Boston Strangler

Overview

The Boston Strangler is the notorious moniker assigned to the murderer of 13 women in the Greater Boston area during the early 1960s. The crimes were primarily attributed to Albert DeSalvo, who claimed responsibility through a confession, details that emerged in court during a separate case, and, later, DNA evidence linking him to the final victim. But the story of the Boston Strangler is anything but straightforward, and it’s fraught with controversy and speculation about whether DeSalvo was truly the sole perpetrator.

The Hunt Begins

Initially, the string of brutal murders was attributed to an unknown assailant, dubbed "The Mad Strangler of Boston." On July 8, 1962, the Sunday Herald published a chilling article that declared, “a mad strangler is loose in Boston,” detailing the deaths of four women. The killer, who would later be known as the "Phantom Fiend" or "Phantom Strangler," had a disturbing ability to gain access to the homes of his victims, often leading to the belief that they let him in voluntarily.

In 1963, investigative reporters Jean Cole and Loretta McLaughlin from the Record American undertook a deep dive into the case, producing a four-part series that would cement the name "The Boston Strangler" into the annals of crime history.

Timeline of Murders

Between June 14, 1962, and January 4, 1964, the Boston area was rocked by the heinous murders of 13 women, all of whom were living alone and aged between 19 and 85. Most were sexually assaulted and strangled within the confines of their own homes. What was particularly unsettling was the lack of forced entry; police speculated that the women either knew their attacker or believed him to be a service provider.

Despite the media frenzy that ensued after the first few murders, the attacks continued unabated. Terrified residents took drastic measures, purchasing tear gas and installing new locks and deadbolts. Some even opted to leave the area altogether.

The geographical spread of the murders, which occurred in various cities around Boston, created significant jurisdictional challenges for law enforcement. Massachusetts Attorney General Edward W. Brooke played a crucial role in coordinating efforts among different police forces. In a controversial move, he allowed parapsychologist Peter Hurkos to apply his alleged extrasensory perception to analyze the cases. Hurkos insisted that a single perpetrator was responsible, but his description was so off-base it drew ridicule from the press, further complicating the investigation.

The final victim, 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, was found on January 4, 1964. She had been raped and strangled in her Boston apartment. The brutality of the crime was underscored by the discovery of three ligatures wrapped around her neck and a broom handle lodged in her vagina. Disturbingly, a card reading "Happy New Year" was left at the scene, leaning against her left foot.

The Victims

Here’s a sobering list of the lives lost to this horrific spree:

Name	Age	Date of Murder	Location of Body
Anna Elza Slesers	55	June 14, 1962	77 Gainsborough Street, Boston
Mary Mullen	85	June 28, 1962	1435 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Nina Nioma Nichols	68	June 30, 1962	1940 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Helen Elizabeth Blake	65	June 30, 1962	73 Newhall Street, Lynn
Edes "Ida" Irga	75	August 19, 1962	7 Grove Street, Boston
Jane Sullivan	67	August 21, 1962	435 Columbia Road, Boston
Sophie L. Clark	20	December 5, 1962	315 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Patricia Jane Bissette	23	December 31, 1962	515 Park Drive, Boston
Mary Ann Brown	69	March 6, 1963	319 Park Street, Lawrence
Beverly Florence Samans	23	May 8, 1963	4 University Road, Cambridge
Marie Evelina "Evelyn" Corbin	57	September 8, 1963	224 Lafayette Street, Salem
Joann Marie Graff	23	November 23, 1963	54 Essex Street, Lawrence
Mary Anne Sullivan	19	January 4, 1964	44-A Charles Street, Boston

DeSalvo's Confession

The investigation took a dramatic turn on October 27, 1964, when DeSalvo was arrested for a separate crime. A woman had been assaulted in her home after he posed as a detective. Her description led police to identify him, and when his photo was published, several women who had previously been attacked recognized him as their assailant.

Initially, investigators did not suspect DeSalvo in the strangling murders. However, after being charged with rape, DeSalvo confessed to being the Boston Strangler to his fellow inmate George Nassar, who subsequently reported the confession to his attorney, F. Lee Bailey. During his confession, DeSalvo provided chillingly accurate details about the crime scenes, some of which had not been made public. One notable example was his description of a blue chair in the home of one victim, which was later confirmed to be correct, despite the victim originally stating it was brown.

However, it’s essential to note that no physical evidence supported DeSalvo's confession. Instead, he faced charges for unrelated crimes, including robbery and sexual offenses, for which he was known as "The Green Man" and "The Measuring Man." Bailey attempted to introduce DeSalvo's confession during his trial for these offenses to argue for a "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict, but the judge deemed it inadmissible.

In 1967, DeSalvo was sentenced to life in prison. In a bizarre twist, he escaped with two fellow inmates from Bridgewater State Hospital shortly after his sentencing, igniting a full-scale manhunt. He disguised himself as a U.S. Navy Petty Officer Third Class but surrendered the next day. Following this escape, he was transferred to the maximum security Walpole State Prison, where he was found stabbed to death in the prison infirmary six years later. The identity of his killer or killers remains unknown.

Theories of Multiple Killers

Despite DeSalvo's confession, doubts lingered about whether he acted alone. Many who knew him personally doubted his capability for such gruesome acts. Investigators noted several inconsistencies with the profile of a typical serial killer—namely, the diverse age and ethnicity of the victims and the variety of methods used in their murders.

In 1968, Dr. Ames Robey, medical director of Bridgewater State Hospital, publicly stated that DeSalvo was not the Boston Strangler, labeling him as a “very clever, very smooth compulsive confessor.” This assertion echoed the sentiments of various others, including Middlesex District Attorney John J. Droney and former inmate George W. Harrison, who claimed that he overheard another convict coaching DeSalvo about the murders.

Bailey, however, believed DeSalvo was the killer and detailed his perspective in his book, The Defense Never Rests (1971). Susan Kelly, author of The Boston Stranglers (1996), argued that the murders were likely committed by multiple individuals rather than a single killer. Further supporting this notion, former FBI profiler Robert Ressler remarked, “You're putting together so many different patterns regarding the Boston Strangler murders that it's inconceivable behaviorally that all these could fit one individual.”

John E. Douglas, a former FBI special agent and one of the first criminal profilers, also doubted DeSalvo’s guilt as the sole Strangler. In his book The Cases That Haunt Us, he identified DeSalvo as a "power-assurance" motivated rapist, suggesting that such a profile would be unlikely to kill in the manner attributed to the Boston Strangler.

In 2000, attorney Elaine Sharp began advocating for the DeSalvo family and the family of Mary Sullivan, the final victim. Sharp noted inconsistencies in DeSalvo's confessions compared to the crime scene evidence, including the absence of semen in Sullivan's body and the method of strangulation. Forensic pathologist Michael Baden also pointed out discrepancies in the time of death, further fueling the debate over DeSalvo’s guilt.

DNA Evidence

A breakthrough came on July 11, 2013, when the Boston Police Department announced that DNA evidence linked DeSalvo to the murder of Mary Sullivan. A "near certain match" was found between DNA at the crime scene and Y-DNA taken from a nephew of DeSalvo. Following this discovery, a court ordered the exhumation of DeSalvo's remains to conduct direct DNA testing. On July 19, 2013, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley confirmed that DNA from DeSalvo matched the seminal fluid found at the scene of Sullivan's murder.

In Popular Culture

The Boston Strangler has permeated popular culture in various ways:

• Philadelphia 76ers player Andrew Toney was nicknamed "the Boston Strangler" due to his impressive performances against the Boston Celtics.
• The 1964 film The Strangler was inspired by the unsolved killings.
• William Goldman’s novel No Way to Treat a Lady and its film adaptation were influenced by theories surrounding multiple killers.
• The rock band The Standells referenced the Strangler in their hit song "Dirty Water."
• Tony Curtis portrayed Albert DeSalvo in the 1968 film The Boston Strangler.
• The 2010 television film The Front depicts a detective reopening a murder case linked to the Strangler.
• A 2023 film titled Boston Strangler, starring Keira Knightley, further explores this haunting chapter of true crime history.

Conclusion

The Boston Strangler case remains one of the most chilling and controversial in American criminal history. Was Albert DeSalvo truly the monster behind the mask, or did he simply crave the notoriety that came with such a heinous title? The mystery continues to captivate true crime enthusiasts and remains a grim reminder of the darkness that can lurk in even the most unsuspecting places.

Sources

• Wikipedia contributors. "Boston Strangler." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Link