From Wikipedia
Joseph "Mad Dog" Taborsky (March 23, 1924 – May 17, 1960) was a murderer who was sentenced to death after a string of brutal robberies and murders in Connecticut during the 1950s. Six people were killed during a string of armed robberies and murders that became known as the "Mad Dog Killings". A number of others were shot, beaten, or pistol-whipped but survived. Taborsky earned his nickname due to the savagery of the killings that condemned him to death. In 1957 Connecticut package store hours were modified to close at 8:00 pm from 11:00 pm due in part as a response to the crimes of Taborsky and his partner Arthur "Meatball" Culombe. He was executed by electric chair at the age of 36. His execution in 1960 was the last in Connecticut (and in New England) until that of Michael Bruce Ross in 2005. Taborsky donated his body to Yale School of Medicine, and his ashes were later buried in the garden of Christ Church Cathedral.
* * * *
For 10 weeks in the 1950s, two killers went on a murder spree that shocked Connecticut. Among their victims were a husband and wife who were out shopping for shoes in North Haven.
Almost six decades later, the town's local-access television station is seeking residents with memories or information regarding the "Mad Dog Killers" for a special TV program expected to air this fall.
"I've been working on this project on and off for four years. I think that, while this is not a happy subject, it's an important piece of history with a North Haven component," said NHTV Executive Director Walter Mann.
Mann is producing the television program with Howard Luppi, a fellow history buff and former selectman and state legislator. As the show will explore, the murderous duo of Joseph "The Chin" Taborsky and Arthur "Meatball" Culombe made their fatal mistake in North Haven during a double killing on Washington Avenue in a drive-in shoe business.
"Whether it's good or bad history, it's still history," Mann said. "There are limited numbers of people left around with connections to this case. We'd like for people out in the community who can remember this to give us a call and share their thoughts on this."
Mann and Luppi wrote a script about Taborsky and Culombe based on lengthy personal research, and by borrowing from "Ten Weeks of Terror," a book by former Hartford Courant crime reporter Gerald Demeusy. Amid a violent spree in Connecticut that lasted from the end of 1956 into the first month of 1957, Taborsky and Culombe took six lives and severely injured several others. For this string of gruesome acts, state newspapers nicknamed them the Mad Dog Killers.
"These two men were mad dogs, and were labeled appropriately as mad," Luppi said.
Like many serial killers, these two came from difficult backgrounds and suffered mental problems. Taborsky, tall and strong, spent much of his childhood in prison or reform school. His father was confined to a mental institution. A truck driver of short stature, Culombe was mentally impaired, reportedly with an IQ of 54 and the mind of a 9-year-old.
According to the NHTV script, early in the 1950s, Taborsky killed an owner of a West Hartford liquor store. Charged with murder, he spent 52 months on death row. But before his execution, the sole witness against him was ruled unsuitable as a witness because of insanity, and Taborsky was freed.
Less than two years later, Taborsky teamed up with Culombe and began a staggering murder spree. On Nov. 11, 1956, the two badly beat a Hartford hotel clerk. A week later, they pistol-whipped a Hartford liquor business owner and a week after that they did the same to a Rocky Hill liquor shop proprietor.
They shot in the face, but did not kill, a man in a tailor shop, and then shot two people dead at a nearby gas station. They beat an elderly couple in a Coventry business and also another Hartford package store owner. After spending Christmas with their families, Taborsky and Culombe shot dead the owner of an East Hartford package store.
On Feb. 5, 1956, the pair went into Caso's Shoe Drive In on Washington Avenue (Route 5) in North Haven. Co-owner Frank Adinolfi began looking for a size-12 shoe for Taborsky when Culombe brutally pistol-whipped the man. At that moment, Bernard and Ruth Speyer entered the store to purchase shoes for their college-age son. The Mad Dog Killers ordered the couple to their knees, shot them, and then departed, believing Adinolfi was dead.
But Adinolfi survived. Working with legendary state police investigator Sam Rome, Adinolfi identified Culombe from a photograph and told authorities about Taborsky's size-12 shoe. The Mad Dog Killers held up two more businesses and shot dead another store owner before Adinolfi's assistance helped officers identify and capture them.
Both were convicted of murder. Culombe's lawyer successfully argued that police investigation tactics were too aggressive and got his client a life sentence. Taborsky, however, became the last Connecticut convict executed in the electric chair.
As a result of the spree, many package-store owners began closing at 8 p.m., despite a state law that allowed them to remain open until 11 p.m. Momentum from that led state legislators to lower the legal closing time for liquor stores to 8 p.m.
"I don't think people today know the historic significance of this case," Mann said.
People with information on this matter and who would like share their stories with NHTV can call the network at (203) 234-0025.
Joseph "Mad Dog" Taborsky (March 23, 1924 – May 17, 1960) was a murderer who was sentenced to death after a string of brutal robberies and murders in Connecticut during the 1950s. Six people were killed during a string of armed robberies and murders that became known as the "Mad Dog Killings". A number of others were shot, beaten, or pistol-whipped but survived. Taborsky earned his nickname due to the savagery of the killings that condemned him to death. In 1957 Connecticut package store hours were modified to close at 8:00 pm from 11:00 pm due in part as a response to the crimes of Taborsky and his partner Arthur "Meatball" Culombe. He was executed by electric chair at the age of 36. His execution in 1960 was the last in Connecticut (and in New England) until that of Michael Bruce Ross in 2005. Taborsky donated his body to Yale School of Medicine, and his ashes were later buried in the garden of Christ Church Cathedral.
* * * *
For 10 weeks in the 1950s, two killers went on a murder spree that shocked Connecticut. Among their victims were a husband and wife who were out shopping for shoes in North Haven.
Almost six decades later, the town's local-access television station is seeking residents with memories or information regarding the "Mad Dog Killers" for a special TV program expected to air this fall.
"I've been working on this project on and off for four years. I think that, while this is not a happy subject, it's an important piece of history with a North Haven component," said NHTV Executive Director Walter Mann.
Mann is producing the television program with Howard Luppi, a fellow history buff and former selectman and state legislator. As the show will explore, the murderous duo of Joseph "The Chin" Taborsky and Arthur "Meatball" Culombe made their fatal mistake in North Haven during a double killing on Washington Avenue in a drive-in shoe business.
"Whether it's good or bad history, it's still history," Mann said. "There are limited numbers of people left around with connections to this case. We'd like for people out in the community who can remember this to give us a call and share their thoughts on this."
Mann and Luppi wrote a script about Taborsky and Culombe based on lengthy personal research, and by borrowing from "Ten Weeks of Terror," a book by former Hartford Courant crime reporter Gerald Demeusy. Amid a violent spree in Connecticut that lasted from the end of 1956 into the first month of 1957, Taborsky and Culombe took six lives and severely injured several others. For this string of gruesome acts, state newspapers nicknamed them the Mad Dog Killers.
"These two men were mad dogs, and were labeled appropriately as mad," Luppi said.
Like many serial killers, these two came from difficult backgrounds and suffered mental problems. Taborsky, tall and strong, spent much of his childhood in prison or reform school. His father was confined to a mental institution. A truck driver of short stature, Culombe was mentally impaired, reportedly with an IQ of 54 and the mind of a 9-year-old.
According to the NHTV script, early in the 1950s, Taborsky killed an owner of a West Hartford liquor store. Charged with murder, he spent 52 months on death row. But before his execution, the sole witness against him was ruled unsuitable as a witness because of insanity, and Taborsky was freed.
Less than two years later, Taborsky teamed up with Culombe and began a staggering murder spree. On Nov. 11, 1956, the two badly beat a Hartford hotel clerk. A week later, they pistol-whipped a Hartford liquor business owner and a week after that they did the same to a Rocky Hill liquor shop proprietor.
They shot in the face, but did not kill, a man in a tailor shop, and then shot two people dead at a nearby gas station. They beat an elderly couple in a Coventry business and also another Hartford package store owner. After spending Christmas with their families, Taborsky and Culombe shot dead the owner of an East Hartford package store.
On Feb. 5, 1956, the pair went into Caso's Shoe Drive In on Washington Avenue (Route 5) in North Haven. Co-owner Frank Adinolfi began looking for a size-12 shoe for Taborsky when Culombe brutally pistol-whipped the man. At that moment, Bernard and Ruth Speyer entered the store to purchase shoes for their college-age son. The Mad Dog Killers ordered the couple to their knees, shot them, and then departed, believing Adinolfi was dead.
But Adinolfi survived. Working with legendary state police investigator Sam Rome, Adinolfi identified Culombe from a photograph and told authorities about Taborsky's size-12 shoe. The Mad Dog Killers held up two more businesses and shot dead another store owner before Adinolfi's assistance helped officers identify and capture them.
Both were convicted of murder. Culombe's lawyer successfully argued that police investigation tactics were too aggressive and got his client a life sentence. Taborsky, however, became the last Connecticut convict executed in the electric chair.
As a result of the spree, many package-store owners began closing at 8 p.m., despite a state law that allowed them to remain open until 11 p.m. Momentum from that led state legislators to lower the legal closing time for liquor stores to 8 p.m.
"I don't think people today know the historic significance of this case," Mann said.
People with information on this matter and who would like share their stories with NHTV can call the network at (203) 234-0025.
From Wikipedia
Joseph "Mad Dog" Taborsky (March 23, 1924 – May 17, 1960) was a murderer who was sentenced to death after a string of brutal robberies and murders in Connecticut during the 1950s. Six people were killed during a string of armed robberies and murders that became known as the "Mad Dog Killings". A number of others were shot, beaten, or pistol-whipped but survived. Taborsky earned his nickname due to the savagery of the killings that condemned him to death. In 1957 Connecticut package store hours were modified to close at 8:00 pm from 11:00 pm due in part as a response to the crimes of Taborsky and his partner Arthur "Meatball" Culombe. He was executed by electric chair at the age of 36. His execution in 1960 was the last in Connecticut (and in New England) until that of Michael Bruce Ross in 2005. Taborsky donated his body to Yale School of Medicine, and his ashes were later buried in the garden of Christ Church Cathedral.
* * * *
For 10 weeks in the 1950s, two killers went on a murder spree that shocked Connecticut. Among their victims were a husband and wife who were out shopping for shoes in North Haven.
Almost six decades later, the town's local-access television station is seeking residents with memories or information regarding the "Mad Dog Killers" for a special TV program expected to air this fall.
"I've been working on this project on and off for four years. I think that, while this is not a happy subject, it's an important piece of history with a North Haven component," said NHTV Executive Director Walter Mann.
Mann is producing the television program with Howard Luppi, a fellow history buff and former selectman and state legislator. As the show will explore, the murderous duo of Joseph "The Chin" Taborsky and Arthur "Meatball" Culombe made their fatal mistake in North Haven during a double killing on Washington Avenue in a drive-in shoe business.
"Whether it's good or bad history, it's still history," Mann said. "There are limited numbers of people left around with connections to this case. We'd like for people out in the community who can remember this to give us a call and share their thoughts on this."
Mann and Luppi wrote a script about Taborsky and Culombe based on lengthy personal research, and by borrowing from "Ten Weeks of Terror," a book by former Hartford Courant crime reporter Gerald Demeusy. Amid a violent spree in Connecticut that lasted from the end of 1956 into the first month of 1957, Taborsky and Culombe took six lives and severely injured several others. For this string of gruesome acts, state newspapers nicknamed them the Mad Dog Killers.
"These two men were mad dogs, and were labeled appropriately as mad," Luppi said.
Like many serial killers, these two came from difficult backgrounds and suffered mental problems. Taborsky, tall and strong, spent much of his childhood in prison or reform school. His father was confined to a mental institution. A truck driver of short stature, Culombe was mentally impaired, reportedly with an IQ of 54 and the mind of a 9-year-old.
According to the NHTV script, early in the 1950s, Taborsky killed an owner of a West Hartford liquor store. Charged with murder, he spent 52 months on death row. But before his execution, the sole witness against him was ruled unsuitable as a witness because of insanity, and Taborsky was freed.
Less than two years later, Taborsky teamed up with Culombe and began a staggering murder spree. On Nov. 11, 1956, the two badly beat a Hartford hotel clerk. A week later, they pistol-whipped a Hartford liquor business owner and a week after that they did the same to a Rocky Hill liquor shop proprietor.
They shot in the face, but did not kill, a man in a tailor shop, and then shot two people dead at a nearby gas station. They beat an elderly couple in a Coventry business and also another Hartford package store owner. After spending Christmas with their families, Taborsky and Culombe shot dead the owner of an East Hartford package store.
On Feb. 5, 1956, the pair went into Caso's Shoe Drive In on Washington Avenue (Route 5) in North Haven. Co-owner Frank Adinolfi began looking for a size-12 shoe for Taborsky when Culombe brutally pistol-whipped the man. At that moment, Bernard and Ruth Speyer entered the store to purchase shoes for their college-age son. The Mad Dog Killers ordered the couple to their knees, shot them, and then departed, believing Adinolfi was dead.
But Adinolfi survived. Working with legendary state police investigator Sam Rome, Adinolfi identified Culombe from a photograph and told authorities about Taborsky's size-12 shoe. The Mad Dog Killers held up two more businesses and shot dead another store owner before Adinolfi's assistance helped officers identify and capture them.
Both were convicted of murder. Culombe's lawyer successfully argued that police investigation tactics were too aggressive and got his client a life sentence. Taborsky, however, became the last Connecticut convict executed in the electric chair.
As a result of the spree, many package-store owners began closing at 8 p.m., despite a state law that allowed them to remain open until 11 p.m. Momentum from that led state legislators to lower the legal closing time for liquor stores to 8 p.m.
"I don't think people today know the historic significance of this case," Mann said.
People with information on this matter and who would like share their stories with NHTV can call the network at (203) 234-0025.
Joseph "Mad Dog" Taborsky (March 23, 1924 – May 17, 1960) was a murderer who was sentenced to death after a string of brutal robberies and murders in Connecticut during the 1950s. Six people were killed during a string of armed robberies and murders that became known as the "Mad Dog Killings". A number of others were shot, beaten, or pistol-whipped but survived. Taborsky earned his nickname due to the savagery of the killings that condemned him to death. In 1957 Connecticut package store hours were modified to close at 8:00 pm from 11:00 pm due in part as a response to the crimes of Taborsky and his partner Arthur "Meatball" Culombe. He was executed by electric chair at the age of 36. His execution in 1960 was the last in Connecticut (and in New England) until that of Michael Bruce Ross in 2005. Taborsky donated his body to Yale School of Medicine, and his ashes were later buried in the garden of Christ Church Cathedral.
* * * *
For 10 weeks in the 1950s, two killers went on a murder spree that shocked Connecticut. Among their victims were a husband and wife who were out shopping for shoes in North Haven.
Almost six decades later, the town's local-access television station is seeking residents with memories or information regarding the "Mad Dog Killers" for a special TV program expected to air this fall.
"I've been working on this project on and off for four years. I think that, while this is not a happy subject, it's an important piece of history with a North Haven component," said NHTV Executive Director Walter Mann.
Mann is producing the television program with Howard Luppi, a fellow history buff and former selectman and state legislator. As the show will explore, the murderous duo of Joseph "The Chin" Taborsky and Arthur "Meatball" Culombe made their fatal mistake in North Haven during a double killing on Washington Avenue in a drive-in shoe business.
"Whether it's good or bad history, it's still history," Mann said. "There are limited numbers of people left around with connections to this case. We'd like for people out in the community who can remember this to give us a call and share their thoughts on this."
Mann and Luppi wrote a script about Taborsky and Culombe based on lengthy personal research, and by borrowing from "Ten Weeks of Terror," a book by former Hartford Courant crime reporter Gerald Demeusy. Amid a violent spree in Connecticut that lasted from the end of 1956 into the first month of 1957, Taborsky and Culombe took six lives and severely injured several others. For this string of gruesome acts, state newspapers nicknamed them the Mad Dog Killers.
"These two men were mad dogs, and were labeled appropriately as mad," Luppi said.
Like many serial killers, these two came from difficult backgrounds and suffered mental problems. Taborsky, tall and strong, spent much of his childhood in prison or reform school. His father was confined to a mental institution. A truck driver of short stature, Culombe was mentally impaired, reportedly with an IQ of 54 and the mind of a 9-year-old.
According to the NHTV script, early in the 1950s, Taborsky killed an owner of a West Hartford liquor store. Charged with murder, he spent 52 months on death row. But before his execution, the sole witness against him was ruled unsuitable as a witness because of insanity, and Taborsky was freed.
Less than two years later, Taborsky teamed up with Culombe and began a staggering murder spree. On Nov. 11, 1956, the two badly beat a Hartford hotel clerk. A week later, they pistol-whipped a Hartford liquor business owner and a week after that they did the same to a Rocky Hill liquor shop proprietor.
They shot in the face, but did not kill, a man in a tailor shop, and then shot two people dead at a nearby gas station. They beat an elderly couple in a Coventry business and also another Hartford package store owner. After spending Christmas with their families, Taborsky and Culombe shot dead the owner of an East Hartford package store.
On Feb. 5, 1956, the pair went into Caso's Shoe Drive In on Washington Avenue (Route 5) in North Haven. Co-owner Frank Adinolfi began looking for a size-12 shoe for Taborsky when Culombe brutally pistol-whipped the man. At that moment, Bernard and Ruth Speyer entered the store to purchase shoes for their college-age son. The Mad Dog Killers ordered the couple to their knees, shot them, and then departed, believing Adinolfi was dead.
But Adinolfi survived. Working with legendary state police investigator Sam Rome, Adinolfi identified Culombe from a photograph and told authorities about Taborsky's size-12 shoe. The Mad Dog Killers held up two more businesses and shot dead another store owner before Adinolfi's assistance helped officers identify and capture them.
Both were convicted of murder. Culombe's lawyer successfully argued that police investigation tactics were too aggressive and got his client a life sentence. Taborsky, however, became the last Connecticut convict executed in the electric chair.
As a result of the spree, many package-store owners began closing at 8 p.m., despite a state law that allowed them to remain open until 11 p.m. Momentum from that led state legislators to lower the legal closing time for liquor stores to 8 p.m.
"I don't think people today know the historic significance of this case," Mann said.
People with information on this matter and who would like share their stories with NHTV can call the network at (203) 234-0025.
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