The Murder and Rape of the Greenwald Family
The Murder
Description
On November 24th, 1926, George Thomas walked into The Mansfield prison headquarters and announced he had "killed two people."[1] Once the police had gone to the house of the Greenwald's to check if the man's testimony was true, they discovered the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Greenwald. Detectives located the body of 65 year old carpenter Benjamin Greenwald in the the basement covered by a rug. Nettie Greenwald's body was discovered in the bedroom. Both Mr. and Mrs. Greenwald were murdered by being clubbed to death with a hammer. Their daughter Julia stated that Thomas had waited in the house after committing the murder until she had arrived. Once she entered her home she was physically dragged into the bedroom and assaulted. Julia and George had supposedly been sweet hearts for over a year when the murders were committed. [2]
When the police asked George Thomas about the motive of his crime, he stated that he had gone to the Greenwald's house in search for their shotgun. When they declined to give it to him, an argument arose.[3]