Albert DeSalvo

Albert Henry DeSalvo (September 3, 1931 – November 25, 1973), also known as the Green Man or the Measuring Man, was an American murderer and rapist who was active in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 1960s. He is known for having confessed to being the "Boston Strangler," a serial killer who murdered thirteen women in the Boston area between 1962 and 1964. Due to physical evidence, DeSalvo's confession was believed, yet he was only prosecuted in 1967 for a series of unrelated rapes, for which he was convicted and imprisoned until his murder in 1973. DeSalvo's claims to have murdered multiple women were disputed, and debates continued regarding which crimes he truly had committed.

By the early 21st 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, 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 killing of Sullivan. The DNA match excluded 99.9% of the remaining population. Later that month, authorities exhumed DeSalvo's body and found that his DNA was a match.

Albert DeSalvo was born on September 3, 1931, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, as the third of six children to Charlotte (née Roberts) and Frank DeSalvo. DeSalvo's father was a violent alcoholic who abused his wife and children; in one of the many times he attacked his wife in front of the children, he knocked out all her teeth and bent her fingers back until they broke. DeSalvo's father would also bring home prostitutes and engage in sexual acts with them in front of family members, including the children.

The young DeSalvo began torturing animals as a child. In early adolescence, he engaged in acts of petty theft and shoplifting, frequently crossing paths with the law. In 1943, DeSalvo, then aged 12, was arrested for battery and robbery, and was subsequently sent to the Lyman School for Boys. In October 1944, DeSalvo was paroled and started working as a delivery boy. In August 1946, nearly fifteen years old, he was returned to the Lyman School after being convicted of auto theft.

After completing his second sentence, DeSalvo joined the United States Army. He was honorably discharged after his first tour of duty. DeSalvo re-enlisted and, despite being tried in a court-martial,^{[citation needed]} was again honorably discharged. He served as a Military Police sergeant with the 2nd Squadron, 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

At the time of the Boston Strangler murders, DeSalvo lived at 11 Florence Street Park in Malden, across the street from the junction of Florence and Clement streets.

Between June 14, 1962, and January 4, 1964, thirteen single women between the ages of 19 and 85 were murdered in the Boston area; their deaths were eventually tied to a serial killer dubbed the Boston Strangler. Most of the victims were sexually assaulted in their apartments before being strangled with articles of clothing. The oldest victim died of a heart attack. Two others were stabbed to death, one of whom was also badly beaten. Without signs of forced entry into their dwellings, the victims were assumed to have either known their killer or voluntarily allowed him into their homes.

The final victim of the murders was 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, who was raped and strangled in her Boston apartment on January 4, 1964. Three ligatures were wrapped around her neck, and a broom handle was lodged in her vagina. A card reading "Happy New Year" was left by the killer, leaning against her left foot.