Benjamin Franklin Miller

Serial Killer

Benjamin Franklin Miller Jr. and the Stamford "Bra Murders"

Overview of the Case

Benjamin Franklin Miller Jr. became the central suspect in a series of five strangulation murders committed in and around Stamford, Connecticut, between 1967 and 1971. The crimes became widely known as the "Bra Murders" because several of the women were strangled with their own bras. Their bodies were discovered near roads, abandoned structures and wooded areas close to the Merritt Parkway in northern Stamford. Miller was arrested and charged with all five killings after undergoing extensive police questioning and making statements that investigators considered confessions. He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity in three of the cases, while the remaining two charges were dropped. However, serious questions eventually arose about the reliability of his confessions, the interrogation methods used against him and evidence implicating another suspect. Miller's convictions were overturned, the charges were dismissed and he was released in 1988. The five murders remain officially unsolved.

The Victims

• Rose Ellen Pazda, 29: Pazda, who was also known as "Sissi Rush," disappeared from Stamford on or after August 4, 1967. Her skeletal remains were discovered on April 4, 1969, near Riverbank Road in North Stamford, close to the Merritt Parkway. Because of the condition of her remains, authorities could not determine her exact date of death. She is believed to have been the first victim in the series.
• Donna Roberts, 22: Roberts disappeared from Stamford on May 2, 1968. Her body was found the following day, May 3, near Riverbank Road in North Stamford. She had been strangled with her bra. The location of her remains later became significant because additional victims were discovered in the same general area.
• Gloria Conn, 21: Conn, a resident of Mount Vernon, New York, was found murdered on September 8, 1968, near the Merritt Parkway in Stamford. Her body was discovered approximately 60 yards from the location where Donna Roberts had been found several months earlier. Conn had also been strangled with her bra.
• Gail Thompson, 19: Thompson was found strangled on July 10, 1971, inside an abandoned house in North Stamford. Unlike some of the other victims, she had not been strangled with a bra. Investigators reported that a handkerchief or similar piece of cloth had been used around her neck. A playing card, described as the queen of hearts, was reportedly discovered near her body.
• Alma T. Henry, 34: Henry was found dead on August 22, 1971, inside a discarded trash container near the Merritt Parkway in Stamford. Two motorists traveling through the area discovered her remains. She had been strangled with her own bra. Henry was a married mother of four who lived in Stamford's Southfield Village housing development and was not known to have the same lifestyle or background attributed to several of the earlier victims.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

Rose Ellen Pazda Age: (29)

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