What did Albert DeSalvo do?
Albert DeSalvo was a suspected serial killer alleged to have murdered 13 women in Greater Boston during the early 1960s. The murderer was famously known as “The Boston Strangler” in the media.
The murders took place between June 1962 and January 1964. 13 women between the ages of 19 and 85 were brutally murdered in the Boston area. Most of the victims were sexually assaulted and strangled in their apartments. However, there were never any signs of forced entry, with the police theorizing that the victims either knew the perpetrator or believed he was a maintenance man.
Was DeSalvo really the Boston Strangler?
The crimes were considered to be committed by Albert DeSalvo based on 2 different factors: He confessed to the murders and DNA evidence linked him to the final victim. But some have suggested the murders were committed by several different assailants. Despite his confession, he was never convicted of any of the murders.
DeSalvo was sentenced to life in prison in 1967 on other charges. However, in February of that same year, he escaped with 2 other inmates from Bridgewater State Hospital, which led to a full-scale manhunt. Soon after his escape, DeSalvo disguised himself as a U.S. Navy Officer, but he handed himself in the following day.
Where is Albert DeSalvo now?
After DeSalvo’s escape from prison, he was transferred to the maximum security Walpole State Prison where he continued to serve his life sentence.
Six years after he was sent there, he was found stabbed to death in the prison infirmary. His killer or killers were never identified. DeSalvo was 42 years old when he died.
Boston Strangler was a film released in 2023 and is available to watch on Disney +. It follows the story of reporter Loretta McLaughlin, who broke the story of the Boston Strangler. She also challenged the sexism that existed in the early 1960s to report extensively on the notorious serial killer.
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