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Albert DeSalvo
mugshot of suspected Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo
Background information
Birth name:	Albert Henry DeSalvo
Alias(es):	The Boston Strangler, The Green Man, The Measuring Man
Born:	September 3, 1931 Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died:	November 25, 1973 (aged 42)
Cause of death:	murdered by unknown assailants
Penalty:	Life
Killings
Number of victims:	13
Span of killings:	June 14, 1962 through January 4, 1964
Country:	U.S.
State(s):	Boston, Massachusetts
Date apprehended:	October 27, 1964

Albert Henry DeSalvo (September 3, 1931 – November 25, 1973) was a criminal in Boston, Massachusetts, United States who confessed to being the "Boston Strangler", the murderer of 13 women in the Boston area. His confession has been disputed, and debate continues regarding which crimes DeSalvo actually committed. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Boston Strangler is a name attributed to the murderer of several women in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in the early 1960s. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Settled 1624 Incorporated 1739 Government  - Type Council-manager city  - City Manager Jay Ash Area  - City  2. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime, nominally for the entire remaining life of the prisoner, but in fact for a period which varies between jurisdictions: many countries have a maximum possible period of time (usually 50 years) a prisoner may be incarcerated, or require the... A serial killer is defined as a person who murders three or more people, in three or more separate events over a period of time. ... is the 165th day of the year (166th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Boston redirects here. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Boston redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... The Boston Strangler is a name attributed to the murderer of several women in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in the early 1960s. ...

Biography

Albert DeSalvo was born in OHIO to Frank DeSalvo and his wife Charlotte. In November 1943, the 12-year-old DeSalvo was arrested for assault, battery, and robbery. In December of the same year he was sent to the Lyman School for Boys. In October 1944, he was paroled and started work as a delivery boy. In August 1946, he returned to the Lyman School for stealing an automobile. After completing his second sentence, DeSalvo joined the U.S. Armed forces upon his parole. He was honorably discharged after his first tour of duty. He reenlisted and, in spite of being tried in a Court-martial, DeSalvo was again honorably discharged. The Lyman School for Boys was established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts about 1886 and was closed in 1971. ... It has been suggested that Medical parole be merged into this article or section. ... Alternate cover US 1979 and 2002 reissue cover, also known as paint spatter cover For the military meaning, see Armed forces. ... A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a military court that determines punishments for members of the military subject to military law. ...

Between June 14, 1962 and January 4, 1964, 13 single women (between the ages of 19 and 85) were murdered in the Boston area. All 13 women were sexually assaulted in their apartments, then strangled with articles of clothing. Without any sign of forced entry into their dwellings, the women were assumed to either know their assailant or voluntarily allowed him into their homes. is the 165th day of the year (166th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Sexual assault is any physical contact of a sexual nature without voluntary consent. ...

Gainsborough Street site of the first murder attributed to The Boston Strangler

While the police were not convinced that all of these murders were the work of a single individual, much of the public believed so. Despite police efforts to solve the case, it was DeSalvo who caused his own capture. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (989x2048, 1388 KB) own Photograph Gainsborough street boston july 2004 Doctorpete 17:26, 25 November 2006 (UTC)== Licensing == I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (989x2048, 1388 KB) own Photograph Gainsborough street boston july 2004 Doctorpete 17:26, 25 November 2006 (UTC)== Licensing == I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

On October 27, 1964, a stranger entered a young woman's home posing as a detective. He tied his victim to her bed, proceeded to sexually assault her, and suddenly left, saying "I'm sorry" as he went. The woman's description led police to identify the assailant as DeSalvo and when his photo was published, many women identified him as the man who had assaulted them. Earlier on October 27, DeSalvo had posed as a motorist with car trouble and attempted to enter a home in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The homeowner, future Brockton police chief Richard Sproles, became suspicious and eventually fired a shotgun at DeSalvo. is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Plymouth County Settled 1650 Incorporated 1656 Government  - Type Open town meeting Area  - Town  28. ...

DeSalvo was not initially suspected of being involved with the stranglings. It was only after he was charged with rape that he gave a detailed confession of his activities as the Boston Strangler. He initially confessed to a fellow inmate George Nassar who reported to his attorney F Lee Bailey who took on DeSalvo's case. The police were impressed at the accuracy of DeSalvo's descriptions of the crime scenes. Though there were some inconsistencies, DeSalvo was able to cite details which had not been made public. However, there was no physical evidence to substantiate his confession. As such, he stood trial for earlier, unrelated crimes of robbery and sexual offenses. Bailey brought up the confession to the stranglings as part of his client's history at the trial in order to assist in gaining a 'not guilty by reason of insanity' verdict to the sexual offenses but it was ruled as inadmissible by the judge. George Nassar (born June 1932) is an American murderer; Albert DeSalvo allegedly confessed to being the Boston Strangler to Nassar in late 1965. ... Bailey made the cover of Time in the late 70s for defending Patty Hearst Francis Lee Bailey, best known as F. Lee Bailey (born 1933), is a American lawyer. ...

DeSalvo was sentenced to life in prison in 1967. In February of that year he escaped with two fellow inmates from Bridgewater State Hospital triggering a full scale manhunt. A note was found on his bunk addressed to the superintendent. In it DeSalvo stated that he had escaped to focus attention on the conditions in the hospital and his own situation. The next day he gave himself up. Following the escape he was transferred to the maximum security Walpole State Prison where he was found murdered six years later in the infirmary. The killer or killers were never identified. Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the town of Walpole, Massachusetts. ...

Doubts

Lingering doubts remain as to whether DeSalvo was indeed the Boston Strangler. At the time he confessed, people who knew him personally did not believe him capable of the vicious crimes. It was also noted that the women killed by "The Strangler" came from different age and ethnic groups, and that there were different modi operandi. Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated form MO) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as mode of operation. ...

Susan Kelly, an author who has had access to the files of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' "Strangler Bureau", argues that the stranglings were the work of several killers rather than a single individual.^[1] Another author, former FBI profiler Robert Ressler, said that "You're putting together so many different patterns [regarding the Boston Strangler murders] that it's inconceivable behaviorally that all these could fit one individual."^[2] State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ... Colonel Robert K. Ressler Robert Ressler is a former FBI agent and author. ...

In 2000, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, an attorney specializing in forensic cases based in Marblehead, Massachusetts, took up the cause of the DeSalvo family and that of the family of Mary A. Sullivan. Sullivan was publicized as being the final victim in 1964, although other stranglings occurred after that date. A former print journalist, Whitfield Sharp assisted the families in their media campaign to clear DeSalvo's name, to assist in organizing and arranging the exhumations of Mary A. Sullivan and Albert H. DeSalvo, in filing various lawsuits in attempts to obtain information and trace evidence (e.g., DNA) from the government, and to work with various producers to create documentaries to explain the facts to the public. Whitfield Sharp pointed out various inconsistencies between DeSalvo's confessions and the crime scene information (which she obtained). For example, Whitfield Sharp observed that, contrary to DeSalvo's confession to Sullivan's murder, there was no semen in her vagina and that she was not strangled manually, but by ligature. Famed forensic pathologist Michael Baden observed that DeSalvo also got the time of death wrong — a common inconsistency with several of the murders pointed out by Susan Kelly. Whitfield Sharp continues to work on the case for the DeSalvo family.^[3] This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In the case of Mary Sullivan, murdered January 4, 1964 at age 19, DNA and other forensic evidence — and leads from Kelly's book — were used by the victim's nephew Casey Sherman to try to track down her real killer. Sherman wrote about this in his book A Rose for Mary (2003) and stated that DeSalvo was not responsible for her death. For example, DeSalvo confessed to sexually penetrating Sullivan, yet the forensic investigation revealed no evidence of sexual activity. There are also suggestions from DeSalvo himself that he was covering up for another man, the real killer. is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ... Forensics redirects here. ... A Rose for Mary is a book about 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, the last victim of confessed Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

DeSalvo in fiction

• DeSalvo was the subject of the 1968 Hollywood film The Boston Strangler, starring Tony Curtis as DeSalvo, and Henry Fonda and George Kennedy as the homicide detectives who apprehend him. The movie was highly fictionalized: It assumed DeSalvo was guilty, and it portrayed him as suffering from multiple personality disorder and committing the murders while in a psychotic state. DeSalvo was never diagnosed with, or even suspected of having, that disorder.

• DeSalvo was one of the serial killers whose murders were recreated by the killer in the movie Copycat.

• The spirit of DeSalvo is summoned by sheriff Lucas Buck to destroy the ghost of Caleb's sister on the American Gothic episode Strangler.

• DeSalvo's name was used for the character Andrew DeSalvo, a fictional character in Silent Hill 4: The Room. The character works as a guard for the Water prison where children are sent for punishment but is killed by another character named Walter Sullivan.

Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other persons named Tony Curtis, see Tony Curtis (disambiguation). ... Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ... George Harris Kennedy, Jr. ... Overview In psychiatry, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is the current name of the condition formerly listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) and Multiple Personality Syndrome. ... Psychosis is a psychiatric classification for a mental state in which the perception of reality is distorted. ... Copycat is an American suspense movie thriller from 1995. ... American Gothic is an American television series created by Shaun Cassidy and executive produced by Sam Raimi. ... Walter Sullivan is a fictional character and antagonist of the video game Silent Hill 4: The Room. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The Boston Strangler is briefly mentioned in the song "Dirty Water" by The Standells. The song centers around the singer's love of his home town of Boston, and in an aside toward the end of the song the words, "Have you heard about the Strangler?" are heard.
• The song "Midnight Rambler" by the Rolling Stones (from the album Let It Bleed) was inspired by and almost mentions the Boston Strangler. After a series of lines ending in "rambler" and "gambler", the words 'Well you heard about the Boston...' are sung, yet what follows is obscured by music.
• In 1971, Texas legislator Tom Moore, Jr. introduced a measure to demonstrate the lack of legislative scrutiny. The measure's passage effectively meant that DeSalvo was commended by the Texas House of Representatives as being "officially recognized by the state of Massachusetts for his noted activities and unconventional techniques involving population control and applied psychology."
• British power electronics group Whitehouse have a track called "Dedicated to Albert De Salvo" (album: Buchenwald, 1981)
• Japanese doom metal band Church of Misery has a song titled "Boston Strangler (Albert DeSalvo)" on the album of the same name. Its lyrics are from the Strangler's point of view.
• The song "Frank De Salvo" appears on The Orchids album Unholy Soul (1991) and contains the words "Thirteen women in two years..."
• The song "Boston Strangler" appears on the Macabre album Sinister Slaughter (1993).
• The song "Reality Check" by rapper Binary Star raps a brief statement about the Boston Strangler saying " Who's ever on the microphone let it be known, you're in danger, I got necks like the Boston Strangler."

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... The Standells were a 1960s rock and roll band from Los Angeles, California who, like the The Seeds, exemplified the garage rock style. ... Midnight Rambler is a song by British rock and roll band the Rolling Stones that was released on their 1969 album Let It Bleed. ... This article is about the rock band. ... This article is about the 1969 album by The Rolling Stones. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Tom Moore, Jr. ... The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. ... Population control is the practice of limiting population increase, usually by reducing the birth rate. ... The basic premise of applied psychology is the use of psychological principles and theories to overcome practical problems in other fields, such as business management, product design, ergonomics, nutrition, law and clinical medicine. ... Whitehouse is an English industrial noise band formed in 1980. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Church of Misery is a doom metal band from Tokyo, Japan. ... Macabre are a death metal band from the USA. They were formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois, and ever since have never had a line-up change. ... The Boston Strangler is a name attributed to the murderer of several women in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in the early 1960s. ...

References

Further reading

• Junger, Sebastian. A Death in Belmont. Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc. April 2006. ISBN 0-393-05980-4.
• Kelly, Susan. The Boston Stranglers: The Public Conviction of Albert Desalvo and the True Story of Eleven Shocking Murders. Citadel. October 1995. ISBN 1559722983.
• Landay, William. The Strangler. Dell Publishing. January 2007. ISBN 9780385336154.
• Rogers, Alan. New England Remembers: The Boston Strangler. Commonwealth Editions. May 2006. ISBN 1-889833-52-5.
• Sherman, Casey and Dick Lehr. A Rose for Mary: The Hunt for the Boston Strangler. Northeastern University Press. September 2003. ISBN 1-55553-578-X.
• Sherman, Casey and Dick Lehr. Search for the Strangler: My Hunt for Boston's Most Notorious Killer. Grand Central Publishing. 1 April 2005. ISBN 0446614688.

External links

• Albert DeSalvo - The Boston Strangler?
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, Boston Strangler
• The Boston Strangler (Court TV's Crime Library)
• The Boston Strangler at the Internet Movie Database
• The Boston Strangler
• The Ayes of Texas. Snopes.com.
• Article about Sebastian Junger's Book A Death in Belmont TIME Magazine, 04/10/2006.
• http://www.serialkillercalendar.com This contains a detailed biography of DeSalvo.