 |
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 | ||
|
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 | ||
Name |
Age |
Died |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Slesers | 55 | 14th June 1962 | Discovered by her own son; Found to be strangled with her belt |
| Mary Mullen | 85 | 28th June 1962 | Killer left a New Year's greeting card wedged between the toes of her left foot |
| Nina Nichols | 68 | 30th June 1962 | |
| Helen Blake | 65 | 30th June 1962 | Forensic psychiatrists called in by Police to help profile killer. |
| Ida Irga | 75 | 19th August 1962 | |
| Jane Sullivan | 67 | 20th August 1962 | |
| Sophie Clark | 20 | 5th December 1962 | Suspicions of a 'Mother-Killer' on the rampage are quashed by the latest killing |
| Patricia Bissette | 23 | 31st December 1962 | |
| Mary Brown | 69 | 9th March 1963 | |
| Beverley Samans | 23 | 6th May 1963 | |
| Evelyn Corbin | 58 | 8th September 1963 | |
| Joann Graff | 23 | 23rd November 1963 | |
| Mary Sullivan | 19 | 4th January 1964 | De Salvo posed as a detective, and allowed his victim to live after apologising. |
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.
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.
"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."
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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