Unsilenced: The 1957 Rosetta Edwards Cold Case

There were actually four murders after Aunt Pie’s that shared similarities in M.O. Unfortunately, I had trouble with the machine and couldn’t capture the entire second half of the article. Plus, Facebook won’t let me upload .pdf files. 🙁

In the course of our research, I came across a familiar face and reported it to the Albany Police. It’s disheartening that people, even those I consider friends and family, seem to skip right over my aunt’s story, That says a lot.

While there’s been progress over the last 67 years, certain disparities and ingrained prejudices still linger. One suspect that piques my interest is Larry Romaine. Here’s why:

He’s the only bus driver we’ve identified so far.
Could he be the bus driver my aunt mentioned when she wrote her brother in Germany, mentioning harassment and wouldn’t take “No” for an answer?
Killers are often known to attend funerals, appearing to pay their respects.
He lived just a six-minute walk from my aunt.
To me, he appears to be white-presenting, but possibly biracial—another layer of complexity to consider.
Wesley Mallory isn’t the only suspect on our radar.
If Lawrence Romaine on the 1950’s census is one and the same, he was 29 in 1950 and he would have been 36 in 1957…

According to the 1950 Census, Larry Romaine was 29 at the time. He lived at 175 lot of Albany, NY…and I don’t know if 219 State St. reported by the Times Union in ’57 is that location…the census refers to these numbers as lots and has him on the first floor.

I study faces and I draw portraits myself, so looking at the photo in the Times union from ’57 and the suspect composite sketch published in the Times Union from ’61, they seem very similar. It’s conjecture, I know. But worth exploring.

My first suspicion was that Larry Romaine was white passing, but Census records show he lived in NYC prior to Albany and he was born in 1921 and was in fact, Italian. If in fact Lawrence Romaine and Larry Romaine are one in the same. 

1930 Census information from NYC

Name:
Lawrence T
Similar
Romaine
Exact
Birth Year:
1921
Exact
Gender:
Male
Race:
White
Age in 1930:
9
Birthplace:
New York
Exact
Marital Status:
Single
Relation to Head of House:
Son
Home in 1930:
Albany, Albany, New York, USA
Map of Home:
Albany,Albany,New York
Street Address:
Clinton Avenue
Ward of City:
12
Block:
508
House Number:
216
Dwelling Number:
104
Family Number:
204
Attended School:
Yes
Able to Read and Write:
Yes
Father’s Birthplace:
Italy
Mother’s Birthplace:
New York
Able to Speak English:
Yes
Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas ****an 67
Jennie G Romaine 29
Josephine M Condel 27
Rose T Condel 25
Lawrence T Romaine 9
Francis T Romaine 8