Reddit reviews New York Noir: Crime Photos from the Daily News Archive

I found this photo originally from the book New York Noir: Crime Photos from the DAILY NEWS archives The excerpt under the photo is from the full text of the case People v. Luscomb. Pretty interesting stuff. THe original newpaper caption for the photo is "In the depths of remorse, manacles, LeRoy Luscomb sits in a room with his dead wife . . . . [he] killed her with a deer rifle after she left him because of his interest in another woman". From the case report it wounds like he almost killed her whole family, or wanted to for a second.

Here's the description of the days leading up to the murder and the SUPER HARROWING description the in-laws give about the murder itself. Can't stand how someone asked the FIL "how could you just stand by and let it happen" as if it were his fault.

>When the defendant arrived home on Sunday, April 18th, he found that his wife had departed taking the youngest child with her. She had returned to the home of her father one Reuben Eck, at Corbett in the town of Colchester. To Eck's home the defendant sent a letter by his oldest son on Monday, asking the deceased to return saying that he would be "true to you from this day on." The deceased had previously left the defendant on two prior occasions because of his excessive indulgence in liquor. After the delivery of the letter the deceased did not return. On Tuesday morning defendant left a second letter on the kitchen table of his home asking the deceased to return to him. Deceased, however, failed to return.

>On Wednesday, April 21st, the defendant did not work but went fishing with his oldest son. They returned home about two o'clock in the afternoon and the defendant went to the village of Downsville, where he had some beer. At about six o'clock he came home and had his evening meal with his children. He obtained his Winchester rifle, loaded it and drove with the children to a restaurant where he had a bottle of beer and the children had soft drinks. He then drove to Corbett to the home of Reuben Eck. He entered through the woodshed door. The deceased was seated in the kitchen.

>Ida Eck, the mother of deceased, said that at about a quarter after seven in the evening one of her grandsons came in and asked her daughter to go outside to see the defendant; that when her daughter refused, she heard her grandson say, "Ma, you better go because he's got a gun and he's going to shoot you"; that then she heard the defendant enter the kitchen and say to her daughter in a loud voice "Ella, I want you to get your clothes and things and Dixie [the six year old child] and go home. Do you hear?"; that she then heard a scuffle in the kitchen but could not hear any conversation; that when her husband went into the kitchen she followed him as far as the doorway and stood there; that the defendant had a rifle which he held with both hands; that defendant said to her husband, "None of your funny business here. Don't come a step further"; that the rifle was pointed at her husband; that he swung the gun around "onto me" and said, "or you, either damn you, I think you are a lot to fault of this"; that he pointed the gun at her for a minute and when he swung it around she left the room; that she then heard the defendant say "I'll clean up the whole damn bunch of you"; that she then went upstairs and when she reached the top of the stairs she heard a shot.

>Reuben Eck testified that when he entered the kitchen he saw the defendant "with his wife with her back up against the kitchen table, and he had hold of her clothing like that and was a shaking her"; that when the defendant saw him "he let go of her and grabbed up the rifle, and he said to me, `None of your damn funny business, don't come a step farther'"; that the defendant, holding the gun in both hands, pointed the rifle right at him; that at that time Mrs. Eck stepped in the door and defendant turned the rifle in her direction and said, "G d you, I think you are a whole lot to fault of this"; that defendant then laid the gun back on the table and took off his jacket and laid it on the table, and said, "I'll clean up the whole damn bunch of you"; that he told the defendant that no one was at fault and defendant replied, "Rube, I don't think you are to fault. I have always liked you" and that they shook hands; that then the defendant picked up the rifle and swung around to the deceased and said, "Now, Ella, G d you, you are going home with me, or I'm going to kill you right here"; that decedent refused to go home with defendant and after a couple of seconds the gun was discharged; that at that time deceased was about three feet from the defendant and he (Eck) was about four feet from him; that deceased did not turn the defendant around; and that the witness never attempted to seize the rifle; that during the entire time he remained in one spot, that being the spot he reached when defendant told him not to come one step nearer. Eck was asked "Do you wish this jury to understand that you, the father of this girl, stood and took all that." His reply was, "What could I do?"

For those interested, some dead tree resources:


Evidence: NYPD Crime Scene Photographs

Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook

New York Noir: Crimes Photos from the Daily News Archive

Shots in the Dark: True Crime Pictures

Scene of the Crime: Photographs from the LAPD Archive


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