On a warm late summer day in Camden, New Jersey, the lives of a local family were irrevocably shattered. Maurice Cohen, a 39-year-old male pharmacist, was at his family's apartment located above their business, Cohen's Pharmacy. The date was September 6, 1949, a day that would become infamous in the city's history. Maurice, his wife Rose, their 12-year-old son Charles, and Maurice's mother, Minnie, were present when a neighbor, 28-year-old Howard Unruh, began a deadly rampage through their community.
Unruh, a World War II veteran, had been harboring growing resentments towards his neighbors, including the Cohens. A dispute over a gate Unruh had installed and subsequently found removed is believed to have been the final catalyst for his actions. Armed with a Luger pistol, Unruh began his 'Walk of Death,' targeting those he held grudges against and shooting others indiscriminately. After killing several other people in the neighborhood, Unruh made his way to Cohen's Pharmacy.
He first encountered and killed an insurance man, James Hutton, in the doorway.
Hearing the commotion, Maurice and Rose Cohen ran upstairs to their apartment. As they fled, Rose urged their son Charles to hide. While Rose concealed herself and Charles in separate closets, Maurice attempted to escape through a window onto a porch roof. Unruh pursued them into the apartment, where he first shot and killed Rose through the closet door. He then discovered Maurice's mother, 63-year-old Minnie, as she was trying to call the police and fatally shot her. Unruh then spotted Maurice on the roof and shot him in the back, causing him to fall to the street below where he died. Miraculously, their son Charles remained hidden and survived the massacre.
Howard Unruh's shooting spree lasted for twelve minutes and resulted in the deaths of thirteen people, including Maurice, Rose, and Minnie Cohen, and the injury of three others. The rampage ended when Unruh returned to his apartment, where he was eventually apprehended by police after a standoff. During his interrogation, Unruh gave a detailed and chilling account of his actions. He was charged with thirteen counts of murder but was ultimately found to be criminally insane and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Howard Unruh was never tried for the murders; instead, he was committed to a state psychiatric hospital, where he remained for the rest of his life until his death in 2009.
