The Haunting Laughter: The Chilling Tale of Kenneth Harrison, The Giggler

Early Life

Born on September 4, 1938, in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood, Kenneth Francis Harrison, later notorious as "The Giggler," was one of two children of Earl Harrison and his Polish-born wife, Veronica Zemotel. Kenneth's early years remain shrouded in mystery, marked by an abrupt halt in formal education after the eighth grade. He drifted through life as an unemployed itinerant cook, residing in the transient shadows of rooming houses in Boston's South End, occasionally finding refuge within the bustling confines of South Station.

The Murders

The chilling saga began on April 15, 1967, with the disappearance of six-year-old Lucy Palmarin. Originally from Puerto Rico, Lucy was tasked by her parents to return a tonic bottle at a local public housing project in Boston. But when she didn't return home for dinner, alarm bells rang. An exhaustive search effort ensued, scouring abandoned buildings and isolated areas, but Lucy remained elusive. A playmate's account added a sinister twist, recalling Lucy climbing into a mysterious black Sedan driven by an unknown man—a chilling detail, given her inability to speak English or familiarity with locals.

The search ended tragically on May 24. Two teenagers, while walking towards Broadway station, stumbled upon her body wedged among the debris in the Fort Point Channel. Drowning was declared the cause of death, initially deemed accidental—a verdict that would soon be questioned. Lucy was identified by her brother, a revelation that devastated her family, sending her mother into a state of shock that required hospitalization.

Fast forward to June 16, 1969. Joseph "Joe" Breen, a 31-year-old Marine Corps veteran, spent an evening at the Novelty Bar in Boston's Combat Zone, unwittingly setting the stage for another tragedy. After engaging in shuffleboard with a fellow patron—Kenneth Harrison—the night took a fatal turn. A dispute over liquor and cab fare escalated into violence. Harrison shoved Breen into a water-filled pit, brutally bludgeoning him with rocks. True to his ominous moniker, Harrison phoned the police, declaring in a fit of giggles that The Giggler had struck again. Breen's lifeless body was discovered the next day.

Despite the police sketch and witness accounts describing a pudgy man in his early 30s, Harrison remained elusive. His ability to vanish before police arrived at the Novelty Bar, reported by Breen's friends, baffled investigators. The trail went cold until November 27, when another body surfaced in the Fort Point Channel. Clovis Parker, a 75-year-old woman, was found floating eerily similar to Lucy's demise. Her death, too, was hastily labeled accidental, though the parallels were hard to ignore.

The pattern of violence continued on December 26. Nine-year-old Kenneth "Kenny" Martin embarked on a routine journey from his Dorchester home to South Station, intending to visit a friend. Instead, he encountered Harrison, who lured him into playing at the station. The day ended in horror within a tunnel beneath the station, where Harrison strangled the boy with twine, concealing his small frame under a canvas. Ten days later, a detective uncovered the grim scene, confirming the worst fears of Kenny's family.

Arrest, Investigation, and Trial

Unbeknownst to Harrison, multiple witnesses had seen him with the boy on that fateful day. These accounts led to a swift issuance of an arrest warrant. An anonymous tip, later revealed as a call from his own sister, Eileen Longo, directed police to the Biltmore Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, where Harrison was apprehended without resistance. Back in Boston, he faced charges for Martin's murder, soon expanded to include Palmarin, Parker, and Breen.

During Martin's trial, Eileen's testimony revealed Harrison's chilling confessions to her, including the location of the boy's body. Despite his lawyer's attempts to argue diminished responsibility due to intoxication or blackouts, Harrison's fate was sealed. He bizarrely requested the death penalty if found guilty, yet he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Transferred to MCI-Walpole, he awaited further trials.

In June 1972, Harrison confessed to the remaining murders, detailing his gruesome acts. His plea to serve time at Bridgewater State Hospital was denied, a judge ruling it outside their jurisdiction.

Imprisonment and Suicide

After a mere six days at MCI-Walpole, Harrison was moved to Bridgewater State Hospital for treatment, spending over a decade there. Early in 1989, news of an impending transfer to MCI-Concord reportedly plunged him into a depressive state. Despite this, he was left largely unmonitored.

On April 20, 1989, staff discovered Harrison lifeless on his room's floor. Rushed to St. Luke's Hospital in Middleborough, he was pronounced dead. An autopsy confirmed a deliberate overdose of Elavil, an antidepressant. The tragedy spotlighted the hospital's oversight failures, drawing criticism for Harrison's and other suicides since 1987. Controversy erupted over claims that non-medical officials had reduced surveillance, a charge denied by Wesley Profit, Bridgewater's chief clinical psychologist. Profit suggested the suicide was a miscalculated attempt to discredit staff rather than a depressive act.

Sources

• Jeremiah V. Murphy (January 15, 1970). "Joe Breen had a beer, met a guy–and died". The Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.
• "Six-Year-Old Girl Sought by Police". North Adams Transcript. April 22, 1967 – via Newspapers.com.
• Janet Riddell (May 7, 1967). "Lucy's Still Missing". The Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.
• "Body of Girl, 6, Found in Channel". The Boston Globe. May 25, 1967 – via Newspapers.com.
• Robert Walsh and Robert Kenney (January 14, 1970). "Boy's Death, 3 Others Charged to Hub Man". The Boston Globe. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Waters yield body of So. End woman". The Boston Globe. November 28, 1969 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Dorchester boy reported missing". The Boston Globe. December 28, 1969 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Police grill boy slaying suspect". The Boston Globe. January 7, 1970 – via Newspapers.com.
• Robert Walsh and Robert Kenney (January 14, 1970). "Boy's Death, 3 Others Charged to Hub Man". The Boston Globe. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
• Robert M. Smith (January 8, 1970). "Jobless cook charged in murder of Hub boy". The Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.
• "Dorchester man tied to slaying". The Boston Globe. November 13, 1970 – via Newspapers.com.
• Robert E. Walsh (November 18, 1970). "Harrison asks jury for death, if guilty". The Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.
• "Drifter gets life term for murder". The Boston Globe. November 19, 1970 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Convict admits to 3 murders". The Boston Globe. June 22, 1972 – via Newspapers.com.
• Diane Lewis (April 21, 1989). "Bridgewater patient dies; suicide seen". The Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.
• Peter B. Sleeper (April 22, 1989). "Union disputes account of Bridgewater suicide". The Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.