The Attempted Murder of Olga Rocco
Morbid11 Sep 2023

The Attempted Murder of Olga Rocco

On the morning of December 31, 1946, nineteen-year-old Pearl Lusk boarded a crowded subway train in Brooklyn. A few days earlier, she’d met a man named Allen in a bar who offered her a very strange, yet simple job: she was to follow a young woman named Olga and take a photo to determine whether she was wearing any stolen jewelry.

That morning, as Pearl and Olga exited the crowded subway train, Pearl raised the camera in Olga’s direction and pulled the wire to take a photo, but what happened next would put into motion a series of events that rivals fiction.

Thank you to the wonderful Dave White for Research assistance!

References

Adams, Toni. 1947. "Troopers hunt and kill Alphonse Rocco." Kingston Daily Freeman, January 7: 1.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1947. "Camera-gun suspect flees in stolen car." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 6: 2.

Buffalo Evening News. 1947. "'Camera' shooting victim asks N.Y. City to pay her $200,000." Buffalo Evening News, February 14: 1.

—. 1953. "Court frees city of liability for not averting shooting." Buffalo Evening News, April 22: 25.

—. 1947. "Police press quest for spouse of camera-gun victim." Buffalo Evening News, January 2: 9.

—. 1946. "Times Square Station is scene of shooting." Buffalo Evening News, December 31: 10.

International News Service. 1947. "Estranged wife and family glad Ruocco is dead." Buffalo Evening News, Janaury 7: 1.

Kingston Daily Freeman. 1947. "Victim of camera shooting guarded." Kingston Daily Freeman, January 2: 18.

McKelway, St. Clair. 1953. The Perils of Pearl and Olga. August 8. Accessed August 10, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1953/08/08/the-perils-of-pearl-and-olga.

New York Times. 1947. "Camera-gun victim files for $200,000." New York Times, February 15: 17.

—. 1947. "'Camera-gun' victim loses a leg." New York Times, Janaury 3: 1.

—. 1947. "Girl, dupe in plot, shoots woman with 'camera' gun." New York Times, January 1: 1.

—. 1947. "Lusk girl freed; will leave city." New York Times, Janaury 11: 20.

—. 1947. "Rocco killed by the police in Catskills." New York Times, January 7: 1.

Smith, Delos. 1947. "Gullible girl hoaxed into plot on life of estranged wife." Daily Boston Globe, January 1: 13.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episoder(820)

The Kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III

The Kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III

Throughout the twentieth century, few names loomed as large in the business and financial worlds as John Paul Getty. Once the richest man in the world, Getty made his fortune in the oil industry and a...

20 Okt 20251h 21min

The Wyrick Family Haunting

The Wyrick Family Haunting

When Andy and Lisa Wyrick moved into their new home in Georgia in 1989, the young couple thought they’d lucked out when they finally found a place they could afford. Within a few months, however, Andy...

16 Okt 20251h 1min

Esther Cox and the Great Amherst Mystery

Esther Cox and the Great Amherst Mystery

In the summer of 1878, eighteen-year-old Esther Cox was assaulted at gunpoint by a male acquaintance, leaving the Nova Scotia teenager traumatized and afraid. In the days that followed, Esther and tho...

13 Okt 20251h 5min

October Bonus Episode - Corpse Medicine: Tomb to Table

October Bonus Episode - Corpse Medicine: Tomb to Table

Weirdos! It's our SECOND BONUS EPISODE!!! This month, Ash is ready to give you a dose of corpse medicine! From mummy dust & king's drops to blood jam & human fat poultices, this month's bonus covers t...

10 Okt 202551min

The Dartmouth College Murders

The Dartmouth College Murders

On the evening of January 27, 2001, Roxana Verona arrived at the Etna, NH home of her friends Half and Susanne Zantop for a dinner the couple had planned with friends that night. When no one answered ...

9 Okt 20251h 20min

Forensics, Fiction, and the Fine Line Between Them: A Sit Down with Patricia Cornwell

Forensics, Fiction, and the Fine Line Between Them: A Sit Down with Patricia Cornwell

Weirdos! Today we are joined by legendary crime novelist Patricia Cornwell, the mastermind behind the Kay Scarpetta series and one of the pioneers of the forensic thriller genre! Whether you’re a long...

6 Okt 20251h 16min

The Manhattan Alien Abduction

The Manhattan Alien Abduction

On the evening of November 30, 1989, Linda Napolitano awoke in her lower Manhattan apartment to find herself unable to move. She felt as though she was in the presence of other individuals, then she b...

2 Okt 20251h 12min

The Horrific Crimes of the Aspirin Bandit

The Horrific Crimes of the Aspirin Bandit

On February 4, 1941, Bronx police officers were called to the home of John and Catherine Pappas for a report of a homicide. Based on the evidence, detectives theorized that someone had been invited in...

29 Sep 202559min

Populært innen Humor

rss-spartsklubben
papaya
enkel-servering
harm-og-hegseth
tore-og-haralds-podkast
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
tusvik-tnne
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
misjonen-med-antonsen-og-golden
rss-snorre-med-gaute
wolfgang-wee-uncut
hanna-de-heldige
jan-thomas-og-einar-blir-venner
verdens-verste
rss-det-alle-snakker-om-med-siri-og-kim
gutta-backer
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen