Robert Garrow was born on March four, 1936 near the village of Dannemora in upstate New York. His father was a mineworker along with a heavy drinker taking out his frustration on his son. His mother Margaret Garrow was well-known in Mineville and had a hostile, callous disposition. She was a cruel individual who beat her kids. There had been times when Robert was beaten unconscious. He had no formal education and worked on neighbor?s farms from the age of 7 his pay getting collected by his mother. Soon Robert began getting sexual get in touch with using the animals on the farm ? cows, horses, sheep and dogs. At 15 he was sent to reform school for punching his father within the face and when he was released a year later he joined the Air Force. Within the military he was ridiculed for bed-wetting. He stole income from an Air Force sergeant, received a court martial and sentenced to six months in a military prison in Florida. When he attempted to escape he was caught and sentenced to 1 year in one more military stockade in Georgia.
Returning to upstate New York he married a nearby girl Edith in June of 1957. The couple moved to Albany where Garrow got a job in a quickly food restaurant. It was not lengthy right after this that he was arrested for burglarizing the shop. In 1961 he was arrested for raping a teenage girl soon after he had knocked out her boyfriend using the butt of a pellet gun. Garrow was ultimately captured and sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. He was sent to Clinton state prison, much better referred to as Dannemora for New York?s toughest inmates. He spent about 8 years there and was released in 1968 and began working in a bakery. In 1972 he was arrested in Syracuse, New York on charges of unlawful imprisonment and drug violations.
In 1973 Garrow was accused of sexual assault on two small girls in Geddes. On the morning of Could 31, 1973 two girls in colorful dresses walked down a deserted street in upstate Geddes, New York. They had been unaware with the stocky, bullish-looking man watching them from a vehicle. Seeing that they had been the type of girls he preferred the man stepped out of his auto. He looked about cautiously to make sure there was nobody about. The man began following the girls. The girls 1 9 and 1 11 years old glanced about but thought absolutely nothing threatening concerning the man behind them and besides the town was secure. When the man was close sufficient to his intended victims he known as out, “Stop!” The girls turned about and he stated, “Police!” although holding a phony badge which he then put back in his pocket. He told them he was a police officer from nearby Camillus and that they had to go with him towards the police station to assist discover a lost dog. He was insistent on this point and took the girls to his vehicle. For a although he drove aimlessly until he came to a spot inside the fields where there had been no houses or farms nearby. Parking his vehicle on Maple Road in Camillus he took the girls out of his automobile and walked them as much as the best of a nearby hill and laid a blanket on the grass.He then ordered the 9 year old girl to come to him. The girl froze and looked at her buddy neither of them knew what the man wanted. He then pulled out a plastic handgun which looked genuine. He stuck it within the girl?s face and once again ordered her to come to him. He later told the jury that he had the girls play with him and that 1 of them committed an act of sodomy, orally. Nevertheless the girls had been luck inside the truth that their ordeal lasted only 3 hours and that he let them live. This was Robert Francis Garrow, the predator. Right after he was released on bail, Garrow disappeared and in no way showed for the scheduled court date. An arrest warrant was issued and on that day, Garrow officially became a fugitive.
It was a morning in 1973 on July 29th when a group of pals Phil Domblewski, Carol Ann Malinowski, David Freeman and Nick Fiorello went camping within the Adirondacks near Wells, New York. They all had been from Schenectady and knew every other from high school. The buddies pitched their tents near Old Route 8, south with the village of Speculator.
Just a couple of miles away from where they had been camped Robert Garrow was driving northward in an orange colored VW hatchback. Garrow spotted the teenagers? campsite he pulled over grabbed his .30-caliber rifle and walked into the campsite. Walking over towards the very first tent Garrow pointed his rifle at Carol Ann and David who had been nonetheless in their sleeping bag. He asked them for some gas. Then he rounded up all 4 campers and told them to siphon some gas from their automobile. Phil objected and Garrow marched them all into the woods saying, “I?ve killed ahead of and I will once again if I’ve to!” Seeing that physically he was a large man the teenagers felt frightened. As soon as within the woods he tied them all up against separate trees out of sight of 1 an additional. The girl was tied up last. Initial he attacked Domblewski slashing him a number of times across the chest ahead of plunging the knife into the boy?s chest. Hearing the final gasps for life Carol cried out, “What are you currently performing to him?” Meanwhile the two other boys had managed to untie themselves and escaped. They ran for aid as Garrow walked deeper into the woods. Minutes later a dozen men from the nearby town began looking for the killer. Domblewski?s body was nonetheless tied towards the tree and blood was everywhere. Garrow had left his knife behind on the ground subsequent towards the body. However the killer had managed to escape in his orange VW as well as the hunt was on.
However the Adirondack park was immense with lakes, streams and rolling hills. The mountains getting 50 high peaks and miles of trails. It was just the spot to hide. Right after he had killed Domblewski Garrow drove by means of the Adirondack Park keeping to isolated dirt roads until the State Police spotted him on the night of July 31. The police chased the VW via the thick trees at break-neck speed mowing down trees and bushes along the way. In an region referred to as Coon Creek Garrow crashed his vehicle and jumping out ran by means of the woods. He managed to elude the two pursuing troopers and disappeared into the wilderness.
Meanwhile the New York State Police brought in hundreds of troopers, numerous helicopters, bloodhounds and platoons of neighborhood law enforcement. A command post was set up near the base of Mt. Pleasant. Garrow?s wife and child had been situated and brought towards the scene. Domblewski?s buddies identified the killer via pictures as well as the abandoned VW was traced to Garrow. The subsequent day an arrest warrant charging him with murder was issued by the Wells Town Court. There was some suspicion that Garrow was also responsible for one more murder involving a camper a couple of weeks ahead of. A Harvard student Daniel Porter 23 of Concord, Massachusetts had been located murdered inside the park and his girlfriend Susan Petz, 20 of Skokie, Illinois was missing. Porter?s body had been identified on July 20th about 25 miles from the scene with the Domblewski murder.
The police had Garrow?s wife and son, Robert Jr. plead with him to give up by way of giant loudspeakers even though helicopters flew above. At this time Garrow was continuing northward, carrying his rifle and walking in and out of streams to confuse the bloodhounds. On August 7 Garrow was bold sufficient to check out his sister Agnes who lived in Mineville. His sister stated that throughout the go to his correct hand had been injured and was bleeding. He told her there had been come trouble as well as a guy had been stabbed. She had no concept where he was headed for and by the time the police descended upon her property Garrow had managed to escape 1 far more time. The police doubled forces nearly towards the Canadian border. Then on August 10 a conservation officer who was portion with the stake out team staking out Garrow?s sister?s residence saw Mrs. Mandy?s son carrying food into the woods behind the home. Cops went to investigate and Garrow emerged and took flight. When he didn?t quit the police opened fire and hit the suspect numerous times. Garrow fell towards the ground. Soon after 11 days along with the largest manhunt in New York State history Robert Garrow was in custody.
Garrow met with his court appointed attorneys Francis Belge and Frank Armani of Syracuse. Even so Garrow was uncooperative and claimed loss of memory when crucial topic matter arose. Late in August of 1973 the attorneys decided to attempt as soon as much more. Garrow was already a suspect in numerous other homicides. Alicia Hauck, 16 had disappeared on her way property from high school in Syracuse on July 11, 1973. On that day Garrow had been spotted near her school. No body had been located. Then on July 20th in Weavertown, New York the body of Camper Daniel Porter was located tied to a tree and stabbed inside the identical way Domblewski was later to be killed. Porter?s girlfriend Susan Petz had not however been identified. Given that he was arrested Garrow insisted he had absolutely nothing to do using the missing girls. The two attorneys begged for cooperation. Lastly Garrow admitted to selecting up Alicia Hauck who was hitchhiking. He stated that they had had sex on a hill behind an apartment complicated and when she got hysterical and attempted to run away he had hit her with his knife. When Belge asked if he had killed the girl Garrow replied that he thought so and took the body of Alicia Hauck and hid it within the Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse. As far as he knew the body was nonetheless there.
Then Garrow went on to describe how he had killed Daniel Porter in late July. He mentioned he had stabbed him throughout a fight after which kidnapped his girlfriend Susan Petz. He kept her with him for 4 days sexually assaulting her. On the last day she attempted to escape and they fought each and every other. Lastly he stabbed her and threw her body down the airshaft of a mine. Because these confessions had been confidential in between client and attorney the attorneys could not reveal to everyone where the girls bodies had been to be located.
Belge and Armani decided to corroborate their client?s confession and drove to Mineville to search for the mineshaft in which Garrow stated he had tossed the body of Susan Petz. It was late August and also the weather was stifling. Getting situated a mine shaft that looked promising Belge holding on to Armani?s hand lowered himself into the cool darkness. He situated the body in the bottom with the air shaft and took pictures. The two attorneys dilemma was that they had been bound by law not to reveal what their client had told them. At Oakwood Cemetery each attorneys identified the body of Alicia Hauck behind a shed. Belge saw that her skull had been torn from her body and he placed the skull above the girl?s shoulders. The attorney had now also altered a crime scene and tampered with evidence but was nonetheless convinced of his confidentiality.
Lake Pleasant is an Adirondack town situated 40 miles from Amsterdam, New York. Tourists come here to take pleasure in the lakes, hike or relax within the beauty with the Adirondacks. You can find dozens of cottages and summer houses along the shores of Lake Pleasant. Along State Route 8 the county municipal offices consist of a courthouse, a sheriff?s workplace as well as a jail. Because his capture on August 9, 1973 Garrow had been confined to a wheelchair right after he was shot a number of times. Beginning on Could 9, 1974 individuals had been named for jury duty in Hamilton County under the supervision of Attorneys Belge and Armani. By early June the jury had been selected and also the trail began on June 10.
The 3 teenagers Nick Fiorello, Daniel Freeman and Carol Malinowski testified about their experiences the day Phillip Domblewski was murdered. There had been a lot of articles of evidence introduced also as crime scene pictures. Lastly on June 17 the defense began its case with its 1st witness Robert Garrow. Very first Garrow was asked about his childhood and early years. Then he recounted towards the court about his several difficulties using the law and becoming arrested for crimes like rape, sodomy, and burglary. His eight years in prison at Auburn and Dannemora where he had sex with other prisoners each oral and anal. He told the court that when he got out of jail in 1968 he committed a series of rapes within the Syracuse region some with extremely young girls. He also recounted the incident in Might of 1973 where he sexually abused two girls 1 9 and 1 11.
Afterwards Garrow told the court concerning the killing of Daniel Porter and his girlfriend Susan Petz. He told them how he had carried out the killings and that he had held the girl hostage afterwards killing her and throwing her body in a mine shaft. Then went on to describe how he had met Alicia Hauck, what he had accomplished with her, how he had killed her and how he had disposed of her body within the cemetery. Alicia Hauck?s body had lastly been located in December of 1973. Garrow went on to inform the court that he had had conversations with his attorneys about where the victims could possibly be identified months ago and that his attorneys had brought him pictures with the dead girls to identify. For the subsequent 3 days Garrow testified to a series of seven rapes and 4 murders. On June 27, 1974 the jury identified Garrow guilty of murder inside the first-degree and on July 1 he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Garrow was transported to upstate Clinton prison in Dannemora near the Canadian border. Continually complaining about feeling paralysis in his left leg and on painkillers he began his jail sentence.
Garrow?s 1st couple of years of imprisonment had been at Dannemora and Auburn Prison often claiming that he received unfair remedy and was the victim of police brutality. He also stated that he was partially paralyzed by the gunshot wounds he suffered for the duration of his capture in 1973 and filed a $10 million lawsuit against New York State citing these as well as other complaints. Afterwards Garrow was transferred from Dannemora towards the much less secure facility at Fishkill, New York. Fishkill Correctional Facility is situated outside the village of Fishkill in Dutchess County. It was built in 1896 on 600 acres of farmland and became a medium-security prison in the course of the 1960s. Fishkill also contained the notorious Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Fishkill Correctional was criticized for its security procedures and on account of his medical condition Garrow was placed in a housing unit referred to as the Elderly and Handicapped section, much better referred to as the E & H building.
It was the night of September 8, 1978 when Garrow placed a dummy constructed from rags and wire on his cell bed. He placed a .32 caliber automatic handgun into his waistband and walked out of his cell. It was later discovered that the gun had been smuggled into prison in a fried chicken bucket. (Garrow?s 18 year old son, two inmates and an inmate?s wife had been later arrested and charged inside the incident). Due to the fact the E & H Building had much less security Garrow was able to walk out with the ward. Exiting the building he went to a chain-link fence and managed to climb up it and down onto the other side. Afterwards Garrow crawled towards the edge with the woods numerous hundred yards away. Hiding himself within the underbrush he observed the prison. It was morning when guards discovered him missing. The Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT) was named out from Greenhaven. The squad was created up of specially trained personnel to manage prison emergencies. Soon word got out of this notorious prisoners escape and men and women had been frightened. Roadblocks had been set up everywhere. What everybody didn?t know was that Garrow was correct there he had located a hole within the ground and crawled in and covered himself with brush and leaves. He lay there for 3 days. On the third day a CERT team member discovered a portable transistor radio by means of which serial quantity they discovered out it belonged to Garrow. Now they knew that Garrow had not gone far. On September 11 at 6 PM within the evening Greenhaven Correction Officer Dominic Arena, 25, produced one more search by means of the fields on the western edge with the prison. Nearby was Interstate 84 and anybody could have picked up Garrow. Waking by means of the bush Garrow heard a movement and suddenly Garrow emerged from his hiding location and began firing his automatic handgun. Arena was hit inside the leg and fell towards the ground. The CERT team began up with shotguns, rifles and handguns. Garrow was hit having a barrage of gunfire. He was dead just before he hit the ground. An autopsy showed that 3 .38-caliber bullets had pierced his heart and lungs. Garrow was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York not far from where Alicia Hauck was murdered.