Case overview
Between June 1962 and January 1964, thirteen women were killed in their Boston-area apartments in what became one of the most scrutinized serial murder cases in American history. Albert DeSalvo confessed to all thirteen murders in 1965 while already imprisoned on sexual assault charges, but he was never tried for the stranglings, and decades of forensic testing, investigative disagreement, and pattern inconsistencies have left core questions about the case unresolved.
The first pattern emerges
On June 14, 1962, fifty-five-year-old Anna Slesers was found strangled in her apartment on Gainsborough Street in Boston’s Back Bay. She had been sexually assaulted, and the ligature used to kill her—a cord from her housecoat—was tied in a bow under her chin. Within weeks, three more women were killed: Helen Blake, 65, Nina Nichols, 68, and Ida Irga, 75. All were elderly women living alone. All were strangled with articles of their own clothing. All were found in positions suggesting deliberate arrangement after death.
Boston police initially treated the cases as isolated incidents, but the similarities forced a shift. By late summer, the attacks were publicly linked under the name “the Boston Strangler,” and a task force was assembled to coordinate investigation across jurisdictions.
The pattern shifts
On December 5, 1962, the victim profile changed. Sophie Clark, a twenty-year-old Black student, was found strangled in her apartment. Two weeks later, Patricia Bissette, 23, was killed in her Back Bay apartment. Over the next fourteen months, younger women became targets alongside older victims, and the geographic range expanded beyond Boston into Cambridge, Lynn, and Salem.
The shift in victim age, race, and location complicated the theory that a single offender was responsible. Some detectives argued the crimes represented multiple killers. Others maintained that the behavioral signature—entry without forced signs of entry, ligature strangulation, sexual assault, and staged positioning—pointed to one perpetrator adapting his pattern.
The investigation fractures
The Strangler investigation became one of the largest manhunts in Massachusetts history. Police conducted thousands of interviews, pursued hundreds of suspects, and fielded overwhelming public tips. The attorney general assembled a special investigative unit. Psychologists and criminal profilers were brought in to analyze the crime scenes. Despite the scale of the response, no clear suspect emerged.
Investigators debated the strength of case linkage. Some believed the older victims represented one offender while the younger victims indicated a separate killer or copycat. Others pointed to the ligature knots, method of entry, and post-mortem staging as evidence of continuity. By early 1964, the murders stopped, but the case remained open and unsolved.
Albert DeSalvo enters the case
In October 1964, Albert DeSalvo was arrested in connection with a series of sexual assaults known as the “Green Man” attacks, named for the green work clothes he wore during home invasions. While imprisoned at Bridgewater State Hospital for psychiatric evaluation, DeSalvo began confiding in another inmate, George Nassar, about additional crimes. Nassar’s attorney, F. Lee Bailey, was brought into the discussions, and DeSalvo subsequently confessed to being the Boston Strangler.
DeSalvo provided detailed descriptions of the crime scenes, victim locations, and specifics about the murders that had not been made public. He described how he gained entry to apartments by posing as a maintenance worker or deliveryman. He recounted the ligatures used, the positioning of bodies, and elements of the victims’ homes. Investigators found his knowledge compelling, though some details were inconsistent or could have been inferred from media coverage.
No trial, no resolution
DeSalvo was never charged with the Boston Strangler murders. Prosecutors determined that his confession alone, without corroborating physical evidence, was insufficient to secure a conviction. Instead, DeSalvo was tried and convicted in 1967 for earlier sexual assaults and sentenced to life in prison. He was stabbed to death in his cell at Walpole State Prison in 1973. His killer was never identified.
DeSalvo’s confession created a legal and investigative stalemate. Some detectives and prosecutors believed he was the killer. Others, including members of the original task force, doubted his involvement in all thirteen murders. DeSalvo’s attorney suggested the confession was part of a strategy to secure psychiatric treatment and financial gain for DeSalvo’s family through book and film rights. No such income materialized.
Forensic testing reopens the debate
In 2001, advances in DNA technology allowed investigators to retest evidence from several of the Boston Strangler crime scenes. In 2013, DNA recovered from the body of Mary Sullivan, the final known victim killed on January 4, 1964, was compared to a sample obtained from DeSalvo’s exhumed remains. The Massachusetts attorney general announced that the DNA was a match, linking DeSalvo to Sullivan’s murder.
The DNA match resolved one case but did not confirm DeSalvo’s involvement in the other twelve. Some victims’ families and investigators continue to believe that multiple offenders were responsible for the crimes attributed to the Boston Strangler. The forensic evidence supporting linkage across all thirteen murders remains limited.
Pattern inconsistencies and alternative theories
Several elements of the case have fueled ongoing debate. The shift in victim demographics from elderly women to younger victims suggested different offender motivations or capabilities. Geographic spread across multiple jurisdictions raised questions about mobility and opportunity. Differences in crime scene behavior, including variations in ligature material and the degree of violence, pointed to potential distinctions in offender identity.
Investigators and researchers have explored the possibility that some murders were committed by other individuals and falsely attributed to the Boston Strangler due to media pressure and public fear. George Nassar, DeSalvo’s fellow inmate, was himself investigated as a possible suspect in some of the murders but never charged. Other names surfaced over the years, but none led to prosecution.
The record remains incomplete
The Boston Strangler case resulted in one DNA-confirmed conviction posthumously, twelve unsolved murders, and a confession that has never been fully validated or discredited. DeSalvo’s knowledge of the crimes remains the strongest evidence linking him to the murders, but inconsistencies, gaps in physical evidence, and alternative suspect theories have prevented closure.
No other individual has been charged in connection with the murders. The cases remain officially unsolved except for Mary Sullivan’s killing. The debate over whether the crimes were the work of one offender or multiple killers continues among investigators, forensic experts, and researchers.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “Boston Strangler: The Untold Story” (Investigation Discovery)
- Book: “The Boston Stranglers” by Susan Kelly
- Book: “A Rose for Mary: The Hunt for the Real Boston Strangler” by Casey Sherman
- Podcast: “The Boston Strangler” (Stuff You Should Know)
