Strange Stories - The X-Ray Camera Case - 688
Summary
This episode details the 1946 X-ray Camera Case, where unemployed Pearl Lusk was manipulated by Alphonse Rocco into shooting his estranged wife, Olga, on a NYC subway. Rocco disguised a shotgun as an X-ray camera, tricking Pearl into firing it at Olga under the guise of a detective mission. The story exposes Rocco’s pattern of domestic abuse and stalking, as well as the police’s failure to protect Olga despite her pleas.
Topics discussed
Introduction and episode overview
Post-war New York City and social norms
Pearl Lusk's background and life in NYC
Meeting Alan LaRue and the job offer
The X-ray camera plan and first attempt
The shooting at Times Square station
Aftermath and identification of the shooter
Olga's history of abuse and stalking
Police investigation and Rocco's escape
The manhunt and Rocco's death
Legal outcomes and the women's later lives
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