Donna Marie Roberts (born May 22, 1944), an American convicted of being an accomplice to

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

, is the only woman on

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...

in the

State of Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Early life

Roberts was born and raised in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

and was a student of Austintown Fitch High School. She enrolled at

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...

for two years, and in 1966, she married her first husband, William Raymond, and moved to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Florida. She had one child, Michael Raymond, in 1969. She and William Raymond divorced in 1971. She remarried her second husband, Burton Gelfand, in 1972 and later divorced him in 1980. Roberts converted to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

while living in Miami, Florida, and worked as a

plastic surgeon Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniof ...

assistant for over 20 years in North Miami Beach. Roberts met her late husband, Robert Fingerhut, in 1980. They married and bought a home in Miami, near

Miami Gardens Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its west ...

and Ives Estates in 1983. They later sold their home and moved to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

for one year, and in 1993, the couple moved back to Roberts' hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. Roberts purchased their new home in

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

in 1994 on Fonderlac Avenue. During this time, Roberts and Fingerhut managed the

Avis Car Rental Avis Car Rental is an American car rental company headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. Avis, Budget Rent a Car, Budget Truck Rental and Zipcar are all units of Avis Budget Group. Avis Budget Group operates the Avis brand in South Afric ...

franchise at the

Youngstown–Warren Regional Airport Youngstown–Warren Regional Airport is a public and military airport in Vienna Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, 11 miles north of Youngstown and east of Warren. The airport is home to the Youngstown–Warren Air Reserve Station. The airport ...

for several years. They later managed both the Youngstown and Warren

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...

bus stations and turned them into successful locations. For a short period, Roberts also ran a small restaurant located within the Youngstown Bus Terminal called "Just the Ticket."

Murder conviction

Roberts was convicted in 2003 of complicity in aggravated murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Roberts was having an affair with Nathaniel E. Jackson before he was sent to prison for a separate offense. While Jackson was still in prison, he stated in letters and phone calls that he would kill her ex-husband, Robert Fingerhut, which he did on December 11, 2001, in the house Roberts and Fingerhut shared . In Roberts' appeal, it was alleged that the police performed an illegal search of her car parked inside the garage since the search warrant was only for the home. Jackson stated that Roberts had no knowledge of his planned actions, videotaped during his confession by the police; he also stated this during his trial. Jackson was sentenced to death for his role in the murder. In addition to phone calls and letters between Roberts and Jackson, investigators said Roberts bought Jackson a mask and gloves to wear while committing the crime, even allowing him into the home where the murder occurred. On June 25, 2020, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that carrying out the execution of Roberts would be placed on hold until all state post conviction proceedings, including any appeals are exhausted.

In the media

In the years since their conviction, Roberts and Jackson's case has been featured on ''

Deadly Women ''Deadly Women'' is an American true crime documentary television series produced by Beyond International Group and airing on the Investigation Discovery (ID) network. The series focuses on murders committed by women. It is hosted by former ...

'', '' Snapped: Killer Couples'', ''Calls From the Inside, Season 2'', and ''For My Man''.

References

External links

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction - Offender Search Detail: Nathaniel E. Jackson

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction - Offender Search Detail: Donna Marie Roberts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Donna Marie 1944 births 2001 murders in the United States Living people American female murderers American prisoners sentenced to death American people convicted of murder Prisoners sentenced to death by Ohio People convicted of murder by Ohio Women sentenced to death Mariticides Criminals from Ohio 21st-century American criminals People from Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown State University alumni

Early life

Murder conviction

In the media

See also

References

External links