On a cold December night in New York City, a taxi driver’s shift turned into a final, heroic stand. David Suro, a 49-year-old man, gave his life to prevent a crime and ensure the capture of a dangerous killer. His courage on December 20, 1956, marked the end of a violent, cross-country crime spree and brought a murderer to justice. Mr. Suro, a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey, was the father of five children.
His quick thinking in a moment of extreme peril left a lasting mark on the city's memory.
That evening, Mr. Suro picked up four passengers in Harlem: two men and two women. He was directed to drive them to the Bronx. As the cab made its way through the city, the ride took a sinister turn. One of the male passengers, Leroy Keith, a 42-year-old career criminal with a history of violence, pulled out a gun and announced a stick-up. Spotting a parked police patrol car nearby on Webster Avenue, Mr. Suro made a split-second decision. Instead of complying with the robber's demands, he slammed his taxi directly into the police car, creating a chaotic scene meant to draw immediate attention.
The impact sent the robbers scrambling out of the cab. As he exited, Keith turned and fired two shots through the taxi's window, striking Mr. Suro in the chest and abdomen. A fierce gun battle erupted on the street as police officers engaged Keith, who wildly fired at them before attempting to flee. One officer testified that he saw Keith grinning as he shot the cab driver. Mr. Suro was rushed to Fordham Hospital, but his wounds were too severe. He died the following day, his selfless act turning an attempted robbery into a homicide investigation.
The man who pulled the trigger was no stranger to law enforcement. Leroy Keith, also known as "Cut," "Frisco," and "New York," was a serial killer with a long and brutal record. His criminal career began with auto theft and burglary. In 1934, he murdered a mill worker named Fred Greist in Warren, Ohio, during a car theft. He was convicted and sentenced to death, but the conviction was later reduced to second-degree murder on appeal, and his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. In prison, he earned the nickname "Cut" for his habit of attacking fellow inmates with razor blades. After being paroled, he killed again in Ohio in November 1956 before making his way to New York.
Keith’s accomplices in the taxi—James T. Morris, Dorothy Chaney, and Betty Jean Ward—were quickly apprehended. They convinced authorities they were terrified and unwilling participants in the robbery and shooting. Murder indictments against them were later dismissed, and they were held as material witnesses for the prosecution.
Leroy Keith’s trial for the murder of David Suro began in January 1958. After 13 days of testimony, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. The presiding judge, Samuel Joseph, described Keith as one of the most "cold blooded" killers to have ever appeared in his courtroom, remarking, "Just give him a gun and he's happy." Keith was sentenced to death.
For 18 months, Keith sat on death row at Sing Sing prison, receiving no visitors. After two stays of execution, his sentence was carried out on July 23, 1959. As he was strapped into the electric chair, his final words were reported to be, "Sooner or later, we all come to justice. I was disappointed in Governor Rockefeller." Leroy Keith was executed for the murder of David Suro, bringing a violent life to a definitive end and closing the final chapter on a story of a hero cab driver who sacrificed everything to do the right thing.
