Discover the story of the serial killer portrayed in the movie “The Boston Strangler”

Based on a true story, “The Boston Strangler” debuted on Star+ this month. The film tells the story of a serial killer in the United States of the 1960s.

The plot follows the discovery of two journalists about the relationship between murders of women that were happening in the city and the identity of the serial killer.

The film stars Keira Knightley (“Pride and Prejudice” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”) and Carrie Coon (“The Leftovers” and “The Refuge”).

Discover the true story of the Boston Strangler

Between 1962 and 1964, more than ten single women, aged between 19 and 85, were murdered in Boston, USA.

All of them were strangled and their bodies left provocatively by a mysterious assailant, who became known as the “Boston Strangler”.

In 1964, a factory worker and military veteran named Albert Henry DeSalvo was arrested on multiple counts of assault, theft, and sex crimes.

Three years later, in 1967, DeSalvo confessed to the crimes and was sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of four women, who were suffocated to death and found only wearing their underwear.

During the trial, DeSalvo claimed he was responsible for the deaths of 13 women. Despite the confession, no incriminating evidence was found, meaning that he did not have to answer for all the crimes committed.

Some time after his conviction, Albert escaped from the detention center where he received psychiatric treatment. Days later, he was found and transferred to a maximum security penitentiary, where he lived until the end of his life.

In 1973, the Boston strangler was found dead in his cell, aged 42, with multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Case solved?

For many years, DeSalvo’s responsibility for the crimes remained in doubt. Their original confessions, for example, demonstrated ignorance of many aspects of the crimes.

Although he later described details that only the real killer could have known, his testimony, according to some investigators, could have been based on information provided by the police.

Furthermore, several surviving victims did not believe he was the perpetrator.

More than 30 years later, the family of one of the victims requested a DNA test to find out if Albert was to blame for the girl’s death, but nothing was found.

Despite this, the family did not give up. In 2013, semen samples were found that matched DeSalvo’s DNA, linking him to the young woman’s death.

However, the other deaths follow without a verdict. Even today, speculation continues as to whether or not he was solely responsible for the Strangler murders.