April 22, 2025 • 9 mins
On Easter Sunday, 1937, Veronica Gedeon, her mother, and a boarder were found killed in their New York City apartment. Veronica was a beautiful model, and the press provoked public reaction by publishing her portfolio of sensual photographs. The case had a lasting impact by influencing laws for the criminally insane.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Warning.
This episode contains detailsthat some listeners
may find disturbing.
She was young, beautiful
and murdered on Easter.
When police arrived at a New York Cityapartment on Easter Sunday 1937.
They found a macabre scenethat would change the way New York dealt
(00:23):
with the criminally insane.
A sultry and scandalous modelnamed Veronica Getty and her mother Mary,
and their boarder,Frank Burns, were all dead.
The press and public victimblamed Veronica.
But the killer was on the run.
This is a study of strange.
(00:59):
Welcome back to the show.
I'm Michael May.
Truth be told, I was going to takethis week off of a study of strange.
But as I'm asked to do,I don't know if that's
a phrase off to do, but as I'm off to do.
I was reading about strange storiesand myths and crimes around Easter
because yesterday, as I'm recording,this was the Easter holiday
(01:23):
and I came across this talewhich had a huge emotional impact
on the public and also an impacton the lives of New York.
And this is all to say that I'mmaking a quick episode of True Mini Sode.
I'm even going to have minimal,if any, sound design to this episode,
and shared this terrifyingcase from the Easter holiday.
(01:46):
Let's start in New York
City at 316 East 50th Street,
March 28th, 1937 Easter Sunday.
This is just another brownstonein the neighborhood, and inside
lived some of the Gedeon family.
Veronica, just 20 years old.
Her mother, Mary.
And they also have a boarder,Frank Byrnes, who was a deaf bartender.
(02:06):
Veronica is the most well knownfrom this case because she was a model.
She didn't pose for anything too risqueby today's standards, but to depression
era Americaand in the aftermath of this crime,
all of her images and work was consideredprovocative.
Her photos ran in pulp magazines,detective magazines, advertisements,
(02:26):
and in some cases she was scantily clador had sensual photos,
and in the crime magazinesshe would pose in these victim situations,
sort of tied up or reacting to a killercoming towards her.
And on this day, Veronica,Mary and Frank were found killed.
It was
(02:46):
Veronica's father, Joseph Gedeon,and her older sister, Ethel,
who discovered the bodiesJoseph and Mary and Gideon were separated
but not divorced, and he had been invitedover with the family
for an Easter holiday,and he showed up with Ethel.
They found the door partially open,and they entered the apartment
and found it completely silent,except for Veronica's pet Pekinese dog.
(03:10):
They found a devastating scene.
Veronica Gedeon was found nakedand strangled to death on her bed.
Her mother, Mary had also been strangled,
but was found under Veronica's bedas if hidden.
Mary was also partially naked,and it was later determined
that she put up a fightbecause a bruising found on her body.
(03:31):
Frank Burns was then found in his room,stabbed at least 11 times.
There was no sign of forced entry.
police were baffledbecause nothing had been stolen.
No valuables were missing.
The only object that was intriguingthat was found
was a small sculpturecarved from a piece of soap.
(03:52):
Newspapers had a field daybecause of Veronica's modeling.
They would share her photosin all the press.
The Daily News, the New York Post,the Journal American.
Her image being a beautiful woman,sometimes in provocative poses,
was used to sell newspapers,and it also created a lot of fictitious
(04:13):
versions of what was going on in the case,as you can imagine.
But who would kill these three and why?
In an alltoo familiar case of victim blaming,
the press and publichad their eyes on Veronica
claimingthat she had been out with too many men
and that caused one of these mento commit the murder.
So how dare she?
(04:33):
But behind the scenes at the NYPD,they had a few initial persons
of interest, including Joseph Gedeon,the father being a separated husband.
But suspicion began to shiftto another man.
And Veronica was not the focusof this man's deadly intent.
The suspect was
(04:53):
Robert George Irwin,a 29 year old sculptor
who had been a previous boarderin the Getty and apartment.
Irwinhad a long history of mental instability.
He was a recurring mental hospital patientwho had spent years
in institutionslike Bellevue and Rockland State Hospital.
He was the son of an evangelical preacher,and he had a really rough childhood,
(05:17):
and he began his experiencesin mental institutions as a child.
During Robert Irwinstay in the Getty and apartment,
he became obsessed with EthelGetty and Veronica's older sister,
and there were some reports
that this obsession isthe reason he moved out of the home.
He was kicked out because of his behaviorand actions towards Ethel.
(05:38):
The ensuing manhunt for RobertIrwin was massive.
It was apparently the biggest in the state
since the kidnaping of the Lindberghbaby, and Irwin had fled New York City,
and the manhunt expandit across the country to find him.
For about three months, he lived as afugitive under assumed names,
(05:58):
and then he was found under the alias BobMurray,
working as a bellhop at the StatlerHotel in Cleveland, Ohio.
In June of 1937.
He pretty quickly pled guiltyto second degree murder.
And in his published confession, Irwinshared the events of that night.
He said Ethel was his intended victim
(06:20):
because she was the dearest objectin the world to him.
Some accounts claim that he wantedto make a death mask of her.
He claimed the other deaths
were accidental, and describedarriving at the Getty and home,
being told to leave by Mary,and then he lost control.
He admitted to strangling Maryafter this argument
(06:42):
and then he lied in wait in the apartment.
Veronica came home late, changed for bed,and then saw Irwin
and he strangled Veronicaafter she screamed his name.
Finally, he moved on to Frank Byrne's roomand stabbed Frank to death.
One detective notedthat Irwin recounted the murders calmly,
as if he was just goingabout his usual daily activities.
(07:05):
And again, this case was a media frenzy.
Headlines ran on front pagesabout the arrest of Irwin, and newspapers
continued to talk about Veronicaand share her modeling images.
Irwin had been giventhe moniker of the mad sculptor.
Irwin struck a plea dealand never had to face a jury,
and he was given 139 yearsto life in prison for his sentence.
(07:29):
But the question of his sanity loomedlarge immediately after his sentencing.
State psychiatristsand a lunacy commission.
I didn't know that was a thing,but the Lunacy Commission
concludedthat Irwin was definitely insane.
As a result, Irwin was not sent to prison,but rather to a state hospital
for the criminally insane,and this had blowback.
(07:52):
The public was enragedbecause they considered this sentence
to be too light, since Irwin is avoidingcapital punishment in their minds,
especially for someone who killedso violently and showed little remorse.
And that's where this casehas a lasting impact, a legal impact,
I should say, on how New York and otherjurisdictions viewed the insanity defense.
(08:17):
Irwin pleaded guilty.
Not not guilty by reason of insanity.
It's hard to say not not guiltyby reason of insanity.
This meant that there was no formalinsanity trial.
The public and lawmakers questionedwhether the law should be modified
to handle certain situationslike this differently.
Although Irwin would diewhile incarcerated, New York
(08:39):
did implement changes in its mental healthlaws in the aftermath of this case.
One major outcome was a pushfor tighter controls
and the release of the criminally insane,and in the years following, New York
created the Dangerous Offender Lawand improved
the oversight of psychiatric discharges.
This also sparked discussion on whetherthe insanity plea could be abused.
(09:04):
Today, 316 East 50th
Street is gone,but the legacy of this case continues.
Obviously, in courtrooms,Some of those laws
are probably already changedbecause we do have better understanding
of psychiatric today,and I'm sure they'll continue to evolve
But this is also a tragic cautionary tale,and it's also an example of how
press has an influence on criminal cases,which has not has not changed.
(09:29):
And I don't think it will.
Thank you for listening to this quick minisode of A study of strange.
If you enjoyed this content,make sure you're subscribed,
leave a rating and review.
It really helps us out and you can learnmore of the study of strange Dot-Com.
Until next time, thank you and good night.
Warning.
This episode contains detailsthat some listeners
may find disturbing.
She was young, beautiful
and murdered on Easter.
When police arrived at a New York Cityapartment on Easter Sunday 1937.
They found a macabre scenethat would change the way New York dealt
(00:23):
with the criminally insane.
A sultry and scandalous modelnamed Veronica Getty and her mother Mary,
and their boarder,Frank Burns, were all dead.
The press and public victimblamed Veronica.
But the killer was on the run.
This is a study of strange.
(00:59):
Welcome back to the show.
I'm Michael May.
Truth be told, I was going to takethis week off of a study of strange.
But as I'm asked to do,I don't know if that's
a phrase off to do, but as I'm off to do.
I was reading about strange storiesand myths and crimes around Easter
because yesterday, as I'm recording,this was the Easter holiday
(01:23):
and I came across this talewhich had a huge emotional impact
on the public and also an impacton the lives of New York.
And this is all to say that I'mmaking a quick episode of True Mini Sode.
I'm even going to have minimal,if any, sound design to this episode,
and shared this terrifyingcase from the Easter holiday.
(01:46):
Let's start in New York
City at 316 East 50th Street,
March 28th, 1937 Easter Sunday.
This is just another brownstonein the neighborhood, and inside
lived some of the Gedeon family.
Veronica, just 20 years old.
Her mother, Mary.
And they also have a boarder,Frank Byrnes, who was a deaf bartender.
(02:06):
Veronica is the most well knownfrom this case because she was a model.
She didn't pose for anything too risqueby today's standards, but to depression
era Americaand in the aftermath of this crime,
all of her images and work was consideredprovocative.
Her photos ran in pulp magazines,detective magazines, advertisements,
(02:26):
and in some cases she was scantily clador had sensual photos,
and in the crime magazinesshe would pose in these victim situations,
sort of tied up or reacting to a killercoming towards her.
And on this day, Veronica,Mary and Frank were found killed.
It was
(02:46):
Veronica's father, Joseph Gedeon,and her older sister, Ethel,
who discovered the bodiesJoseph and Mary and Gideon were separated
but not divorced, and he had been invitedover with the family
for an Easter holiday,and he showed up with Ethel.
They found the door partially open,and they entered the apartment
and found it completely silent,except for Veronica's pet Pekinese dog.
(03:10):
They found a devastating scene.
Veronica Gedeon was found nakedand strangled to death on her bed.
Her mother, Mary had also been strangled,
but was found under Veronica's bedas if hidden.
Mary was also partially naked,and it was later determined
that she put up a fightbecause a bruising found on her body.
(03:31):
Frank Burns was then found in his room,stabbed at least 11 times.
There was no sign of forced entry.
police were baffledbecause nothing had been stolen.
No valuables were missing.
The only object that was intriguingthat was found
was a small sculpturecarved from a piece of soap.
(03:52):
Newspapers had a field daybecause of Veronica's modeling.
They would share her photosin all the press.
The Daily News, the New York Post,the Journal American.
Her image being a beautiful woman,sometimes in provocative poses,
was used to sell newspapers,and it also created a lot of fictitious
(04:13):
versions of what was going on in the case,as you can imagine.
But who would kill these three and why?
In an alltoo familiar case of victim blaming,
the press and publichad their eyes on Veronica
claimingthat she had been out with too many men
and that caused one of these mento commit the murder.
So how dare she?
(04:33):
But behind the scenes at the NYPD,they had a few initial persons
of interest, including Joseph Gedeon,the father being a separated husband.
But suspicion began to shiftto another man.
And Veronica was not the focusof this man's deadly intent.
The suspect was
(04:53):
Robert George Irwin,a 29 year old sculptor
who had been a previous boarderin the Getty and apartment.
Irwinhad a long history of mental instability.
He was a recurring mental hospital patientwho had spent years
in institutionslike Bellevue and Rockland State Hospital.
He was the son of an evangelical preacher,and he had a really rough childhood,
(05:17):
and he began his experiencesin mental institutions as a child.
During Robert Irwinstay in the Getty and apartment,
he became obsessed with EthelGetty and Veronica's older sister,
and there were some reports
that this obsession isthe reason he moved out of the home.
He was kicked out because of his behaviorand actions towards Ethel.
(05:38):
The ensuing manhunt for RobertIrwin was massive.
It was apparently the biggest in the state
since the kidnaping of the Lindberghbaby, and Irwin had fled New York City,
and the manhunt expandit across the country to find him.
For about three months, he lived as afugitive under assumed names,
(05:58):
and then he was found under the alias BobMurray,
working as a bellhop at the StatlerHotel in Cleveland, Ohio.
In June of 1937.
He pretty quickly pled guiltyto second degree murder.
And in his published confession, Irwinshared the events of that night.
He said Ethel was his intended victim
(06:20):
because she was the dearest objectin the world to him.
Some accounts claim that he wantedto make a death mask of her.
He claimed the other deaths
were accidental, and describedarriving at the Getty and home,
being told to leave by Mary,and then he lost control.
He admitted to strangling Maryafter this argument
(06:42):
and then he lied in wait in the apartment.
Veronica came home late, changed for bed,and then saw Irwin
and he strangled Veronicaafter she screamed his name.
Finally, he moved on to Frank Byrne's roomand stabbed Frank to death.
One detective notedthat Irwin recounted the murders calmly,
as if he was just goingabout his usual daily activities.
(07:05):
And again, this case was a media frenzy.
Headlines ran on front pagesabout the arrest of Irwin, and newspapers
continued to talk about Veronicaand share her modeling images.
Irwin had been giventhe moniker of the mad sculptor.
Irwin struck a plea dealand never had to face a jury,
and he was given 139 yearsto life in prison for his sentence.
(07:29):
But the question of his sanity loomedlarge immediately after his sentencing.
State psychiatristsand a lunacy commission.
I didn't know that was a thing,but the Lunacy Commission
concludedthat Irwin was definitely insane.
As a result, Irwin was not sent to prison,but rather to a state hospital
for the criminally insane,and this had blowback.
(07:52):
The public was enragedbecause they considered this sentence
to be too light, since Irwin is avoidingcapital punishment in their minds,
especially for someone who killedso violently and showed little remorse.
And that's where this casehas a lasting impact, a legal impact,
I should say, on how New York and otherjurisdictions viewed the insanity defense.
(08:17):
Irwin pleaded guilty.
Not not guilty by reason of insanity.
It's hard to say not not guiltyby reason of insanity.
This meant that there was no formalinsanity trial.
The public and lawmakers questionedwhether the law should be modified
to handle certain situationslike this differently.
Although Irwin would diewhile incarcerated, New York
(08:39):
did implement changes in its mental healthlaws in the aftermath of this case.
One major outcome was a pushfor tighter controls
and the release of the criminally insane,and in the years following, New York
created the Dangerous Offender Lawand improved
the oversight of psychiatric discharges.
This also sparked discussion on whetherthe insanity plea could be abused.
(09:04):
Today, 316 East 50th
Street is gone,but the legacy of this case continues.
Obviously, in courtrooms,Some of those laws
are probably already changedbecause we do have better understanding
of psychiatric today,and I'm sure they'll continue to evolve
But this is also a tragic cautionary tale,and it's also an example of how
press has an influence on criminal cases,which has not has not changed.
(09:29):
And I don't think it will.
Thank you for listening to this quick minisode of A study of strange.
If you enjoyed this content,make sure you're subscribed,
leave a rating and review.
It really helps us out and you can learnmore of the study of strange Dot-Com.
Until next time, thank you and good night.
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