Between 1962 and 1964 serial killer Albert DeSalvo he killed thirteen women. Movie Boston stranglerfrom Matt Ruskin, available on Disney+, restores the most difficult and questionable moments of what happened. Particularly prominent role of a journalist Loretta McLaughlin, played by Keira Knightley, in the capture of a criminal. In addition, it analyzes the implications of the contentious case for how North American law currently treats confessions as the only evidence.
However, the real story surrounding this case is far more unique and complex than the fiction. The event covers not only the brutality of the crimes, but also the failures of the investigation by the city police, which led to all sorts of delays and mistakes when it came to catching the killer.
For the responsible authorities, the events did not show a definite method. Victims aged 19 to 85 did not have any relationship. They did not know each other, were not neighbors and did not have similar professions. Much less, a feature of his appearance that matched some pattern.
Against all odds, the perpetrator followed a certain procedure that suggested the possibility that these were serial murders. They were all raped and strangled in much the same way and attacked when they were alone in their homes. In addition, pieces of rope with the same ornamental knot were found around the necks of the corpses.
But it took Boston police more than 10 months to uncover elements linked to the Boston Strangler murders. Which caused a collective panic and a frontal investigation of police investigations. When the perpetrator was finally caught, the story around him became even more disturbing.
Killer in the middle of a field of flimsy evidence
In November 1964, a recidivist, Albert DeSalvo He was arrested for a series of sexual offenses. Most of them were committed in the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Once in prison, the man boasted to his cellmate about committing more serious crimes. Which made him admit that he had raped and strangled over ten women without anyone knowing about it.
Authorities have offered a $100,000 reward for any information about the hitherto unknown “Boston Strangler”. Therefore, a prisoner who shared prison life with Albert DeSalvogave it away right away. The result was the rapid acceptance of the latter. Not only did he admit to being the author of the crimes, but he detailed the various events that convinced the police that he was the real killer.
This included how the victims were found and details of the attacks they were subjected to. In some cases, he meticulously described the places where they were in their homes at the time of the murder. However, no physical evidence linking him to the crime scene was found. There were also no witnesses, testimonies, or any other indication other than his admission of guilt.
Added to the main indictment in the Boston Strangler murders was the man’s lengthy court case, which included a one-year prison sentence for sexual harassment. In the midst of a collective demand for better work on the part of the police and other responsible authorities, the perpetrator was brought to justice with what was later considered almost excessive haste.
The Great Boston Strangler Dilemma
Once on trial, the alleged killer did not confine himself to explaining what had to do with the Boston victims. He soon claimed responsibility for more than 300 sex crimes across the country. The exaggerated and far-fetched nature of the statements worried the prosecution. Especially when a significant part of the prosecution’s argument was based on a confession. Finally, the hypothesis arose that Albert DeSalvo he could have lied about his performance using data read from the press. Cause? So later on you can sell the rights to your experience for a book or movie.
The defense sought to have him declared mentally incapable of prosecution. But the chief judge did not accept this possibility. Finally, he was tried for assaulting 13 victims and was found guilty on January 18, 1967. The only exception allowed was the recommendation that the prisoner should receive psychiatric help. Something the Boston Strangler didn’t accept. After attempting to escape, he was imprisoned in St. Walpolein Massachusetts to serve a life sentence in prison.
On November 25, 1973, the offender was attacked by another inmate and was found dead in his cell with six stab wounds to the heart. Despite speculation that the violent event sparked, the culprit has never been located. The Boston Strangler case was dismissed despite the failure of the case. The indications pointing to at least one imitator were not taken into account.
Strange epilogue to the bloody history of the Boston Strangler
For more than forty years the recognition Albert DeSalvo was the only evidence of guilt against him. At the center of the dispute was the impossibility of proving his involvement in all the murders. Finally, in 2001, the family of the last of the Boston Strangler victims, Mary Sullivandecided to settle the dispute. He asked the Massachusetts Attorney’s Office to exhume the bodies of the woman and the killer in order to get a definitive answer thanks to a DNA comparison.
The result showed that the semen found in the body of the corpse matched the genetics of the criminal who died behind bars. Which showed that, at least for the last time, Albert DeSalvo He was the perpetrator of the crime. This could mean that, despite the discrepancy between physical evidence and testimonies, the imprisoned perpetrator was ultimately responsible for the Boston wave of crimes.
Source: Hiper Textual
