The Stamford Bra Murders

August 31, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

On a summer evening in 1968, a Stamford, Connecticut patrolman doing a routine check of a wooded area near the Merritt Parkway spotted what he thought was a mannequin lying a few yards from the road. It was the body of 22-year-old Donna Roberts. Her bra was wrapped tightly around her neck, and she had been severely beaten. The drag marks leading from the road suggested she had been killed elsewhere and dumped. Within weeks, the case went cold. But it was only the beginning of a string of murders that would expose how law enforcement, the press, and the public treated the lives of Black women and sex workers as disposable.

The First Victims and a Pattern Ignored

The first woman to disappear was Rosellyn Pazda, a sex worker struggling with addiction in an era with few treatment options. She vanished in August 1967, but police shelved her case quickly. Because Stamford sat just 30 miles from New York City, residents assumed missing sex workers had simply drifted down to New York. That assumption held even as violence against them became undeniable.

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What you'll learn

1 (07:06) **Case Introduction & First Victim** - The hosts introduce the Stamford Bra Murders, a deeply unsettling and likely unsolved case where justice was not served.
2 (08:54) **Second Victim: Donna Roberts** - In May 1968, a patrolman discovers what he thinks is a mannequin, only to find the body of 22-year-old Donna Roberts.
3 (10:55) **Third Victim: Gloria Khan** - In September 1968, a second body is discovered just 50 feet from where Donna Roberts was found, with her bra also wrapped around her neck.
4 (13:20) **Fourth Victim & The Anonymous Call** - After seven months of silence, an anonymous phone call revives the case, leading police to the skeletal remains of Rosellyn Pazda, confirming she was the first victim.
5 (15:44) **Community Indifference & Investigation Stall** - The hosts note that due to the victims being Black women and sex workers, the murders were not vigorously investigated and quickly disappeared from the news.
6 (17:44) **Fifth Victim: Gail Thompson** - In July 1971, 17-year-old Gail Thompson is discovered in a wooded area, strangled with her own bra, bringing the case back into the spotlight.
7 (20:13) **Sixth Victim & Escalation: Alma Henry** - In August 1971, the body of 34-year-old Alma Henry, a married mother of four, is found with her bra around her neck, but with clear evidence of sadistic behavior.

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Show Notes

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Stamford, Connecticut was terrorized by a killer who was strangling women and leaving their bodies by the side of the parkway. After four years and five confirmed victims, police arrested a local self-proclaimed preacher named Benjamin Miller, bringing the murders to an end and closing the case on what the press had dubbed the Bra Murders—or so they thought.

From the moment Miller was arrested, there were some in the community who questioned whether the police had arrested the right man or if they’d simply chosen Miller as a scapegoat. Among other things, Miller had a long history of mental illness and, although he had initially confessed to the murders, he eventually recanted his confession and claimed that detectives had manipulated him into confessing.

To this day, many Connecticut residents still wonder whether Benjamin Miller was really responsible for the Bra Murders, or if the real killer was allowed to walk free.

References

Arnold, Martin. 1972. "A 'minister' is seized in 5 Connecticut stranglings." New York Times, March 18: 64.

Associated Press. 1973. "Miller ordered to mental institution." Stamford Advocate, March 31: 3.

—. 1972. "Black citizens prodded investigation." The Journal (Meriden, CT), March 18: 5.

Buffa, Denise. 1989. "Ex-postal worker freed in 'Bra Murders'." Stamford Advocate, May 9: 1.

—. 1989. "Maintaining his innocence." Stamford Advocate, May 21: 1.

—. 1989. "State may not try suspect in '73 deaths." Stamford Advocate, April 4: 1.

Connecticut Post. 1972. "Mental patient accused of slaying five women." Connecticut Post, March 17: 1.

—. 1971. "Stamford eyes slaying's link to 'Bra Murders'." Connecticut Post, July 13: 2.

—. 1971. "Strangler's 5th victim found in parkway woods." Connecticut Post, August 23: 1.

—. 1969. "Troopers set skull identity." Connecticut Post, April 11: 1.

—. 1969. "Woman's skeleton found in 3rd parkway mystery." Connecticut Post, April 5: 1.

Gold, Julie Anne. 1982. "Figure in murders seeking his release." Stamford Advocate, December 17: 1.

Gombossy, George. 1989. "Doubt clouds 'solved'Stamford slayings." Hartfort Courant, May 28: 333.

Greenhouse, Linda. 1971. "Police seek clue to Stamford murders." New York Times, August 29: 38.

Neenan, Julia McNamee. 1983. "Defense: 'parkway bra murders' case to be appealed." Stamfor Advocate, November 5: 7.

—. 1983. "New trial denied in parkway slayings." Stamford Advocate, October 20: 1.

Peterson, Lisa Marie. 1988. "Ex-postal clerk may go free in 'Bra Murders' case." Stamford Advocate, May 25: 1.

Ressler, Marcy, and Frank Fedeli. 1981. "Police say body found near Merritt Parkway may be missing woman." Stamford Advocate, August 21: 1.

Ross, Don