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Authors: Susan Kelly

The Boston Stranglers (44 page)

The Sharps subsequently filed a complaint on behalf of Richard DeSalvo in the Suffolk Division of the Superior Court of Massachusetts. The defendants were Attorney General Thomas Reilly, Chief Medical Examiner Richard J. Evans, M.D., and Colonel Thomas Robbins, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. In addition to the general allegations, the complaint listed five counts: negligent infliction of emotional distress, tortuous mutilation of a corpse, negligent failure to return personal items, violations of the Fair Information Practices Act, and request for equitable relief.
What Richard DeSalvo really wanted to know was why the organs had been taken, and who had taken them. Albert DeSalvo had been stabbed to death. During the second autopsy of the body, his heart, lungs, liver, and spleen might have provided further information about the murder.
Richard DeSalvo would also like to have returned to the DeSalvo family the autobiography his brother told him he was writing shortly before his death. Albert had said the document would reveal the truth about his life. As of this writing, its whereabouts are unknown. It was just one of Albert DeSalvo's personal possessions—perhaps the most important one—that vanished after he died in prison.
As of 2012, the litigation is ongoing. Elaine Sharp is seeking to negotiate a global settlement, in which the DeSalvo family would drop the suit for the return of the organs in exchange for the state's agreement to test the samples taken from the Strangler crime scenes for traces of Albert DeSalvo's DNA, and furnish the results of those tests to the DeSalvo family.
 
 
No matter what you think about the Boston Strangler case, or whom you believe might be guilty of some or all of the murders that took place between June 1962 and January 1964, keep in mind this one irrefutable fact: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts never intended to charge Albert DeSalvo with murder, for the very good reason that no physical or circumstantial evidence, nor any eyewitness testimony, ever existed to connect him with any of the crimes. (It is worth repeating that DeSalvo's DNA was not found on the body of the final Strangler victim.) All authorities had was an unsubstantiated and, in numerous instances, wildly inaccurate confession that, to be blunt, many of them never believed in the first place.
And that is why, to this day, the case files for the murders that took place between 1962 and 1964 remain packed away in archival boxes labeled “unsolved homicides.”
Bibliography
Newspaper Articles
 
Gerhart, Ann, “An honor for a Senate pioneer,”
Washington Post,
October 29, 2009.
 
Powers, Martine, “Memories of the Strangler,”
Boston Globe,
June 14, 2012.
 
Court Documents and Police Reports
 
Casebook on Homicide of Margaret Davis: Code 04.
 
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, THE TRIAL COURT, SUPERIOR COURT, SUFFOLK DIVISION, CIVIL ACTION: 04-4647F.
 
COMMONWEALTH
v.
GEORGE NASSAR, SJC-09951,
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS, 450 Mass. 1031; 880 N.E.2d 793; 2008 Mass. LEXIS 128.
COMMONWEALTH
v.
GEORGE H. NASSAR, SJC-10349,
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS, 454 Mass. 1008; 908 N.E.2d 371; 2009 Mass. LEXIS 318.
GEORGE NASSAR
v.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT & OTHERS [The Commonwealth and the Attorney General], SJC-10629,
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS, 456 Mass. 1006; 922 N.E.2d 140; 2010 Mass. LEXIS 40.
 
IN THE MATTER OF DISBARMENT OF F. LEE BAILEY, D2291,
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, 536 U.S. 936; 122 S. Ct. 2650; 153 L. Ed. 2d 827; 2002 U.S. LEXIS 4674.
 
IN THE MATTER OF F. LEE BAILEY, SJC-08764,
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS, 439 Mass. 134; 786 N.E2d 337; 2003 Mass. LEXIS 268.
 
IN RE: E LEE BAILEY, M.B.D. No. 02-10093,
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26528.
IN RE: F. LEE BAILEY Appellant. No. 05-2779,
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT, 450 F.3d 71; 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 14189.
 
Tort Claims Presentment Letter Pursuant to M.G.L.C. 258 Section 1, ET Seq., December 18, 2001.
 
Telephone Interview
 
Mark Safarik, July 25, 2012.
 
Miscellaneous
 
Sources
Those people who were kind enough to be interviewed by letter, by telephone, or in person are mentioned in the Acknowledgments to this book.
COURT DOCUMENTS
Commonwealth vs. Albert H. DeSalvo. Docket Number 71789. Criminal Numbers 71789, 71790, 71841, 72032, 72034, 72097-8-9.
Commonwealth vs. Albert H. DeSalvo. Superior Court Numbers 71841-2-3.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Middlesex Superior Court; Probate Court Number 70560. Decree Nisi of Divorce; Sonja Marie Anderson, Libellant, and Albert DeSalvo, Libellee. November 22, 1966.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Suffolk Superior Court; Superior Court Civil Action No. 93223, Richard E. DeSalvo, Administrator of the Estate of Albert DeSalvo, Plaintiff, vs. F. Lee Bailey, Defendant.
Massachusetts Reports: Decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Commonwealth vs. Albert H. DeSalvo. Vol. 353 (1968).
Massachusetts Reports: Decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Commonwealth vs. Anthony Jackson. Vol. 370 (1976), Vol. 376 (1978), Vol. 384 (1981), Vol. 388 (1983), Vol. 391 (1984).
Massachusetts Reports: Decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Commonwealth vs. George H. Nassar. Vol. 351 (1966), Vol. 354 (1968).
Massachusetts Reports: Decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Commonwealth vs. Roy Smith. Vol. 350 (1966).
Massachusetts Reports, Papers, and Briefs. Vol. 353. CivCom v. DES, 4.
Massachusetts Reports, Papers, and Briefs. Vol. 354. BucNas, 5.
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit: Albert DeSalvo, Plaintiff, Appellant vs. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., Defendant, Appellee. Order of Court Entered Feb. 19, 1970.
United States District Court: District of Massachusetts; Civil Action Number 68-882-G. Albert H. DeSalvo, Plaintiff vs. 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and Reade Organization, Defendants. October 10, 11; December 20, 24, 30, 1968.
United States District Court: District of Massachusetts; Civil Action Number 68-1114-G. Albert DeSalvo, Plaintiff vs. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. and Walter Reade Organization, Inc., Defendants. June 16, 1969.
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY REPORTS
Casebook on Homicide of Anna Slesers: Code 01
Casebook on Homicide of Nina G. Nichols: Code 02
Casebook on Homicide of Helen E. Blake: Code 03
Casebook on Homicide of Margaret Davis: Code 04
Casebook on Homicide of Ida Irga: Code 05
Casebook on Homicide of Jane Sullivan: Code 06
Casebook on Homicide of Sophie Clark: Code 07
Casebook on Homicide of Patricia Bissette: Code 08
Casebook on Homicide of Evelyn Corbin: Code 09
Casebook on Homicide of Joann Graff: Code 10
Casebook on Homicide of Mary Sullivan: Code 11
Casebook on Homicide of Jennie Woronowski: Code 12
Casebook on Homicide of Mary M. Brown: Code 13
Casebook on Homicide of Bessie Goldberg: Code 14
Casebook on Homicide of Beverly F. Samans: Code 15
Casebook on Homicide of Modeste Freeman: Code 16
Casebook on Attempted Homicide of Erika Wilsing: Code 17
Casebook on Homicide of Effie MacDonald
Interrogations of Albert DeSalvo Conducted by John S. Bottomly August—September 1965 (Transcripts of Tapes)
Preliminary Notes for the Project to Establish a “Psychiatric Profile of the Boston Strangler, ”
Donald P. Kenefick, M.D.
Report of Attorney General Edward W Brooke: Coordination of Investigations of “Stranglings, ”
(August 18, 1964)
CORRESPONDENCE
Nathan Cobb to Albert DeSalvo: 11/30/72
Albert DeSalvo to F. Lee Bailey: 7/21/68
Albert DeSalvo to L. Burke: 9/2?/70
Albert DeSalvo to Clerk of Court, Middlesex Probate Court: 3/11/71
Albert DeSalvo to Massachusetts Bar Association Grievance Committee: 12/24/69
Albert DeSalvo to Francis C. Newton, Jr.: 8/29/70; 9/2/70; 10/6/70; 10/7/70; 7/27/70
Albert DeSalvo to Frederick H. Norton, Jr.: 1/11/70
Albert DeSalvo to P.J. Piscitelli: 1/13/73
Albert DeSalvo to Robert Quinn: 10/12/70
Albert DeSalvo to Paul Reardon: 2/15/71
John J. Keane to Albert DeSalvo: Undated
George Nassar to Richard and Rosalie DeSalvo: 6/24/73; 7/1/73
George Nassar to P.J. Piscitelli: 6/24/73
Francis C. Newton, Jr., to Albert DeSalvo: 9/4/70; 9/23/70; 10/7/70; 10/27/70; 11/5/70; 11/21/70; 2/8/71
Francis C. Newton, Jr., to Sheldon Newman: 12/27/76
P.J. Piscitelli to Nathan Cobb: 12/17/72
P.J. Piscitelli to Albert DeSalvo: 1/22/73
P.J. Piscitelli to Sheldon Newman: 7/18/75
NEWSPAPERS
“After Three Stranglings ... MCNAMARA'S APPEAL! To Public: Help Us Find the Killer. TO WOMEN: Keep Doors Locked,”
Traveler,
June 3, 1962.
“Albert DeSalvo Found Stabbed to Death in Cell,” Stephen Wermiel,
Boston Globe,
November 27, 1973.
“Another Silk Stocking Murder; Lynn Nurse, 65, Strangled Same Day as Brigthon Woman, 68,” Boston Globe, July 3, 1962.
“An Appeal to Reason Paid Off,” Ray Richard,
Boston Globe,
February 25, 1967.
“Arrested Twice for Burglaries at Age of 12,”Jack Kendall,
Record American,
February 25, 1967.
“Atty. John Bottomly of Holliston, a Former Assistant State Attorney,”
Boston Globe,
August 16, 1980.
“Back Bay Girl Found Strangled; Hospital Worker-Student 7th Victim; Painter Sought,” Frank Mahoney
Boston Globe,
December 12, 1962.
“Back Bay Killer Known in Building,” Stanley Eames,
Boston Herald,
December 8, 1962.
“Back Bay Secretary 23, Slain, Hunt Clues in Date Book, Cards,” Jim Murray and Frank McGrath,
Record American,
January 1, 1963.
“Bailey Begs Client to Give Himself Up,” Ken O. Botwright,
Boston Globe,
February 25, 1967.
“Bailey Charges Double-Gross,” Jack Wharton and Tom Downey
Record American,
February 25, 1967.
“Bailey Does It—Again!”
Record American,
February 25, 1967.
“Bailey May Let DeSalvo Testify,” Jonathan Klarfeld,
Boston Globe,
January 16, 1967.
“Bailey Wins Case for A.F. Captain,”
Boston Globe,
February 25, 1967.
“Beacon Hill Girl Slain; Strangled in Apartment,” Michael Bennett,
Boston Sunday Herald,
January 5, 1964.
“Beverly, Too, Liked Music,”
Record American,
May 9, 1963.
“Bloodstained Paring Knife Reportedly Killed Student,”
Boston Sunday Herald,
May 12, 1963.
“Boston's Own Strangler,” George Frazier,
Boston Herald,
January 12, 1964.
“Bottomly Fined $1000 for Tax Return Charge,”
Boston Globe,
July 22, 1981.
“Brooke Names Top Assistants,”
Boston Advertiser,
January 13, 1963.
“Brooke: Patient Strangle Suspect,” Jean Cole, Jack Wharton, and Frank Thompson,
Record American,
March 12, 1965.
“B.U. Coed Slain by Knife Fiend,” James B. Ayers,
Boston Globe,
May 9, 1963.
“Burke and Nassar Counsel Confer,”
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
October 22, 1964.
“Cambridge Choir Girl Strangled,” Dan Gould, Ed Martin, and Warren Walworth,
Record American,
May 9, 1963.
“Cambridge Girl Murdered; B.U. Singer's Death Follows Terror Pattern,” Robert Hassett,
Boston Herald,
May 9, 1963.
“Case Rests on MD's Conflicting Stories,” Bill Duncliffe,
Record American,
January 19, 1967.
“Check Dates of Throttled Back Bay Girl,”
Record American,
January 1, 1963.
“Chief Strangler Prober Bottomly Set to Take Stand,” Ed Corsetti, Jean Cole, Tom Berube, and Bill Duncliffe,
Record American,
January 18, 1967.
“Co-Ed Worked With Handicapped,” Ed Gillooly,
Record American,
May 9, 1963.
“Conn Calls DeSalvo Cunning Criminal,”
Record American,
January 19, 1967.
“Cop Laxity Charged in Slain Girl Case,” Joe Guilotti and Frank McGrath,
Record American,
January 9, 1963.
“Correct Bin Sought for Vegetable,” W.J. McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
January 13, 1967.
“Defendant ‘Satisfied' With Bailey's Work,” Ed Corsetti and Harold Banks,
Record American,
January 17, 1967.
“Defendant's Hopes Rest on Two Medics,” Harold K Banks,
Record American,
January 13, 1967.
“DeSalvo Believed Headed for Mexico; Two Pals Nabbed,” Ken Powers, Tom Riley and Ed Gillooly,
Record American,
February 25, 1967.
“DeSalvo Branded Boston Strangler,” Arthur Stratton,
Boston Herald,
January 13, 1967.
“DeSalvo Curable, Dr. Robey Says,” Ed Corsetti, Jean Cole, Tom Berube, and Bill Duncliffe,
Record American,
January 17, 1967.
“DeSalvo Death Probe Near End in Walpole,”
Boston Globe,
November 29, 1973.
“DeSalvo ‘Discussions' Belong in the Proper Hands,” Mike Barnicle,
Boston Globe,
November 29, 1973.
“DeSalvo Is ‘Boston Strangler'; Defense Says He Killed 13,” Robert J. Anglin,
Boston Globe,
January 13, 1967.
“DeSalvo Is Pictured by Bailey as Killer of 13 in 18 Months,” Jean Cole, Ed Corsetti, and Frank Thompson,
Record American,
January 13, 1967.
“DeSalvo Pal Started Pill Riot at Walpole,” Ollie Brennan and Frank Thompson,
RecordAmerican,
March 14, 1967.
“DeSalvo Picked for Jury,”
Chelsea Record,
March 7, 1967.
“DeSalvo Psychiatrists Split; Experts Attack ‘Impulse' Claim,” Robert J. Anglin,
Boston Globe,
January 17, 1967.
“DeSalvo Seeks Ban Against Boston Strangler Label,” Joseph M. Harvey
Boston Globe,
April 1, 1971.
“DeSalvo Stabbed to Death at Walpole,” Jerome Sullivan,
Boston Globe,
November 26, 1973.
“DeSalvo Sues Bailey for Film, Book Cash,”
Boston Herald,
April 1, 1971.
“DeSalvo Sues Maker of Strangler Film,”
Boston Globe,
December 4, 1968.
“DeSalvo Tapes Found in Vault,” Ronald A. Wysocki,
Boston Globe,
February 14, 1968.
“DeSalvo's Brother Faces Gun Charge,”
Boston Globe,
February 25, 1967.
“DeSalvos Get Continuance,”
Record American,
March 14, 1967.
“Doctor Says DeSalvo ‘Conned' Him: Now Thinks Insanity Symptoms Faked,”
Boston Herald,
January 17, 1967.
“Door Unlocked Briefly, Killer Ambushed Her,” Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole,
Record American,
January 15, 1963.
“The Doubting Detective,”
Salem Evening News,
April 3, 1992.
“An Earlier Serial Killer Remembered,” Peggy Hernandez,
Boston Globe,
May 8, 1989.
“Early Knockout, ”Jimmy Breslin,
Boston Herald,
January 13, 1967.
“18 Get Lie Detector Tests in Girl's Strangler Hunt,”
Boston Herald,
January 9, 1964.
“Eldest Strangling Victim, Ida Irga, Least Likely Quarry,” Jean Cole and Loretta McLaughlin,
Record American,
January 23, 1963.
“Elusive Killer Focused on Easy-Access Buildings,” Jean Cole and Loretta McLaughlin,
Boston Sunday Advertiser,
January 13, 1963.
“Entire Boston Police Force on the Alert,”
Boston Globe,
August 31, 1962.
“Epitaph for Beverly,” Gloria Negri,
Boston Globe,
May 10, 1963.
“Escape Plot Hatched a Year Ago,” John O'Neill,
Record American,
February 25, 1967.
“Ex-Convict Booked for Murder; Paroled Killer Suspected in No. Andover Slaying,” Raymond L. Poirer,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
October 2, 1964.
“Fay in the Middle of the Action,”
Boston Globe,
February 25, 1967.
“FBI Grads Hunt for Strangler,”
Boston Globe,
August 23, 1962.
“Fernald School Loved Warm, Outgoing Girl,”
Boston Herald,
May 9, 1963.
“50 More Detectives Hunt Strangle Killing Clues,”
Boston Globe,
January 2, 1963.
“1st and 7th Stranglings Only a Few Blocks Apart,”
Boston Globe,
December 6, 1962.
“First Defense Witnesses Testify at Nassar's Trial,” Raymond Maynard,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune.
“First Witness on Stand for Trial,” Raymond Maynard,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune.
“5 Medics Can't Agree Whether He's Dangerous,” Harold Banks,
Record American,
February 25, 1967.
“$5,000 Reward by Record American-Advertiser,”
Record American,
February 25, 1967.
“Former Assistant Attorney General Fined for Failing to File Income Tax,”
Boston Globe,
July 22, 1981.
“Former Mass. Official Guilty of Tax Evasion in 1973,” Alan H. Sheehan,
Boston Globe,
July 7, 1981.
“Former Neighbor Sought in Slaying,” Michael Bennett,
Boston Herald,
September 11, 1963.
“Friendly, Pretty, Popular, Not Afraid of Being Alone,” Gloria Negri,
Boston Globe,
January 1, 1963.
“Girl Positively Identifies Nassar as Hilton's Killer,”
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
June 18, 1965.
“Girl Seen With Youth Before Death,” Irene Michalek, John Wade, and Tom Downey
Record American,
January 7, 1963.
“Girl Strangled in Boston,”
Boston Globe,
January 5, 1964.
“Girl Victim in City's 7th Strangle Murder,”
Boston Herald,
December 6, 1962.
“Girl's Stricken Parents Here,”
Boston Globe,
May 9, 1963.
“Girls: Keep Doors Shut 'Til DeSalvo Again in Custody,” Jean Cole,
Record American,
February 25, 1967.
“‘He May Head for Germany,'” Sara Davidson,
Boston Globe,
February 25, 1967.
“How They Died,”
Boston Globe,
January 1, 1963.
“Hub Man Booked in Andover Murder,” Boston Globe, October 2, 1964.
“I Abused Her Body in the Tub ... !” Tatler, vol. 6, no. 23, June 4, 1967.
“Intruder Slugs Woman; Police Sift 4 Slayings,” Boston Globe, July 13, 1962.
“Is Albert DeSalvo Really Boston Strangler?” Bill Duncliffe, Tom Sullivan, and Eddie Corsetti, Record American, August 17, 1971.
“Jennings Special Assistant to Oppose Nassar Appeal,”
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
October 29, 1968.
“Jittery Homeowners Turn to Locksmiths,” Gary Kayaka-choian,
Boston Globe,
August 22, 1962.
“John S. Bottomly, at 63, Former Mass. Assistant Attorney General,”
Boston Globe,
August 21, 1984.
“Jury Finds Nassar Guilty of First Degree Murder,” George J. Gelineau,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
June 26, 1965.
“Jury Hears Nassar Plead Innocent as Trial Nears End,” Raymond Maynard,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
August 23, 1967.
“Jury Sees Hilton Death Site,”
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
June 15, 1965.
“Jury Weighs Fate of Albert DeSalvo in Four Sex-Robbery Cases,” Ed Corsetti, Jean Cole, Tom Berube, and Bill Duncliffe,
Record American,
January 19, 1967.
“Keenan, Nassar—Twice in 16 Years,” Joseph A Marois,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
October 2, 1964.
“Killer Hurled Girl's Body to Ice,” Irene Michalek and Tom Downey
Record American,
January 6, 1963.
“Killer Ransacked Home; Religious Items Untouched,” Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole,
Record American,
January 14, 1963.
“Lawrence Girl Says Nassar ‘Killer,'” Raymond Maynard,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
August 11, 1967.
“Lawrence Girl Says She Saw Nassar Shoot Hilton,” Raymond Maynard,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
August 18, 1967.
“Lawrence Woman Found Strangled,” Richard Remmes,
Boston Herald,
November 25, 1963.
“Lawyers Clash Over Cross Examination of Mrs. Buote,”
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
June 22, 1965.
“The Lee Baileys at Home,” Harold Banks,
Boston Sunday Advertiser,
January 15, 1967.
“Lie Tests Given in Girl Strangling,” Wendell Colton,
Boston Herald,
November 26, 1963.
“Live Alone? Here's Advice Worth Taking,”
Boston Globe,
August 22, 1962.
“Male Friend Hunted in Eighth Strangling,” Douglas S. Crocket,
Boston Globe,
January 1, 1963.
“A Man Here Says He's the Strangler,” Jeremiah V. Murphy
Boston Globe,
February 25, 1967.
“Married Man Admits Dating With Slain Girl,” Robert L Hassett,
Boston Herald,
January 2, 1963.
“McCann Seeks Nassar Parole Explanation,”
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
October 2, 1964.
“M'Namara Spurs Hunt for Vicious Strangler,” Ed Corsetti and Bill Duncliffe,
Boston Sunday Advertiser,
January 6, 1963.
“Merrimac Man Nassar Jury Foreman,” Raymond Maynard,
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune,
August 16, 1967.
“Met Audition Was Victim's Highest Hope,”
Boston Herald,
May 9, 1963.
“Mom Found Strangled in Back Bay Apartment,”
Traveler,
June 15, 1962.
“Mother-Daughter Witnesses to Vicious Murder are Hidden,”
Boston Globe,
October 1, 1964.

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