Alonzo Robinson
Alonzo Robinson (1895 - March 5, 1935), also known as James H. Coyner, was an American grave robber, murderer, cannibal and suspected serial killer. While living at a house in Ferndale, Michigan, Robinson was suspected of murdering and decapitating 4 women, but there was insufficient evidence to convict him. He was eventually sentenced to death and executed for murdering Mr. and Mrs. Aurelius B. Turner in his hometown of Cleveland.[2]
Alonzo Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1895 Cleveland, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1935 (aged 39–40)[1] Cleveland, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Executed by hanging |
| Other names | James H. Coyner |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 2–6 |
Span of crimes | 1926–1934 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Michigan, Mississippi |
Date apprehended | January 12, 1935 |
Biography
Born into an impoverished family in Cleveland, Mississippi, Robinson was first arrested by hometown authorities in 1918 for mailing obscene letters to local women. He managed to escape while en route to the jail, sustaining a bullet injury to his shoulder in the process.
Using the alias of "James H. Coyner", Robinson moved to Ferndale, Michigan sometime in 1926. Around this time, the bodies of decapitated women had started turning up around the city, with the authorities immediately suspecting Robinson. By 1927, he had been convicted and imprisoned at the Indiana State Penitentiary in Michigan City for stealing a girl's corpse from a local graveyard.[3] While imprisoned, he was questioned by Ferndale authorities about the case, but he simply stated:
"I could tell you a lot of things you'd like to know, a lot of things about murders and murderers, but I'll die first."[2]
After being paroled in June 1934, he returned to Cleveland and continued writing obscene letters. One of them was mailed to a woman in Indianapolis, and while it was being investigated by postal inspectors, Robinson had already murdered two more people.
Murder of the Turners
On December 9, 1934, Robinson broke into the Cleveland home of Aurelius B. Turner and his pregnant wife. While Mr. Turner was sitting in a chair and reading a newspaper, he was hit with an axe by Robinson before being shot. Mrs. Turner was then hit approximately five times with the axe, before he mutilated both of their bodies and kept some of the woman's flesh.[3] He also reportedly struck one of the Turners' children over the head and left the child for dead but did not harm the other child, who was sleeping in a crib.[2]
Arrest and confession
Shortly after the murders, Robinson was arrested on January 12, 1935 by authorities in Shaw, Mississippi after they were able to trace his letters to his post office box. He instinctively grabbed his gun, but the deputies quickly overpowered him and he surrendered. The policemen then proceeded to search his pockets, finding more obscene letters and Mr. Turner's pocket watch, but also a packet of human hair in Mrs. Turner's color and portions of human flesh complete with bite marks, which were salted and cured.[2]
Following his arrest, Robinson was moved to a jail in Hinds County. While there, he was questioned for several hours in his cell by District Attorney Greek Rice, along with Sheriffs E. R. McLean and John Roberts, freely confessing to killing the Turners because he "had an impulse to kill somebody".[3] He was also questioned about the trunk with the missing women's heads found in Ferndale as requested by authorities in Pontiac, and although Robinson claimed that the trunk was indeed his, he denied killing the women, and instead claimed that they were trophies from various grave robbing expeditions.[2]
Trial, sentence and death
Following his confessions, Robinson was brought to court for his trial. Due to the gruesome nature of his crimes, heavy patrols, organized by the Mississippi National Guard, were placed both in the streets and in the court room. He was speedily convicted and sentenced to death by the judge following a one-day trial,[4] subsequently being sent to a jail in Jackson for safekeeping with an escort of 200 National Guardsmen.[5]
On March 5, 1935, in the Bolivar County jail, between 200 and 300 troops guarded the premises as Sheriff McLean was preparing the prisoner for the execution. Grinning broadly as the black hood and noose were pulled over his head, Alonzo Robinson was executed by hanging on the jail's scaffold.[1]
References
- "Huge Ghoulish Slayer Is Hanged For Murder: Colored Man Grins As Noose Is Put Over Head-Mississippi Troops Guard Prisoner". Associated Press. 5 March 1935.
- "Cannibalism seen as killing motive: Human Flesh Found Salted and Cured at home of Big Colored Man". Associated Press. 15 January 1935.
- "Theft of bodies, slaying admitted: Paroled Convict Confesses Killing Two and Rifling Graves of Heads". Associated Press. 17 January 1935.
- "NEGRO GHOUL GETS DEATH IN FAST TRIAL". The Cornell Daily Sun. 8 February 1935.
- "Ghoul Sentenced to Death Guarded: Slayer of Woman and Husband Speedily Doomed as Troops Patrol Court House". Associated Press. 5 February 1935.
Bibliography
- Hunter Cole (2012). The Legs Murder Scandal. p. 62. ISBN 978-1604737233.
- Michael Newton: The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, 2000