"Motiveless, random murders spanning 2 years..." |
The women of the city - and their men - lived in fear as police sought a sadistic, perverted killer. What drove this mild-mannered, happily married man to perpetrate one sexual atrocity after another? Unfortunately the answer was to die with him...
| Personal Information |
| Name |
Albert De Salvo |
| Aliases |
"The Boston Strangler" |
| Location |
Boston, Chicago - USA |
| Born |
1931 |
| Died |
26th November, 1973 (Found dead in his cell, stabbed through the heart |
| Status |
Deceased |
| Victims |
| Anna Slesers (55) Died 14th June 1962 |
Discovered by her own son; Found to be strangled with her belt. |
Mary Mullen (85) Died 28th June 1962 |
Killer left a New Year's greeting card wedged between the toes of her left foot. |
Nina Nichols (68) Died 30th June 1962 |
|
Helen Blake (65) Died 30th June 1962 |
Forensic psychiatrists called in by Police to help profile killer. |
Ida Irga (75) Died 19th August 1962 |
|
Jane Sullivan (67) Died 20th August 1962 |
|
Sophie Clark (20) Died 5th December 1962 |
Suspicions of a 'Mother-Killer' on the rampage are quashed by the latest killing. |
Patricia Bissette (23) Died 31st December 1962 |
|
Mary Brown (69) Died 9th March 1963 |
|
Beverley Samans (23) Died 6th May 1963 |
|
Evelyn Corbin (58) Died 8th September 1963 |
|
Joann Graff (23) Died 23rd November 1963 |
|
Mary Sullivan (19) Died 4th January 1964 |
De Salvo posed as a detective, gaining easy entry. In actions completely uncharacteristic of his previous methods, he allowed his would-be victim to live. |
| Modus Operandi |
|
De Salvo would spend a little time targeting his victims, gaining admission to the premises under the guise of being an official authorised to carry out business in the unsuspecting victim's home.
All his victims were women, sexually assaulted, and strangled - usually with an item of their own clothing (stockings, tights which he would tie with a bow under the chin). In some cases strangulation had been accompanied by biting, bludgeoning and stabbing.
For reasons which even De Salvo confessed to not knowing, he would position the victims body, after killing them, in obscene positions in such a way that whoever entered the house after he left would be presented with the shocking sight with no warning.
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| Motives |
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After the murder of Helen Blake, forensic psychiatrists were enlisted to help profile the killer committing these atrocities against women. The resulting opinions were that he was a youngish man (18-40), suffering delusions of persecution and with a hatred of his mother (this was before younger victims started to appear).
However, on 5th December of the initial year of the murders, the theory of the killer being a mother-hater collapsed when Sophie Clark was murdered.
A new 'psychofit' was provided by the 'father' of American Psychological profiling, Dr James Brussel. The Killer was now considered to be aged 30, strongly built, average height, clean shaven with thick dark hair; possibly of Spanish or Italian background - and a paranoid schizophrenic. It was amazingly accurate when compared with the killer later on.
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| Quotes |
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When being question by the police as to why he targeted such a variety of women from young to mature, he responded impatiently...
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"Attractiveness had nothing to do with it...When this certain time comes on me, it's a very immediate thing. When I get this feeling, instead of going to work I make an excuse to my boss. I start driving and I start building this image up, and that's why I find myself not knowing where I'm going."
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| Comments |
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Despite all the efforts of all involved trying to solve the case, it was the strangler himself who caused his own capture.
On 27th October, 1964, he entered a young woman's home posing as a detective. He tied his victim to the victim's bed, proceeded to sexually assault her, and suddenly left, saying "I'm sorry" as he went. The woman's description to the police led to his identification as Albert De Salvo, with the publication of his photo resulting in women coming forward in droves identifying him as the man who had assaulted them. At this point, De Salvo was not suspected of being involved with the spate of stranglings that had taken place over a period of nearly two years, and wasn't until he was being held on a rape charge that he confessed in great detail his activities as the Boston Strangler.
However, there was no evidence to substantiate his confession, and as such, stood trial for earlier, unrelated crimes of robbery and sexual offences. He was sent to prison for life in 1967, but was to be murdered six years later while in his cell.
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