The Trunk Murderess

Phoenix of the 1930s is brought to life in this detailed account of Winnie Ruth Judd. Kudos to Jana!

This is a very well written and researched story. But unlike many true crime books, it has what I consider a sad, unsatisfying ending. That's life. Worth your attention. edit: A while back, but after I read Winnie Judd's story, I purchased another fascinating book called Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook by Sean Tejaratchi. It was even more interesting than I expected. Last night I looked it over for the second time, and imagine my surprise at several autopsy photos of "Sammy" Samuelson, the dismembered victim from Winnie Judd's tale! It was very sad. One thing I did miss in Jana's story was that I'd like more photos. Not autopsy shots, but just photos of her friends who died and etc.

Being a native of Phoenix Arizona, I found this book very interesting and it tells what makes the most sense. The frightning story and distasteful jokes of Winnie Ruth Judd has been told and re-told for years. "The small beautiful trunk murderess who killed two people..chopped them up..loaded them both into trunks...and took them to LA on a train......alone!!" This never did make sense to me. Except for a few secrets Winnie kept until her death...this book explains what happened.

Back before the Manson Family or OJ, there was Winnie Ruth Judd...the famous murderess who is still a household name for anyone over the age of 90 (just ask my grandmother!). This is a wonderful chronicle of the fascinating true crime case...vivid and immensely readable!

THE TRUNK MURDERESS: WINNIE RUTH JUDD,by Jana Bommersbach. Winnie Ruth Judd never stood a chance in Phoenix, Arizona for justice. I read this book and now everytime I drive by the State Mental Hospital on Van Buren Street in Phoenix, I think of all the years that Winnie Ruth Judd spent there. This author's brilliant and time consuming research, plus she actually visited and slept at Winnie Ruth Judd's apartment and got the "true" story of all that happened from Winnie Ruth Judd, herself. The story took place in 1931, long before Phoenix became a major city, and is one of the most bizarre stories I have ever read. This is a fascinating story, and I could not put the book down until I had read from the front page to the last page.