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The Boston Strangler case dominated the country in the early 1960s, representing one of the first high-profile serial killer investigations in recent U.S. history. Over the period between June 1962 and January 1964, 13 women throughout the Greater Boston area were strangled to death in their apartments, frequently with no evidence of forced entry.
The victims ranged in age from 19 to 85 and were generally alone when attacked, causing widespread fear among women who began to avoid opening doors to strangers. Albert DeSalvo, a criminal with a history of factory work, admitted to the murders in 1964 but was never prosecuted for them since there was not enough evidence then.
He was sentenced to life for other unrelated s*x offenses and was murdered in prison in 1973. Years later, in 2013, DNA evidence connected him with a minimum of one murder, causing another wave of controversy regarding his complete involvement.
Oxygen True Crime's latest two-hour documentary, The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession, premiered on Oxygen on October 26, 2025.
The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession: The summer of terror
The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession (Image via Unsplash/ @ JOSHUA COLEMAN)Boston Strangler's activities started in mid-June 1962, with victims in the form of older women who were living alone. On June 14, 55-year-old Anna Slesers was discovered strangled with her nylon stocking in her Back Bay flat; the door was left open. Two weeks later, on June 28, 85-year-old Mary Mullen was found strangled on the floor of her living room in Brighton.
On June 30, 68-year-old Nina Nichols was strangled in the same manner in her Brighton home. She had been discharged from the hospital just hours earlier. On June 30, Helen Blake, 65, was found semi-nude and strangled in Lynn. The trend reappeared in August: Ida Irga, 75, was strangled on August 19 in the North End, and Jane Sullivan, 67, two days later in Dorchester.
These initial murders had characteristics such as manual strangulation and burgled apartments, yet there were no valuables stolen. Police also reported no forced entry, which increased public panic as females in Boston fitted new locks and stayed away from home alone.
As per CBS News, five victims had been accounted for by the end of summer, leading to a multi-agency task force commanded by the Massachusetts Attorney General.
A changing pattern: Victims in late 1962 and early 1963
During autumn, the Boston Strangler changed target age, modifying the crime profile. On December 5, 1962, Sophie Clark, age 20 and a student nurse, was discovered naked and strangled in her Fenway apartment, the first to be assaulted with overtly s*xual overtones. Only a month later, on December 31, Patricia Bissette, 23 years old, was found under her bed at Fenway, strangled and posed with arms extended.
The year opened with Mary Brown, 69, murdered on March 9, 1963, in Lawrence, just beyond Boston proper, with a ligature wrapped around her neck. Beverly Samans, 23, was stabbed 22 times and strangled on May 6 in Cambridge. Her door was locked from the inside, unlike the other cases. She had also been tied up. These murders added variations such as stabbing and more overt posing, but still involved no forced entry, according to CBS News.
Media attention grew, referring to the killer as the "Phantom Fiend," and protective merchandise such as guard dogs sold out in the area. The cases were connected by police through the consistency of victim loneliness and modes of strangulation, despite some doubting a lone perpetrator because of the changing brutality.
The final attacks of The Boston Strangler: Escalation in late 1963 and early 1964
Albert DeSalvo was The Boston Strangler (Image via Unsplash/ @ Kenny Eliason)The murders reached a peak of intensity towards the end. On September 8, 1963, 58-year-old Evelyn Corbin was nude and strangled in Salem, with her body posed on the bed and a pillow covering her face. Joann Graff, 23, was strangled by several nylon stockings on November 23, with her nude body lying on the bed.
The final victim, Mary Sullivan, 19 years old, was found on January 4, 1964, in Beacon Hill; she was strangled with stockings, s*xually assaulted after death with a broom handle, and sat up with a note in the vicinity. The crimes had more s*xual violence and degradation, with apartments in shambles. Public panic peaked as women organized neighborhood patrols, and many moved temporarily, according to CBS News.
Police canvassed thousands of leads, focusing on handymen due to the non-threatening entry method. After Sullivan's murder, no further Strangler-linked deaths occurred, though the case remained unsolved for months.
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Capture and confession: DeSalvo's role emerges in 1964-1967
The arrest of The Boston Strangler in October 1964 on an unrelated assault charge prompted his admission as the Strangler. Behind bars, he explained 11 killings to a fellow inmate, listing details such as concealed crime scene evidence that coincided with police reports.
Questioned by a task force, the 33-year-old DeSalvo, who had prior "Measuring Man" s*x crimes in which he posed as a tailor offering to measure women for sewing and then assaulted them. He explained breaking into houses posing as a repairman before he attacked. Yet he was not tried for the murders because of gaps in evidence; rather, in 1967, he was convicted of r*pe and robbery and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
DeSalvo pleaded for an insanity defense based on his confessions, but it was unsuccessful. According to NPR, his narrative brought together the cases for authorities, although critics pointed out discrepancies in the victim descriptions.
Also Read: 5 chilling details about Susan Hendricks's brutal crime
Legacy and breakthrough: Doubts, death, and DNA from 1973 onward
DeSalvo was stabbed inside the prison (Image via Unsplash/ @ Louis Reed/ The Boston Strangler)The Boston strangler was fatally stabbed inside prison on November 25, 1973, by a convicted killer whose identity remains unknown, bringing the immediate pursuit of his tale to an end. There were continuing doubts, with a forensic re-examination in 2001 ruling him out of one murder through DNA discrepancies. The case was reopened in 2000 with the help of newer forensics.
In July 2013, Sullivan's scene DNA matched DeSalvo's profile, solidifying his place in her death and implying wider involvement. Boston police said he probably did all 13 murders, although not all the scenes provided definitive tests. The break hinged on Y-STR testing of family samples, showing the strength of DNA in cold cases.
According to CBS News, families still search for answers, as the documentary scrutinizes unheard tapes for additional insight.
Watch The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession streaming on Oxygen.
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Edited by Toshali Kritika
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