Ruby McCollum (August 31, 1909 – May 23, 1992), born Ruby Jackson, was a wealthy married Black woman in Live Oak, Florida, who was charged in 1952 for first-degree murder for killing …

Ruby McCollum (August 31, 1909-May 23, 1992) was the subject of a notorious murder trial in 1952. She was convicted of killing Dr. C. Leroy Adams, whom she accused of forcing her to …

Ruby McCollum was nobody’s maid. She was the richest black woman in the county and now she had killed the town’s iconic white doctor. Why? The couple had had a long-term sexual affair. …

Dec 16, 2024 · The story of Ruby McCollum is not one easily told. Ruby was a prosperous Black woman accused of murdering Dr. Adams, a white doctor, in Live Oak, Florida, in 1952.

Nov 20, 2025 · The first Black woman to ever testify against a white man for sexual abuse and paternity, Ruby was subjected to an all-white jury, some of whom were patients of Dr. Adams.

Sam and Ruby owned a "stately, two-story home" in Live Oak, Florida, a town of 4,000 people. It was at this time that Ruby developed an addiction to heroin. The McCollums also owned a …

For seven years, Dr. Adams had manipulated, bullied, and raped Ruby. He forced her to bear one of his children already, and this unborn child would be the second.

Ruby McCollum, a wealthy Black woman, navigated a life of family, crime, and forced relationships, leaving a mark on 20th-century Florida.

Ruby killed Doctor Adams because he would not allow her to abort her pregnancy with his second child. The abortion would have solved the dilemma she was facing.

Before a retrial could commence, McCollum was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial and was committed to the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee. She remained institutionalized …