Atlantic City Captain Starn’s Murder: Last Person Executed In NJ

Many people who have lived in Atlantic City, New Jersey for a lifetime have never heard of a murder that took place at Captain Starn’s.

The convicted murderer was named Ralph Hudson, who was also the last man to ever be executed in the state of New Jersey.

Hudson was convicted of stabbing his estranged wife (Myrtle Hudson) to death on December 27, 1960 - while she was working at Captain Starn’s, on what was a Tuesday and described as a crowded restaurant at the time of the murder.

Hudson received early release from prison after having served 2/3 of his 6 month prison sentence.

At the time of his being jailed for assault and battery of his wife, The New York Daily News referred to him as “Skinny Drunk Hudson.”

According to the New York Daily News article from December 22, 1960 - Hudson was approved to be released from prison on Christmas Eve 1960, as “a Christmas gift).

Just five days after his early release from prison, Ralph Hudson murdered his wife

Hudson was sentenced to death by Judge George Naame on Dec. 4, 1961, and he was executed by electrocution on January 22, 1963.

Even though the state of New Jersey never carried out another execution, it wasn’t until 2007 that the New Jersey Legislature approved and then Governor Jon Corzine signed into law the legislation that abolished the death penalty in New Jersey.

Hudson was executed by the electric chair at Trenton State prison.

Over the decades others were sentenced to death, however, Hudson is the last to receive the death penalty and to be executed.

Several news reports from the early 1960’s confirm that Hudson did not want to live. He actually wanted to be executed.

A little more than two years after he murdered his wife, his wish to die was granted.

SOURCES: New York Times, New York Daily News and Wikipedia.