In 1927, Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray were accused of murdering Ruth’s husband, Albert, after months of planning, an affair and a life insurance scheme. Their trial became a tabloid spectacle, but it was the forbidden photograph taken during Ruth’s execution that would define how the case was remembered.

A huge thank you to everyone supporting Historical True Crime on Patreon. Your support helps me continue researching and producing the show. You can find bonus episodes and support the podcast at patreon.com/historicaltruecrime.Source Materials

Landis MacKellar, The “Double Indemnity” Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York’s Crime of the Century

Stevie Simkin, Cultural Constructions of the Femme Fatale: From Pandora’s Box to Basic Instinct

People v. Snyder, New York Court of Appeals decision, November 22, 1927

The New York Times, “Mrs. Snyder and Gray Die in Chair,” January 13, 1928

The Washington Times, contemporary coverage of the investigation, trial, appeals, clemency requests and executions

Smithsonian Magazine, “The First and Last Time a Photographer Was Allowed in the Electric Chair”

TIME magazine archive coverage of the Snyder–Gray case

History.com, coverage of Ruth Snyder’s execution and the hidden-camera photograph

JSTOR Daily, historical analysis of Ruth Snyder, the tabloid press and the execution photograph

Contemporary reporting from the New York Daily News, including the January 13, 1928 front page featuring Tom Howard’s photograph

James M. Cain, Double Indemnity, for the case’s later influence on crime fiction and popular culture