The Boston Strangler case has lived rent-free in my head since I was twelve and found my mom’s true crime paperbacks hidden behind the Stephen King novels. While other kids were having nightmares about Freddy Krueger, I was triple-checking window locks because of Albert DeSalvo.
Boston in the early 1960s wasn’t exactly the murder capital of America – until suddenly, it was. Between 1962 and 1964, thirteen women were found strangled in their apartments, most with the murder weapon tied in a decorative bow around their necks (because nothing says “I’m a psychopath” quite like leaving your signature flourish at a crime scene).
Let me walk you through some of the most disturbing elements of this case that still make me sleep with one eye open.
1. The Victims Were Sitting Ducks
The Boston Strangler’s victims ranged from 19 to 85 years old, but most were elderly women living alone. The killer simply knocked on doors, claimed to be a maintenance man or delivery person, and women let him right in.
No forced entry. No broken locks. Just good old-fashioned 1960s trust in strangers – the kind that makes me want to scream at these women through the space-time continuum. (Would I have survived this crime? Absolutely. My trust issues wouldn’t let a “maintenance man” through my door without three forms of ID and a blood sample.)
2. Albert DeSalvo Was Already a Serial Criminal
Before becoming the prime Boston Strangler suspect, DeSalvo had already earned himself the charming nickname “The Measuring Man.” He’d knock on doors, claim to be from a modeling agency, and convince women to let him take their measurements.
Later, he escalated to sexual assaults as “The Green Man” (wearing green work clothes). The man had more criminal personas than I have true crime podcasts on my playlist – and that’s saying something.
3. He Confessed… But Nobody Was Convinced
DeSalvo confessed to all thirteen murders while in prison for unrelated sexual assaults, describing the crimes in disturbing detail. But here’s the kicker – many investigators didn’t believe him.
The confession had inconsistencies, and some thought he was covering for the real killer or killers. (My personal theory? He definitely committed some of the murders, but there were likely copycats. Serial killers are like Pringles – once someone pops, the stopping gets problematic.)
4. The “Boston Strangler” Might Have Been Multiple Killers
The victims varied widely in age and the crime scenes showed different levels of organization. Some women were sexually assaulted, others weren’t. Some apartments were ransacked, others left pristine.
These inconsistencies have led many criminologists to believe that the Boston Strangler wasn’t one person but possibly several killers taking advantage of the panic. (Ryan, my husband, thinks this theory is overblown, but what does he know? His idea of true crime is watching someone steal a base in baseball.)
5. DeSalvo Was Never Actually Convicted of the Murders
Despite his confession, DeSalvo was never tried for the Strangler killings. He was sentenced to life for unrelated sexual assaults and later stabbed to death in prison in 1973. Talk about karma catching up with you in the most prison-y way possible.
6. The Case Helped Change How Women View Safety
The Boston Strangler case fundamentally changed how women thought about personal safety. Lock sales skyrocketed, self-defense classes filled up, and women started questioning the wisdom of living alone.
The murders also highlighted how female journalists covered crime differently than their male counterparts, focusing on victim experiences rather than just the gory details. (Groundbreaking concept: treating victims like actual humans!)
7. DNA Finally Confirmed DeSalvo’s Guilt… 50 Years Later
In 2013, investigators exhumed DeSalvo’s body and extracted DNA that matched evidence from the scene of Mary Sullivan’s murder – the final Strangler victim. This scientific link finally confirmed what many had suspected for decades.
But here’s the creepy part – it only definitively linked him to ONE murder. The other twelve? Still technically unsolved. (I’m not saying there were multiple killers, but I’m not NOT saying it either.)
The Boston Strangler case remains one of those true crime stories that keeps evolving decades later. It’s the perfect storm of a charismatic suspect, sloppy investigation, and enough loose ends to knit a sweater.
Next time you hear a knock at your door from someone claiming to be maintenance, maybe just text your landlord first? I’m just saying, the Boston Strangler got away with it for two years because people opened their doors without question.
And that, my fellow crime junkies, is scarier than any horror movie.