Beaten, Stripped, and Thrown from a Window

[shadowstein]

John was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to death for the murder of Marion, age 20. The case was appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, and decided on December 9, 1943. Finding no cause for reversal, the judgement was affirmed.

The court's summary of the case:

"John was employed as a porter in a moving picture theatre in New Brunswick, NJ. On the night of Oct 4th, 1942, he followed Marion into the women's toilet room in the theatre and there he struck her, with his fists he says, about the head and face, overpowering her. He then took her back stage and stripped her of her clothing. He also took a ring from her finger and her pocket book containing some change. Later in the night he returned and threw her nude body from an upstairs window into an adjoining yard.
The following morning the body was discovered. Whether she was alive or dead when thrown from the window is not clearly shown. John was arrested on October 5th and admitted in writing on that day and again the next day to the killing and the robbery. He showed the police where he had secreted the ring, the pocketbook, and the clothing. Both confessions were admitted into evidence, and he repeated mor or less the same account of his conduct when testifying in his own defense. He denied having committed rape, but he both denied and admitted in his confessions that he had intended to perpetrate that crime. The state did not contend that he had committed rape, but did contend that the evidence was persuasive that he had attempted to commit that crime."

Salamanca Republican Press October 6, 1942:

"***** Porter Charged With Girls Murder
Confession Alleged After Nude Battered Body of Young Factory Worker Found Behind Theatre
A powerful ***** theatre porter was arrainged today on a murder charge in the brutal killing of Pretty Marion during a movie show at the old opera house. The nude battered body of the twenty-year-old factory worker was found dead yesterday behind the theatre. Middlesex County Prosecutor John L. said today John, 26, 6-foot 4-inch porter and bride-groom of a month, had confessed he killed the girl in the women's lounge after she bitterly fought his attempt to criminally assault her. Dr. William, middlesex county medical examiner, said her skull, neck, nose, and both jaws were broken, but there was no evidence of criminal assault. In the women's restroom in front of the theatre was an abandoned blackjack and a spattering of blood. Police traced a trail of blood from the restroom down an aisle to the rear of the theatre; then up a winding staircase to the second floor window from which Police Chief Frank said her body apparently was tossed into the back yard."

These choice photographs became a part of my vintage crime scene photo collection recently and seemed special enough to share on this site. I shortened all of the names to only the first names in an attempt to satisfy website guidelines. can a mod let me know if it's not necessary for incidents this old?

[William May]

Do you have the name of the theater? Or the address? Can you reveal the woman's name? or the killers? I would like to look everything up and see where she is buried, and when he was executed.
Thanks!

[SavageGlow]

Awesome post!

[shadowstein]

Originally Posted by William May

Do you have the name of the theater? Or the address? Can you reveal the woman's name? or the killers? I would like to look everything up and see where she is buried, and when he was executed.
Thanks!

I typed up everything that was on the piece of paper that came with the photos, except the full names of those involved. I'm still waiting for permission from the moderators to post the full names.

[icehole]

interesting case
and she also landed in a weird position
maybe the rigor mortis has been settled when she was thrown from the building?

[K53]

Poor Girl, R.I.P.

[LadyNightmare]

There is just something so dark about early century crime scene's. I could look at these black and white photo's all day. Thanks for the post, this unfortunate young lady surly did not deserve what she got. Where the hell did he keep her for so long? Couldn't have been in a public toilet in a full theater? Could it? Interesting though!

[William May]

The theater was destroyed in a fire, on January 18, 1952. It is now a parking lot. Oh, well.

[Faline]

Interesting post.

[Daizya]

Her skull, neck, nose, and both jaws were broken, but there was no evidence of criminal assault. UM..TF?