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The Boston Strangler is one of the most disturbing true crime cases in American history—but has the true culprit ever been caught?
That’s the question at the center of a new Oxygen True Crime documentary, The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession, which will delve into the heinous murders of 11 Boston-area women in the 1960s, while raising new questions about alleged serial killer Albert DeSalvo’s recorded confession to the crimes.
DeSalvo, who died in prison, was never formally convicted of the murders, leaving unanswered questions that continue to linger decades after the women lost their lives.
“You might have done some. You might have done one,” an attorney tells DeSalvo of his alleged crimes in Oxygen’s exclusive trailer for the documentary. “You might not have even done any.”
DeSalvo ominously replied in the Oct. 8 first look, “That’s right.”
What is The Boston: Strangler: Unheard Confession About?
The two-hour documentary, airing Sunday, Oct. 26, will feature DeSalvo in his own words as he walks through the brutal murders after his arrest.
“For the first time ever, viewers will hear from the long-lost 16-hour audio tapes of alleged serial killer Albert DeSalvo’s confession, offering a raw and unfiltered account of the crimes that contradict the official story and raises new questions,” according to Oxygen’s logline. “Just one night before he was reportedly set to recant his confession, DeSalvo was mysteriously murdered in prison and now, decades later, we get to hear what he really said behind closed doors.”
Who Was The Boston Strangler?
Fear spread through Boston in the early 1960s as women across the city were found raped and murdered in their own homes. The victims—who ranged in age from 19 to 85—were often found with items tied around their necks as part of a chilling signature that led authorities to believe the crimes were linked, according to previous reporting from Oxygen.
In total, police connected The Boston Strangler, as the killer was known in the media, to 11 different murders between 1962 and 1964.
As one source noted in the promo, “This was the first American serial killer case in history.”
The crimes were seemingly solved when DeSalvo confessed to the murders in 1965, despite what one source alleges in the documentary was “zero evidence” connecting him to the killings.
Confession Tapes Spark Doubt About The Boston Strangler’s Identity
DeSalvo was never convicted of the Boston Strangler murders and was killed behind bars while serving out a sentence for another set of crimes.
“For decades, the case was considered closed, as DeSalvo’s original confession tapes were believed to be lost and never made public – until now,” the press release stated.
With the tapes now rediscovered, those behind the documentary say the recordings raise “disturbing questions” about whether or not the true killer was ever found.
According to the press release, “As the recordings play, DeSalvo gets key details wrong and at times seems coached to give specific answers, casting doubt on his confession and reigniting debate over the real identity of the Boston Strangler.”
At one point, even an attorney seemed to acknowledge the critical role DeSalvo’s confession played in the police department’s theory of the crime.
“I’ll tell you that we didn’t have enough to put you in on this,” the unidentified attorney said in the recordings, according to the trailer. “Without your admission, we couldn’t nail you.”
Victim’s Relative Casey Sherman Strives For Answers
One figure central to the renewed examination of the decades-old case is Casey Sherman, the nephew of the final victim who was able to secure the recordings of the confession as part of a career-long quest to discover the truth.
“My aunt 19-year-old Mary Sullivan was considered the youngest and final victim of the notorious Boston Strangler,” he explained in the promo. “My mother always questioned Albert DeSalvo’s confession and now I know why the Boston Police Department didn’t release any more of these tapes.
He claimed that he was “100 percent” convinced that police got the wrong man.
“The answers lie inside these tapes and they want these secrets never to be revealed,” he added. “The world needs to hear these tapes.”
The two-hour special—produced by This is Just a Test—will also feature commentary from the sons of two former Boston Police detectives who played critical roles in the investigation.
How Can I Watch The Boston: Strangler: Unheard Confession?
To learn more about the crimes and DeSalvo’s confession to police, watch The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession, Sunday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen True Crime.
