Michael Ross Should Die

Michael Ross Should Die

Michael Ross is a despicable man. He committed eight murders in the 1980s. Six of these victims were from Eastern Connecticut, while the other two were from New York. His killing spree began on May 12, 1981. In each of these killings, he not only murdered the women, but also raped them beforehand. He then left them for investigators to find. In fact, one of the women was left in a cornfield on my road (Wauregan Road in Canterbury), about two miles from my house.

Michael Ross lived in Brooklyn, Connecticut on a farm. He was born on July 26, 1959. Ross attended (and graduated from) Killingly High School. He was a salesman and a student at Cornell University, studying agricultural economics. Ross was not a prime suspect in these murders. Many described him as “the boy next door” and never would have thought of him as a killer. Even the investigator at first did not believe it was him. However, when the investigator was looking for a blue Toyota, he interviewed Ross, who dropped subtle hints that he was the one who killed the women. By the end of the conversation, Ross confessed to the murders.

Michael Ross was originally scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on December 15, 2004. That, as we know, did not happen. Thanks to stays of execution, his death was put off multiple times. One reason why his execution continues to be postponed is that his attorneys, specifically TR Paulding, filed the stays in Connecticut’s highest court. The litigation continued to rage on until the last battle on January 28, 2005. TR Paulding stopped the execution at 1:00 a.m., which was scheduled to take place at 2:00 a.m., citing that he had a “conflict of interest.” Later, new information that was brought forth, in the form of a letter from another death-row inmate, stated that Michael Ross might have “Death Row Syndrome.” A Ross attorney states it’s “a vaguely defined term that refers to the dehumanizing effects of living for a prolonged period on death row.” This new information forced TR Paulding to call into question Ross’ competency, making Ross undergo a competency hearing. Upon completion of this test, Michael Ross will (and should) be executed on May 11, 2005. Supporters of the death penalty protested his execution because it was unfair and unjust. Well, so was killing eight innocent women.

Connecticut’s death penalty by lethal injection was reinstated on October 1, 1973. Only 12 states do not have the death penalty, along with the District of Columbia. Assuming Michael Ross gets executed, he will be the first one in New England in 45 years. We currently have eight death-row inmates in Connecticut. A jury decides whether a person should be executed, and if so, the person is killed by lethal injection at the Somers Correctional Institute. Michael Ross has continued to ask for the death penalty, stating, “I owe these people. I killed their daughters.” But, because his competency was called into question, they are unsure whether he should have the right to make that decision.

Michael Ross is a man who should be executed. He ended the lives of his eight victims, all ages 14 to 25, and shattered their families’ lives forever. That is unjustifiable. People against the death penalty should take a closer look at who exactly they’re supporting. Michael Ross is a serial killer. His deeds are tarnished for good and the victims’ families are at least owed this. He should die for what he did to those young women. I will be one of the people cheering on his execution.