Leo Rousseau, alias Joseph Brooks, was born in New York City around 1912. He grew up in Brooklyn with his two sisters, Rose Keating and Florence Pickard. Mr. Rousseau served time in Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York before arriving in Massachusetts.
Mr. Rousseau entered the Massachusetts State Prison in 1940. In the days before his death, he recited prayers with the prison chaplain, Reverend Ralph W. Farrell, and discussed sports, religion, and current events. His only requests were a cup of coffee and that news of his execution be published so his sisters would know his fate. Authorities executed Mr. Rousseau on April 22, 1941. He was 30.
