Was The Boston Strangler A Cop? Fully Explained
Who is the real Boston Strangler? Was The Boston Strangler A Cop? Hulu's latest film about the Boston Strangler proposes that multiple individuals were involved in the real-life murders, further complicating the mystery of who the actual perpetrator was. The movie, titled "Boston Strangler," centers around Loretta McLaughlin (played by Keira Knightly), who, along with fellow female reporter Jean Cole (played by Carrie Coon), first broke the story of the Boston Strangler. Throughout the film, McLaughlin, Cole, and the Boston Police Department investigate and consider multiple suspects, covering a timeline from 1962 to 1965.
Over the course of about 20 months, from 1962 to 1964, 13 women aged 19 to 85 were brutally murdered in Boston and in nearby cities, many were sexually assaulted and killed in their homes. 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, the last of the victims, was found raped and murdered in her apartment in January 1964. The killer’s first victim was 55-year-old Anna Slesers, who was sexually assaulted and strangled in her apartment on June 14, 1962. The hard work of two investigative journalists who would raise the alarm about the multiple body count is the basis for the Hulu film Boston Strangler, starring Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon. An inmate at a state mental hospital with a history of burglary confessed to the murders but because this pre-dates DNA evidence, investigators couldn’t link him physically to the crime scenes.
"The evidence in this case never changed, but the scientific ability to use that evidence has surpassed every hope and expectation of investigators who were first assigned to the case," said District Attorney Daniel F. Conley of Suffolk County to the New York Times in July 2013. He continued, "For almost five decades, the only link between Albert DeSalvo and Mary Sullivan was his confession. That confession has been the subject of skepticism and controversy from almost the moment it was given."
Following a court order to exhume Albert DeSalvo's body, DNA testing confirmed that he was responsible for the murder of Mary Sullivan and was "most likely" the Boston Strangler, as the DNA sample excluded 99.99% of other suspects. At the time, Casey Sherman, Sullivan's nephew, said, "It's a great day. This is now full justice for my aunt, Mary Sullivan. He's the killer of my aunt, which is all this has been about for me." While DeSalvo has been definitively linked to Sullivan's murder, there are still doubts as to whether he is responsible for the other Strangler victims' killings.
Related: Was George Nassar the Boston Strangler? Explained
DeSalvo was arrested for the "Green Man" rapes, but was not initially considered a suspect in the Boston Strangler cases. After he was charged with rape, DeSalvo confessed to the murders during a conversation with his cellmate George Nasser, who then reported it to his attorney. Although DeSalvo was never formally charged or convicted of the Boston Strangler's crimes, he was sentenced to life in prison for the "Green Man" rapes in 1967, and was held at the high-security facility known as Walpole. Seven years later, DeSalvo was murdered in his cell.
He wrote: “I’ll see what I can do to clear my name of it now, as I have been used in the past by these socalled [sic] big people, now it’s my turn…I’ll be telling the truth, something they don’t know how to do…people like F. Lee Baily and Senator Brooks and a lot of other big names.”
He continued: “It’s time for a new ball game as it is called…I’ve got to think of my children and the suffering and burden I have put on them…In time you’ll understand what I am saying or trying to say, as it will happen in about a month or so…I’m going to drop a bomb!! I’m sick and tired of people using me….they have did me wrong, and I haven’t gotten a penny from any of it.”
She also states that “his attorney convinced him that he would be confined to a posh mental hospital—John Hopkins, Albert claimed—if he identified himself as the Strangler.” Kelly speculates that there isn’t just one Boston Strangler, but several. “There was not one Boston Strangler, but rather a bare minimum of six and much more likely eight or nine,” she wrote.
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#1. Who is the Boston Strangler?
Source: Daily Mail
Prior to DNA profiling as a forensic technique, Albert DeSalvo was widely believed to be the Boston Strangler—having confessed to the murder of the 13 victims. He was never charged or convicted, however, as the technology that could link him physically to the crimes would not become widely used for another 20 years.Over the course of about 20 months, from 1962 to 1964, 13 women aged 19 to 85 were brutally murdered in Boston and in nearby cities, many were sexually assaulted and killed in their homes. 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, the last of the victims, was found raped and murdered in her apartment in January 1964. The killer’s first victim was 55-year-old Anna Slesers, who was sexually assaulted and strangled in her apartment on June 14, 1962. The hard work of two investigative journalists who would raise the alarm about the multiple body count is the basis for the Hulu film Boston Strangler, starring Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon. An inmate at a state mental hospital with a history of burglary confessed to the murders but because this pre-dates DNA evidence, investigators couldn’t link him physically to the crime scenes.
Source: People
In July 2013, more than fifty years after the first murder attributed to the Boston Strangler, the Boston Police Department's cold case team and the attorney general's office conducted DNA tests on seminal fluid samples taken from Mary Sullivan's body, the last known victim, and the blanket on which it was found. The DNA profiles obtained from the samples matched one obtained from a water bottle recently used by one of DeSalvo's nephews."The evidence in this case never changed, but the scientific ability to use that evidence has surpassed every hope and expectation of investigators who were first assigned to the case," said District Attorney Daniel F. Conley of Suffolk County to the New York Times in July 2013. He continued, "For almost five decades, the only link between Albert DeSalvo and Mary Sullivan was his confession. That confession has been the subject of skepticism and controversy from almost the moment it was given."
Following a court order to exhume Albert DeSalvo's body, DNA testing confirmed that he was responsible for the murder of Mary Sullivan and was "most likely" the Boston Strangler, as the DNA sample excluded 99.99% of other suspects. At the time, Casey Sherman, Sullivan's nephew, said, "It's a great day. This is now full justice for my aunt, Mary Sullivan. He's the killer of my aunt, which is all this has been about for me." While DeSalvo has been definitively linked to Sullivan's murder, there are still doubts as to whether he is responsible for the other Strangler victims' killings.
Related: Was George Nassar the Boston Strangler? Explained
#2. How was the Boston Strangler captured?
Source: People
During the autumn of 1964, authorities were not only working to solve the Boston Strangler cases, but were also trying to apprehend a sexual offender known as the "Measuring Man" or the "Green Man" who had been committing a series of rapes. On October 27th of that year, a young woman was sexually assaulted in her home, and her description of the perpetrator led police to suspect DeSalvo. When DeSalvo's photograph was published in the newspapers, numerous other women came forward to identify him as their attacker.DeSalvo was arrested for the "Green Man" rapes, but was not initially considered a suspect in the Boston Strangler cases. After he was charged with rape, DeSalvo confessed to the murders during a conversation with his cellmate George Nasser, who then reported it to his attorney. Although DeSalvo was never formally charged or convicted of the Boston Strangler's crimes, he was sentenced to life in prison for the "Green Man" rapes in 1967, and was held at the high-security facility known as Walpole. Seven years later, DeSalvo was murdered in his cell.
Source: Daily Mail
In May 2021, Daily Mail revealed DeSalvo was murdered in prison just two weeks after mailing a letter from his cell in which he vowed to “clear his name” of the Strangler murders. The letters were part of a collection of correspondence between DeSalvo and a family who’d met him while visiting a friend at Walpole State Prison.He wrote: “I’ll see what I can do to clear my name of it now, as I have been used in the past by these socalled [sic] big people, now it’s my turn…I’ll be telling the truth, something they don’t know how to do…people like F. Lee Baily and Senator Brooks and a lot of other big names.”
He continued: “It’s time for a new ball game as it is called…I’ve got to think of my children and the suffering and burden I have put on them…In time you’ll understand what I am saying or trying to say, as it will happen in about a month or so…I’m going to drop a bomb!! I’m sick and tired of people using me….they have did me wrong, and I haven’t gotten a penny from any of it.”
Source: Variety
So why would a man confess to crimes he didn’t commit? In The Boston Stranglers, the author Susan Kelly writes that “DeSalvo was told that the sale of his life story and confession would make him a great deal of money, which could be given to his beloved wife and children for their support… By branding himself as a serial killer, Albert would become world-famous, something he dearly wanted to be,” she says.She also states that “his attorney convinced him that he would be confined to a posh mental hospital—John Hopkins, Albert claimed—if he identified himself as the Strangler.” Kelly speculates that there isn’t just one Boston Strangler, but several. “There was not one Boston Strangler, but rather a bare minimum of six and much more likely eight or nine,” she wrote.
#3. Was The Boston Strangler A Cop?
Source: USA Today
The Boston Strangler is the name given to the murderer of 13 women in Greater Boston during the early 1960s. The crimes were attributed to Albert DeSalvo based on his confession, details revealed in court during a separate case, and DNA evidence linking him to the final victim. Boston Strangler was not a cop. In the years following DeSalvo's conviction – but prior to the emergence of this DNA evidence – various parties investigating the crimes suggested that the murders were committed by more than one person.Aubtu.biz is a website that provides you with sport updates and Entertainment news to brighten your day. Don’t hesitate to visit our site to know more about TV & Movies.
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