Between 1962 and 1964, the city of Boston lived in a state of dread. Thirteen women—ranging in age from 19 to 85—were murdered in their own homes. Each victim was sexually assaulted and strangled with articles of their own clothing, often tied in a grotesque bow. The brutality of the killings and the apparent ease with which the killer entered the homes left residents terrified. And from the moment the pattern was recognized, the press found its villain: The Boston Strangler.
A City in Fear
The early 1960s were a time of shifting social mores, urban development, and deepening anxieties about crime in America. In Boston, women stopped going out alone. Locksmiths were overwhelmed. Sales of deadbolts and self-defense items soared. The press fed the fear daily with gruesome headlines, sensational theories, and warnings to the public. "Women Beware!" splashed across front pages. The Strangler wasn't just a criminal—he was a shadow cast over an entire city.
The victims didn't seem to follow a clear profile: some were elderly widows, others young professionals. This added to the panic. Anyone could be next.
Albert DeSalvo: The Confession and Controversy
In 1965, a man named Albert DeSalvo—already in custody for a series of rapes—confessed to being the Boston Strangler. He gave detailed descriptions of the crime scenes, details that matched some of the evidence, and investigators were eager to close the case. The media announced that the monster had been caught.
But doubts lingered. There was no physical evidence linking DeSalvo to most of the murders. His confession came during conversations with a fellow inmate, and some details were inconsistent. Despite this, the public narrative was largely settled: the case was over, the terror had a name.
Years later, in 2013, modern DNA testing finally connected DeSalvo to the 1964 murder of 19-year-old Mary Sullivan—one of the last Strangler victims. But for the others, questions remain. Could there have been more than one killer? Did the media—and the police—rush to find a scapegoat?
The Media's Role
The Boston Strangler was one of the first American serial killer cases to be fully shaped by the modern media. Newspapers ran speculative stories, graphic descriptions, and even interviews with alleged psychics. Some outlets were criticized for publishing names and addresses of victims before families were notified. The intense coverage, however, also pressured authorities to act and helped shape public policy around safety and policing.
Hollywood soon followed. Books, films, and documentaries turned the case into part myth, part history. The Strangler's identity, the morality of the press, and the failure of the system all became part of a larger cultural reckoning.
Lessons and Legacy
The Boston Strangler case showed the power of media to both inform and distort. It was a time before digital forensics or surveillance footage, when the press often had more access—and more influence—than law enforcement itself. The narrative that emerged was as much a product of journalism as it was of justice.
For Boston, the case remains a scar. For true crime, it was a blueprint.