Albert DeSalvo
American rapist and suspected serial killer (1931–1973) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Albert Henry DeSalvo (September 3, 1931 – November 25, 1973) was an American convicted murderer, rapist, and serial killer who was active in Boston, Massachusetts between June 1962 and January 1964. DeSalvo confessed to being the "Boston Strangler", a serial killer who murdered thirteen women in the Boston area between 1962 to 1964. Because of the lack of physical evidence to support his confession, DeSalvo was prosecuted in 1967 for a series of unrelated rapes. He was convicted and imprisoned for life without parole. His confessing to having murdered multiple women was disputed, and debates continued regarding which crimes he truly had committed.
Albert DeSalvo | |
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Born | Albert Henry DeSalvo (1931-09-03)September 3, 1931 Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Died | November 25, 1973(1973-11-25) (aged 42) Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Cause of death | Stabbing |
Other names |
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Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
Details | |
Victims | 1 (confirmed), 12 more (suspected) |
Span of crimes | June 14, 1962 – January 4, 1964 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Massachusetts |
Date apprehended | October 27, 1964 |
By the early 20th century, techniques for DNA capture and analysis could allow for the re-investigation of some criminal cases. In July 2013 an analysis of semen found around the body of Mary Sullivan, who was raped and murdered, and is the last of the Strangler's victims, was matched to DNA obtained from DeSalvo's nephew. Because men who are descended from a common male ancestor carry the same y-DNA, investigators believed that this finding linked DeSalvo to the murder of Sullivan. The DNA match excluded 99.9% of the remaining population.[1] Later that month authorities exhumed DeSalvo's corpse and found that his DNA was a match.[2][3]