The Murder of Mary Royem and the Accidental Death of Her Killer
Mary 'Molly' Elizabeth Royem was a 24-year-old woman from South Carolina, USA. On 12th January 1980, she was found dead in her apartment. An investigation found she had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death with an electric iron. Michael Anderson Sloan, who also used the name Godwin, was on work release from a local prison where he was serving a sentence for robbing a woman at knifepoint. Police quickly realised Sloan had murdered Mary and he was arrested.
In 1983, Sloan was convicted of murder and sentenced to death by electric chair. The death penalty was later overturned on appeal and he was instead sentenced to life in prison.
The case took a bizarre twist when Sloan was attempted to fix a pair of headphones connected to his television and bit into a wire while sat on a metal toilet. He was electrocuted in his cell and died.
