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Author to speak Oct. 17 on 1949 Crystal Beach murder
John “Rastus” Russell killed an elderly man and physically assaulted his wife nearly 75 years ago.
M.F. Gross never imagined himself as a true crime writer. A Pinellas County resident, he initially built a career in financial trading. However, a personal interest in a local story inspired Gross to uncover the truth about a murder that took place over 70 years ago.
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In June, his book Madman: The Incredible True Story of John Calvin “Rastus” Russell, the Heinous Crime, and Sensational Manhunt That Terrified Central Florida in 1949 was published by Dark Madder Media.
Russell, 34, committed the act in the Pinellas seaside town of Crystal Beach (in the Palm Harbor area) on Aug. 7, 1949. He killed 75-year-old Norman Y. Browne, and assaulted Browne’s wife Anne, at their residence.
Gross will give a presentation Oct. 17 at the Crystal Beach Community Hall (517 Crystal Beach Avenue) at 6:30 p.m. After the talk, Gross will guide a hayride tour of the area to point out locations from the story.
On Oct. 18, Gross will be doing a book signing at the Palm Harbor Museum (2043 Curlew Road) from 1 to 3 p.m. Half of the proceeds will be donated to the organization.
The author learned of Russell’s story in 2017 after reading a book entitled Crystal Beach Shangri-La, which featured reminiscences from “old-timers and long-time residents.”
Gross embarked on a 14-month journey to craft a narrative on the subject. He read many newspaper articles about the murder and sought records from local organizations, including police departments.
However, a key aspect of Gross’s research was interviewing people who remembered the event as children or young adults.
One of the stories in the book is that of a woman named Linda Henry. Just 6 years old when the event occurred, she walked up to the house where the murder took place, and saw stains of blood. This has stayed with her throughout her life.
“That made me curious,” Gross explained. “The more I started researching the story, the more I couldn’t believe that it happened.”
A former resident of Crystal Beach, he knew the area well and once lived close to the murder property without even knowing it.
Gross said that he particularly enjoyed the “process of discovery and finding out new things” from these individuals. This showed him the complexity of the story.
“There’s a lot of moving pieces here and a lot of stuff that never got answered,” he said. “From what’s covered in the media to what the story was amongst people who were there, there’s quite a bit of differences in the accounts.”
A petty criminal and car thief, Russell spent a majority of his life traveling around Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. He was a frequent guest of jails and mental institutions.
After he stabbed Norman Browne and assaulted his wife, he shot and severely injured a friend of the Browne family, Miles Crum, who had subsequently arrived at the house, suspecting something was wrong. Fortunately, he survived. Crum’s wife and 8-month-old daughter Judy were also hurt in the process.
Judy would succumb to brain injuries related to the incident in 1956.
Russell was eventually caught in a trap set up a day later and brought to the Pinellas County Jail. However, he was also an accomplished escape artist who had broken out of jails before.
He convinced a fellow prisoner to help him escape. Only one guard was present at the facility on the evening of Aug. 28. Russell was able to attack a guard after he left a door open.
Russell hid throughout Pinellas and Hillsborough counties for days, despite a massive search effort. He was finally found Sept. 1 in his hometown of Thonotosassa, where he resisted arrest and was shot and killed on the scene by a Plant City police officer.
For Gross, writing Madman ignited a passion. He is currently working on his second true crime book – about another local, 20th century murder case.
