
Carlton Gary was caught after the Columbus police managed to trace a handgun stolen from one of the victim’s homes to Jim Gary. Jim told police that he bought the gun from his nephew, Carlton Gary. In 1983, Carlton Gary escaped from custody once again, and was on the run for 1 year before he was re-arrested.Carlton Gary was convicted of the rapes and murders of Scheible, Thurmond and Woodruff, as his fingerprints were found in their homes. He was sentenced to death on August 27, 1986. Gary was granted a last interview, but refused, stating, “They’re not going to kill me.” Suffice it to say, he wasn’t a visionary. Carlton Gary was executed by lethal injection on March 15, 2018.
Do I believe there have been dynamic African American men wrongly convicted of murder? Certainly. But I don’t believe Carlton Gary was one of them. I believe they should have DNA tested the victims once the new technology became available. This testing found Gary’s DNA in at least 2 murder victims.
This Saturday and Sunday, March 6 & 7, is the Cabin Fever Event, sponsored by the Deep Valley Book Festival! This is a free virtual conference where interested readers and authors can listen to speakers and purchase books. If interested go to: https://www.deepvalleybookfestival.com/cabin-fever-schedule
Thanks for listening,
FrankMy book, Lying Close, was given top billing in the St. Paul Pioneer Press last weekend (February 21, 2021) as Mary Ann Grossman addressed new books.
“Del, something evil is here right now. I can feel it—hidden somewhere in Stearns, Todd or Kandiyohi county. And while we’re dancing around in this circle of confusion some poor soul’s going to get caught in the crosshairs.” From Frank Weber’s Lying Close.
Still getting that post heart attack perspective. Thank you for all of your kindness and prayers. It’s certainly humbling and I am so appreciative!
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