Ruby McCollum

​Ruby McCollum (née Jackson) was born in Zuber, Florida, to Gertrude and William Jackson the second of six children. She attended local segregated schools. Recognizing her aptitude, her parents enrolled her at Fessenden Academy, a private institution where she excelled in bookkeeping. ​

In 1931, Ruby married Sam McCollum. The couple initially moved to Nyack, New York, as part of the Great Migration, and later returned to Florida, settling in Live Oak. There, they became prominent figures in the community, amassing wealth through involvement in the bolita gambling trade and ownership of several juke joints. They owned a stately two-story home and a substantial farm with the largest tobacco allotment in the area. Together, they had three children: Sam Jr., Sonja, and Kay. ​

On August 3, 1952, Ruby McCollum shot and killed Dr. C. Leroy Adams, a white physician and state senator–elect, in his office. During her trial, she testified that Adams had repeatedly abused her and forced her into a non-consensual relationship, resulting in the birth of her youngest daughter, Loretta. The presiding judge, however, limited her testimony regarding these allegations. The prosecution argued that the shooting stemmed from a dispute over a medical bill. An all-white jury convicted McCollum of first-degree murder, sentencing her to death in the electric chair. ​

The case garnered significant media attention, with notable coverage by writer Zora Neale Hurston for the Pittsburgh Courier. In 1954, the Florida Supreme Court overturned McCollum's conviction on procedural grounds, citing the judge's absence during a jury inspection of the crime scene. 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 until her release in 1974. ​

After her release, McCollum resided at the New Horizon Rehabilitation Center in Silver Springs, Florida, where she lived until her death from a stroke on May 23, 1992, at the age of 82. Her life and trial have been the subject of various books, documentaries, and scholarly analyses, exploring themes of race, gender, and justice in the Jim Crow South. Notably, the 2014 documentary "You Belong to Me: Sex, Race and Murder in the South" delves into her story, featuring interviews with individuals connected to the case.