Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray: The Double Indemnity Murder

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 MaterialsLandis MacKellar, The “Double Indemnity” Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York’s Crime of the CenturyStevie Simkin, Cultural Constructions of the Femme Fatale: From Pandora’s Box to Basic InstinctPeople v. Snyder, New York Court of Appeals decision, November 22, 1927The New York Times, “Mrs. Snyder and Gray Die in Chair,” January 13, 1928The Washington Times, contemporary coverage of the investigation, trial, appeals, clemency requests and executionsSmithsonian Magazine, “The First and Last Time a Photographer Was Allowed in the Electric Chair”TIME magazine archive coverage of the Snyder–Gray caseHistory.com, coverage of Ruth Snyder’s execution and the hidden-camera photographJSTOR Daily, historical analysis of Ruth Snyder, the tabloid press and the execution photographContemporary reporting from the New York Daily News, including the January 13, 1928 front page featuring Tom Howard’s photographJames M. Cain, Double Indemnity, for the case’s later influence on crime fiction and popular culture