College Class Reviews Historic Unearthed Confession Tapes From 1950s That Could Have Clues to Connecticut Cold Cases

Students at the University of New Haven are studying recently unearthed confession tapes of serial killers dating back 60 years that could include clues to unsolved missing persons and homicide cases, and also played a part in changing the state’s liquor laws.

The tapes feature convicted killers Joseph “Mad Dog” Taborsky and Arthur “Meatball” Culombe, who were convicted of murdering six people during a string of robberies in the late 1950s, leaving 10 others for dead. Taborsky was executed in 1960, and Culombe served the remainder of his life behind bars.

Connecticut State Police Det. Sam Rome elicited confessions from Mad Dog and Meatball (the latter’s nickname underscored his preference for prison food, which contributed to him gaining 40 pounds while incarcerated) using a variety of techniques that the U.S. Supreme Court later determined violated the rights of suspects. Students from UNH were able to hear excerpts from six hours of tapes, delivered to the Connecticut State Police Museum this past summer by a nephew of Rome’s.

The tapes are currently under review by retired cold case detectives from the Connecticut State Police to determine whether they may contain information related to other cold cases. Originally recorded on reel-to-reel tapes, the audio has been digitized by volunteers at the museum, who noted the retired detectives have begun reviewing enhanced versions of the recordings with headphones.

“There’s a couple of other killers’ tapes in there, one of which we believe may be involved in the disappearance of some people who haven’t been recovered yet,” State Police Museum Chairman Jerry Longo said during a Zoom interview with UNH journalism students last month.

Longo did not specifically identify other cases. Nor would the Connecticut State Police.

Connecticut State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Dawn Pagan would not say which, if any, other cases may end up being reviewed by members of the CSP’s Major Crime Squad. “Any cases being actively reviewed as a result of the confession tapes would be considered active and ongoing and would not be available for public release,” she said.

Pressed further, Pagan declined to say what might be learned from the tapes. However, she added: “Any leads developed from the confession tapes … would be incredibly valuable to police.”

Brian Foley, assistant to the State Police commissioner, weighed in on the potential value of the tapes in efforts to solve other missing-persons cases.

“For a detective, a cold case never really goes cold,” Foley said. “The department is always looking for ways to reinvigorate or bring attention to help solve a crime that would be helpful for the victims’ families.”

The notorious criminal signatures of the Mad Dog killers were gunshots to the head and chest and pistol-whippings to the head.

Time Line: The Mad Dog Killings

The following is a list of murder victims associated with Taborsky and Culombe, with some details about each case. The Mad Dog killings followed Taborsky’s first murder in 1950. A bizarre series of events marked the interlude.

• March 23, 1950. Joseph Taborsky, on his 25th birthday, fatally shot West Hartford liquor store owner Louis Wolfson under the right eye. Taborsky’s younger brother, Albert Taborsky, drove the getaway car and testified against his brother. However, Albert Taborsky was declared legally insane after trial and sentencing. The declaration ultimately freed Joseph Taborsky from death row because his brother was the only witness against him, but he would become the only person in Connecticut history to be placed on death row twice.
• Dec. 15, 1956. New Britain gas station owner Edward Kurpewski and Daniel Janowsky were shot execution style in the back of the head while kneeling, by Arthur Culombe and Joseph Taborsky. Janowsky’s toddler daughter was found alive in the back seat of her father’s car.
• Dec. 26, 1956. East Hartford liquor store owner Samuel Cohn was killed by a gunshot to the chest.
• Jan. 5, 1957. Shoe store customers Bernard and Ruth Speyer of Meriden were pistol-whipped and shot fatally in the head in North Haven. Store owner Frank Adinolfi, pistol-whipped and left for dead, told police one of the killers asked for a size 12 shoe.
• Jan. 26, 1957. Hartford pharmacist John Rosenthal was fatally shot twice in the chest.

Trooper Sam Rome: The Man Who Cracked the Case

Sam Rome, the detective who solved the Mad Dog case, was one of 12 children of immigrants. He grew up on Bellevue Street in the north end of Hartford. He applied to be a state trooper in 1937, rapidly working his way up to detective. He gained renown in the department and with the public by tricking accused rapists and robbers into confessing by engaging them in conversation, sometimes appearing to empathize with them and their plights, according to the late Hartford Courant reporter Gerald Demeusy in his book, “Ten Weeks of Terror.”

“If ever there was a time we needed a Sam Rome, it’s now,” then-Gov. Abraham Ribicoff said when the State Police took over the Mad Dog killings case in the late 1950s. Ribicoff’s comments are reported in Demeusy’s book, which is an exhaustive and detailed account of the Mad Dog case.

Ribicoff changed his stance opposing the death penalty following the Mad Dog killing spree, which primarily targeted liquor store owners. The Legislature changed the closing times for liquor stores from 11 p.m. to 9 p.m. as a result of the murders, then to 8 p.m. in 1967.  In recent years liquor stores have been allowed by stay open later, but many still opt to close by 8 p.m.

Rome pieced together fine details of the executions. His recollection that Taborsky wore size 12 shoes linked the killers to the beatings and murders at the North Haven shoe store. Rome also brought in Taborsky’s mother to persuade him to confess. Police bugged the room where they met.

“When you hear the voices of the people from 1957 … it’s stunning,” said Longo, also a retired State Police detective sergeant.

Longo recalled Taborsky saying on the tapes, “Eh, I shot the guy in the chest,” then admitting he followed up with a shot to the head as the victim whined and cried.

“Just like that—nothing,” no emotion or feeling, Longo remarked.

Longo said requests to hear the tapes will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The public can arrange to visit the museum at 294 Colony St., Meriden, or by calling 203-440-3858 for appointments and tour information. The museum’s website is www.cspmuseum.org.

“The Connecticut State Police encourages those interested in the history of the department and its accomplishments on such high-profile cases as the ‘Mad Dog Taborsky’ case,” Pagan said. “The ongoing review by students of the confession tapes reflects this interest.”

Editor’s note: The article’s authors are University of New Haven news reporting and writing students who worked in cooperation with the college’s Charger Bulletin and The Connecticut Law Tribune to produce this report.

Correction: Confession tapes are being reviewed by retired cold case detectives to determine their evidentiary value, according to Museum Chairman Jerry Longo. Should the tapes contain viable leads, they would be offered to the State Police Major Crime Squad, Longo said. An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the Major Crime Squad already was listening to the tapes.