Beginning in June of 1962, one of the most mysterious serial killers in US history surfaced in the city of Boston. This killer was dubbed by the press as "The Boston Strangler" and in less than 18 months was connected to 13 rape-murder cases in the Boston area. Eventually, a sexual predator and petty criminal by the name of Albert DeSalvo would confess to being the Boston Strangler. Sentenced to life in prison, he was eventually murdered by another inmate in 1973.
But is that how it really happened? Some say no. There are many facts that just don't add up about the Boston Strangler case. Numerous attorneys, forensic psychologists, and journalists question whether law enforcement officials were right. Did they really catch the Boston Strangler? After you read on, you'll find some facts that just don't add up about the Boston Strangler.
Things That Don’t Add Up About The Boston Strangler Case,
Using DNA Evidence From Only One Murder, Police Closed The Case
Obviously, the DeSalvo family was not happy with their association with the Boston Strangler. They began to have doubts about the culpability of Albert DeSalvo. By the late '90s, the DeSalvo's and the family of one victim, 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, began to publicly demand a reinvestigation of the case. The Boston PD initially agreed to have their cold case unit take a look at the evidence and determine whether any DNA analysis was possible. Ultimately, they refused to reopen the case even after an exhumation of Mary Sullivan disclosed DNA on her underwear and groin was a close enough match DeSalvo.
That was enough for the police department to peg all of the murders on DeSalvo, despite DNA evidence for the other 12.
DeSalvo Was Never Charged Or Tried For The Boston Strangler Murders
From June 1962 until January 1964, 13 women were sexually assaulted and murdered with items of their own clothing in the Boston area. A few months later, a 20-year-old woman awoke in her bedroom to see a man standing at the end of her bed. This man, clad in green work pants and shirt, proceeded to bind and sexually assault her, but he did not kill her. Ultimately, police would suspect a burglar and sex offender named Albert DeSalvo, and the victim identified DeSalvo as her attacker.
When DeSalvo's arrest and photo were made public, numerous other women came forward saying he attacked them in the same manner. It was during his incarceration for the "Green Man" assaults that DeSalvo told another inmate, George Nassar, that he was responsible for the Strangler crimes. Nassar then told his attorney F. Lee Bailey that DeSalvo was the Strangler. He confessed on tape to Bailey, who began representing him. Bailey revealed at DeSalvo's trial for the unrelated rapes DeSalvo admitted to being the Boston Strangler but he was never charged or tried for the crimes.
He was given a life sentence for crimes committed as the Green Man. At that time, police had no eyewitnesses and no physical evidence to tie DeSalvo to the Strangler crimes. His only connection to the Strangler killings was the result of his own confession that would eventually invite skepticism.
An Ambitious Politician May Have Swayed The Investigation For Political Gain
Edward Brooke was the Massachusetts State Attorney General during the Strangler investigation. An ambitious politician, Brooke had national aspirations. Initially, police investigators felt that more than one person was responsible for the wave of murders in the Boston area, possibly even multiple copy cat killers. Because there was no physical evidence or consistent pattern tying the crime to one person this seemed logical.
Once the Boston tabloid press began whipping up a media frenzy, Brooke emerged to coordinate a systematic investigation. He even famously involved a "psychic" by the name of Peter Hurkos to assist in the manhunt, a process that led nowhere. Suddenly, it was one person who was responsible for all of these crimes. Despite the many problems with Albert DeSalvo and his confession, he provided a perfect solution to a situation involving the public's demand for a resolution and arrest. That a dangerous criminal would be taken off the street's would be a very public feather in Brooke's cap. He was eventually elected to the US Senate in 1966.
DeSalvo's Psychiatrist, Ames Robey, Did Not Believe DeSalvo Was The Strangler
Dr. Ames Robey was the director of the Bridgewater State Mental Hospital during Albert DeSalvo's stay there. He publicly testified he felt DeSalvo was lying for both egotistical and financial reasons. At a sanity hearing for DeSalvo in 1967, Robey stated he believed DeSalvo to be perfectly sane. He corroborated the testimony of another inmate who testified DeSalvo told him he would make a fortune from his confession, hire an excellent attorney who would get him mental health treatment instead of incarceration, and he would eventually be freed after being declared legally sane. Robey described DeSalvo as a "manipulative attention grabber" with "an extensive need to prove what a big man he was."
The 13 Murders Do Not All Fit One Profile
In the early '60s, the phenomenon of serial murder was unusual and not well understood. After decades of study, certain aspects of serial murderers and their victims are extremely consistent. Typically, their crimes follow a pattern of physical, sexual, racial, or geographic similarities. The profile of the 13 Boston Strangler victims varied drastically, with some as old as 85 and others in their late teens and early twenties.
Some were strangled - either with stockings or by hand - and some were stabbed. Some were raped brutally and even posthumously assaulted while others showed no signs of sexual assault. One victim was an African-American, all of the others were Caucasian. Some were murdered in metropolitan Boston while others were killed in suburban locations as far as 40 minutes away. Today, based on these aspects alone, most criminal investigators would reject the idea that the same individual was responsible for all of these crimes.
Another Criminal, George Nassar, May Have Manipulated DeSalvo To Claim Reward Money
In 1965, while confined at the Bridgewater State Hospital, Albert DeSalvo crossed paths with George Nassar. Unlike DeSalvo, Nassar was already a convicted murderer who brutally shot a gas station attendant execution-style during a robbery. This was Nassar's second murder. His first he committed as a teenager, earning him a lengthy jail sentence and parole by the age of 29. Nassar had a genius IQ and was a charismatic, manipulative, hardened con.
He quickly became DeSalvo's confidant and both were overheard discussing the $10,000 reward money offered for the Strangler's arrest. Suddenly, DeSalvo was claiming to be the Boston Strangler. Initially, he was able to give some basic details about the Strangler's crimes to investigators, enough to bring in two eyewitnesses who had observed a stranger near one of the victim's apartments. Both said DeSalvo was not the person they saw, but when they coincidentally observed Nassar during their visit, they both immediately recognized him as the man that they encountered. This information was never acted upon.
FBI Profiler Robert Ressler Was Highly Skeptical Of DeSalvo As The Lone Killer
Robert Ressler was a former FBI agent and criminal profiler who coined the term "serial killer" during the course of his illustrious career. Based on the various differences in the backgrounds of the victims connected to the Boston Strangler, Ressler does not believe this could be the handiwork of a single perpetrator and might even involve multiple killers. In 2001, he commented, "you're putting together so many different patterns here that its inconceivable behaviorally that all these could fit one individual."
DeSalvo Had Stuff To Gain By Falsely Confessing
Albert DeSalvo had several reasons - some rational and one irrational - to confess to being the Boston Strangler, even if it wasn't true. DeSalvo was married to a German woman he met while in the military. They had two young children, one disabled. DeSalvo believed, correctly that the notorious Boston Strangler's story was quite valuable and would generate income for his family.
He also knew he was going to prison for a life anyway, so 13 more murders weren't going to make a difference - especially if he could use those murders to plea bargain. Bailey at one point tried to submit DeSalvo's Boston Strangler confession as evidence he was a crazy man and should be not guilty by reason of insanity. But the confession was left out of his trial.
Lastly, and most importantly, by all accounts Albert DeSalvo was a notorious braggart who desperately wished to receive fame and attention. His identity as the Boston Strangler would be proclaimed on the front page of every newspaper in the world.
F. Lee Bailey Had A Motive To Connect DeSalvo To The Strangler Case
In the early sixties, attorney F. Lee Bailey was already gaining a reputation as a successful criminal defense lawyer. He also actively sought cases that were sensational and apt to generate widespread publicity so he could make a dime by selling the story. In 1965, one of his clients was George Nassar. The convict began asking him about the possibility of making some money publishing information about the Boston Strangler. Bailey quickly determined Nassar had allegedly gotten information from fellow inmate Albert DeSalvo about the murders. Bailey supposedly went to the police and got them to supply five questions that only the Strangler would be able to answer. Bailey then got DeSalvo to confess on tape and began to attempt a plea bargain on DeSalvo's behalf.
Over his career, F. Lee Bailey has been involved in grossly unethical behavior and was eventually disbarred. Considering he had both a professional and economic interest in snaring a client as notorious as the Boston Strangler and DeSalvo was going to get a life sentence over the Green Man crimes regardless, Bailey would also greatly benefit from proclaiming DeSalvo as the Strangler, regardless of the truth. Because of his exposure on the Boston Strangler case, he became a wealthy and famous lawyer who represented clients like OJ Simpson and Dr. Sam Sheppard.
DeSalvo's Prison Murder Was Suspicious, And Was Never Prosecuted
In November 1973, Ames Robey received a telephone call from Albert DeSalvo. DeSalvo was then incarcerated in protective custody in the infirmary of the maximum security state prison at Walpole, now known as MCI-Cedar Junction. DeSalvo pleaded with him to come to the prison to meet with him the next day as he had something urgent he needed to tell him. DeSalvo had always been irritated by Robey's refusal to accept his confession and identity as the Boston Strangler.
Robey theorized that Albert was frustrated the payday he thought he had coming never materialized, and he was ready to come clean. Early the next morning Robey was eagerly preparing to meet with DeSalvo when he heard a news report that DeSalvo had been stabbed to death overnight. Although three different individuals were prosecuted for DeSalvo's murder, including a notorious Boston gang member, no one was ever convicted. The murderer would have had to access DeSalvo through six separate normally locked doors and would have had to pass by several guards.
Somehow, DeSalvo was stabbed 15 times in the heart and bled to death. Prison officials claimed the murder had something to do with drug sales that upset the inmate hierarchy but they never explained or seem to care about how such a murder could occur. Albert DeSalvo's lips were now permanently sealed.