Global InformationRoxana Druse information
Roxana Druse | |
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 | |
| Born | Roxalana Teftt c. 1847 |
| Died | February 28, 1887 (age 39-40) Herkimer County, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Roxalana Druce Roxana Druce |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse | William Druse |
| Children | Mary and George Druse |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death by hanging |
Roxalana "Roxana" Druse (c. 1847 – February 28, 1887), was the last woman hanged in the state of New York, and the first woman hanged in 40 years in Central New York. Her botched execution didn't kill her instantly, further motivating New York officials to replace the gallows with the electric chair in New York in 1890.
Druse murdered her husband, William Druse, in their home in Warren, New York, by shooting him and decapitating him with an axe. Her son and daughter, George and Mary Druse, and nephew, Frank Gates, assisted her in the murder. Druse later said that she murdered him because of domestic violence. She was sentenced to be hanged on October 6, 1885, and was hanged on February 28, 1887.