On this day, April 10, in 1936, Nancy Titterton, a novelist and wife of NBC executive, was found raped and strangled in her home in New York City. It was Good Friday. Titterton, 33, was discovered lying face down in an empty bathtub. Her pink pajamas were roped around her neck. Her wrists were raw where they had been tied with twine.
The high-profile victim prompted a high-powered investigation and the use of emerging forensic science.
A single horsehair helped reveal the killer.
Horsehair was used by upholsters as stuffing, and a repaired loveseat had been delivered to her home the day of the murder.
Under interrogation delivery man Johnny Fiorenza, 24, confessed to the killing. He was found guilty and executed by electric chair at Sing Sing prison.
— Scott McCabe
