Who was the Boston Strangler? Details explored as Oxygen TV drops The Boston Stranger: Unheard Confession

The Boston Stranger: Unheard Confession returns to a case that never stopped raising questions. The two-hour special centers on 16 hours of long-lost confession tapes tied to Albert DeSalvo, the man who said he was the Boston Strangler. The recording reportedly shows errors, coaching, and second thoughts. It also revives debate over whether a single killer was ever proven.

Fear gripped Boston in the early 1960s as women were found assaulted and strangled in their homes. The media gave the unknown assailant the name Boston Stranger. Decades later, the story still divides viewers, historians, and law enforcement.

Fear spread across Boston as a string of home attacks came to light (Image via Unsplash)

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Who was the Boston Strangler? Details explored in The Boston Stranger: Unheard Confession

From 1962 to 1964, at least 11 women in the Boston area were murdered in similar ways, often with a ligature left at the scene. The victims ranged widely in age. Some lived alone. Several had no signs of forced entry. The pattern looked linked, yet it did not fit a neat profile.

Albert DeSalvo confessed in 1965 while jailed on unrelated charges. He was never convicted of the murders, only of earlier assaults, and he was killed in prison in 1973. He was reportedly set to recant the confession the night before he died.

Albert DeSalvo confessed in custody while facing unrelated charges (Image via Pexels)

Years later, DNA tied DeSalvo to Mary Sullivan’s murder, the youngest victim often listed last in the series. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, that DNA match led authorities to say DeSalvo “most likely” committed the other killings, though debate remains, and some still suspect more than one perpetrator.

Investigators, attorneys, and reporters long argued over gaps in the confession. Details were missed or misstated. Some survivors said the attacker they remembered did not match DeSalvo. The case file contains many of those disputes. The new Oxygen film leans into those disputes, letting the tapes play and asking whether the confession helped close a case that evidence alone could not.

Also read: 5 chilling details about the Diane Staudte case as shown in Mother, May I Murder? season 2

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New claims in The Boston Stranger: Unheard Confession

The documentary The Boston Stranger: Unheard Confession features 16 hours of rediscovered audio. On the tapes, DeSalvo allegedly struggles with crime scene specifics and, at times, seems guided to certain answers. An attorney on tape suggests police lacked enough evidence to place him without admissions.

Casey Sherman, the nephew of Mary Sullivan, appears and questions the official story. He reportedly believes the tapes point away from a clean solution and wants the public to hear what was kept off the air for years.

The Boston Stranger: Unheard Confession also revisits the climate in Boston during the murders. It outlines how the nickname spread, how leads multiplied, and how pressure mounted to name a suspect. Viewers get context from the era, plus present-day commentary from families and those connected to the original investigation.

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Where to watch The Boston Stranger: Unheard Confession

Oxygen True Crime premiered The Boston Stranger: Unheard Confession on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Repeats follow through the week. The list below reflects a national grid, and local listings can differ.

Times marked with * fall on the previous day in that timezone. Times and dates can vary by TV provider.

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Also read: The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession (documentary) release date, where to watch, and everything you need to know

Edited by Preethika Vijayakumar