Carlton Michael Gary and the Columbus "Stocking Strangler" Murders
Carlton Michael Gary was an American convicted murderer most closely associated with the series of attacks known as the "Stocking Strangler" murders in Columbus, Georgia. Between September 1977 and April 1978, elderly women living primarily in the historic Wynnton area of Columbus were attacked inside their homes. Seven women were killed, while at least two other women survived related attacks. The crimes created widespread fear because the victims were generally women living alone, the attacks occurred in or around their own bedrooms, and the killer repeatedly used ligatures such as stockings, pantyhose, a scarf, or a window-blind cord to strangle his victims.
Gary was ultimately tried and convicted for three of the murders: those of Florence Scheible, Martha Thurmond, and Kathleen Woodruff. Prosecutors also introduced evidence concerning the other attacks to argue that they demonstrated a distinctive pattern and were committed by the same person. Gary was not formally convicted of the remaining four Columbus murders, an important distinction when describing the case. Nevertheless, authorities maintained that he was responsible for the complete series, and later DNA testing connected him to evidence in the Jean Dimenstein case.
Pattern of the Crimes
The Columbus attacks followed a remarkably similar pattern. The assailant entered the homes of older women, usually during the night, and burglarized the residences. The women were sexually assaulted and subjected to ligature strangulation. Stockings or pantyhose were used in several cases, giving rise to the "Stocking Strangler" name used by the press. Other ligatures included Kathleen Woodruff's scarf and a Venetian-blind cord used against Mildred Borom.
Another recurring feature was the manner in which the deceased victims were found. Their bodies had generally been partially or completely covered with bedding, sheets, blankets, pillows, or other material after the attacks. Most of the crimes occurred within the Wynnton section of Columbus, causing residents to become increasingly frightened as the number of similar attacks grew. Janet Cofer, the final homicide victim in the recognized series, lived outside Wynnton on Steam Mill Road, although she had attended choir practice in Wynnton on the evening associated with her murder.
Victims and Verified Dates
The following dates are based on the dates recorded in court and official case accounts. In cases where the surviving records identify when a body was discovered rather than establishing a separate precise time of death, that distinction is noted.
- Mary "Ferne" Jackson — September 16, 1977 — 2505 17th Street, Columbus, Georgia. Jackson was found dead in her Wynnton-area home on September 16. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten before being strangled with a stocking and a sash from a dressing gown. Her body had been covered after the attack. Some later accounts have referred to September 15 in describing when the killing may have occurred, but official court summaries record the discovery of her body on September 16.
- Jean Dimenstein — September 24, 1977 — 3027 21st Street, Columbus, Georgia. Dimenstein was attacked inside her home and was sexually assaulted and strangled with a stocking. Sheets and a pillow covered her body. Her death became especially significant decades later when post-conviction DNA testing produced evidence that authorities said matched Gary to the Dimenstein case, even though her murder was not one of the three for which he had originally been convicted.
- Florence Scheible — October 21, 1977 — 1941 Dimon Street, Columbus, Georgia. Scheible, who was 89 years old, legally blind, and dependent on a walker, was sexually assaulted, beaten, and strangled with a stocking. Her son and daughter-in-law discovered her covered body on October 21. Scheible's murder was one of the three killings for which Gary was formally prosecuted and convicted.
- Martha Thurmond — October 25, 1977 — 2614 Marion Street, Columbus, Georgia. Thurmond was found dead in her home on October 25. She had been sexually assaulted, beaten, and strangled with a stocking. Her body had been covered with a pillow, sheets, and blankets. Thurmond's death was another of the three murders included in Gary's indictment and eventual conviction.
- Kathleen Woodruff — December 28, 1977 — 1811 Buena Vista Road, Columbus, Georgia. Woodruff was discovered partially covered on her bed on December 28. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled, but in this case the ligature was a scarf rather than a stocking. Woodruff was the third woman whose murder formed the basis of Gary's 1986 murder convictions.
- Mildred Borom — February 12, 1978 — 1612 Forest Avenue, Columbus, Georgia. Borom was found in the hallway of her home on February 12 after her son became concerned when he could not contact her. Contemporary reporting indicated that the killing probably occurred late on February 11 or early on February 12. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a cord taken from a Venetian blind. Her face had been covered after her death. Her home was only a short distance from that of surviving attack victim Ruth Schwob.
- Janet Cofer — April 19, 1978 — Steam Mill Road, Columbus, Georgia. Court records state that Cofer's body was discovered in her home on April 19 after she failed to report for work. She was found in bed, covered with linens and with a pillow over her face. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a stocking. Cofer lived outside the Wynnton neighborhood, unlike the other principal victims, but she had attended choir practice at Wynnton Methodist Church on the evening connected with the crime. Some later summaries have used April 20 when referring to the case, while the controlling court accounts place the discovery on April 19.
The Women Who Survived
Two attacks associated with the series did not result in murder. Gertrude Miller was attacked in her Columbus home on September 11, 1977. She was sexually assaulted and severely beaten, and investigators found knotted stockings at the scene. Miller survived and later identified Gary as the man who attacked her. Her testimony became important because she was able to provide a living eyewitness account connected to the pattern presented by prosecutors.
Ruth Schwob survived another frightening attack on February 11, 1978, at her home on Carter Avenue. An intruder attacked her while she was in bed, and a stocking was placed around her neck. Schwob was able to activate an alarm, prompting a rapid response and interrupting the attack. She survived but did not identify Gary as her attacker. Mildred Borom was found dead nearby the following day, leading investigators to associate the two incidents closely.
Earlier Crimes and Gary's Return to Columbus
Gary's criminal history extended well beyond the Columbus murders. In Albany, New York, the body of 85-year-old Nellie Farmer was found on April 14, 1970. Farmer had been sexually assaulted and strangled, and a fingerprint recovered from the scene was matched to Gary. Gary acknowledged being at the scene but claimed another man, John Lee Mitchell, was responsible for the killing. Mitchell was prosecuted but acquitted.
Gary was also connected to the January 2, 1977 burglary and sexual assault of Jean Frost in Syracuse, New York. Property taken from Frost's home, including her watch, was found in Gary's possession when he was taken into custody two days later. Gary again claimed that another man had committed the sexual assault while he acted only as a lookout.
On August 22, 1977, Gary escaped from custody in New York. Within weeks, the attacks later associated with the Stocking Strangler began in Columbus. The timing of his return to the area eventually became one part of the circumstantial case developed against him.
Investigation and Arrest
For years, the Columbus murders remained unsolved. Investigators finally obtained a major lead after a pistol stolen during a 1977 Wynnton-area burglary was traced through Gary's family. Police arrested Gary on May 3, 1984. His fingerprints were subsequently matched by investigators to latent prints recovered at four of the crime scenes.
During questioning, Gary acknowledged that he had been present at or had knowledge of most of the relevant locations, but he denied being the murderer. He claimed that he had committed burglaries while another man, Malvin A. Crittenden, committed the rapes and killings. Investigators reported that they found no evidence corroborating Gary's accusation against Crittenden.
Trial and Convictions
Gary was indicted in Muscogee County in May 1984 for three counts each of murder, rape, and burglary involving Florence Scheible, Martha Thurmond, and Kathleen Woodruff. At his 1986 trial, prosecutors did not limit their presentation to those three women. They introduced evidence from the other Stocking Strangler attacks to demonstrate similarities in the victims, locations, methods of entry, sexual assaults, strangulations, and treatment of the bodies.
On August 26, 1986, the jury found Gary guilty of the charges. He subsequently received death sentences for the three murders. Although prosecutors maintained that one offender had committed all seven killings, Gary's legal convictions remained specifically tied to Scheible, Thurmond, and Woodruff.
DNA Evidence and Continuing Disputes
The case remained controversial during Gary's decades of appeals. His attorneys questioned fingerprint evidence, forensic testing, footprints, and a bite-mark impression connected with Janet Cofer. They argued that evidence developed after the original trial raised doubts about whether Gary was responsible for every crime attributed to the Stocking Strangler.
Gary came within hours of execution in December 2009 before the Georgia Supreme Court stayed the execution and allowed additional consideration of DNA testing. The later testing produced complicated results and extensive litigation. State authorities ultimately reported a positive DNA match connecting Gary to evidence from the Jean Dimenstein attack. A result that initially appeared to exclude him from evidence associated with Martha Thurmond was later attributed by investigators to laboratory contamination. Gary continued to maintain his innocence, but the courts ultimately rejected his requests for a new trial.
Execution and Legacy of the Case
After more than three decades of appeals and post-conviction proceedings, Carlton Michael Gary was executed by lethal injection at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center in Jackson, Georgia, on March 15, 2018. His execution was carried out at 10:33 p.m. He was 67 years old.
The Stocking Strangler murders remain one of the most notorious criminal cases in Columbus history. The repeated attacks inside private homes transformed an ordinarily quiet residential area into a community marked by fear, increased police patrols, security precautions, and suspicion. Gary's convictions legally established his responsibility for three of the murders, while prosecutors and investigators attributed the wider series to him. The seven women who died — Ferne Jackson, Jean Dimenstein, Florence Scheible, Martha Thurmond, Kathleen Woodruff, Mildred Borom, and Janet Cofer — remain at the center of the case and of its lasting place in Georgia criminal history.
