A deep-dive into the 1960s crimes and suspects, The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession includes fascinating new data points as well as determinative DNA results.
With all of the developments in criminology and DNA testing, I always hope that the age of serial killers has ended. How anyone could get away with ongoing crimes feels like it would be impossible at this point, so while they may happen, it’s not likely that the culprits won’t be caught or identified. Which may be why the serial killers of the past continue to fascinate us. We want the answers.
The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession is a documentary that focuses on the crimes attributed to “The American Jack The Ripper” between 1962-1964. While Albert DeSalvo confessed to the rapes and murders, there has long been speculation that he only did so to garner notoriety and any publicity earnings that might come with it.
The Boston Strangler murdered 13 women over 18 months. 6 of the women were killed over the summer of 1962 and 7 were killed after a break of 6 months, between December 1962 – January 1964. While the police attributed all of the crimes to one man, many say that this was not the case.
The first six women were all white older women who were unmarried and lived alone. They were also sexually assaulted with objects and posed obscenely. These crimes took place over about 9 weeks, while the others were spread out over time and did not necessarily have the same hallmarks.
At the time of The Boston Strangler, all of the details were written in the newspapers and DNA testing was not a consideration. Leaving saliva, blood, or semen at the crime scene would not have been the same concern as it is today, and anyone who wanted to confess could do so because they had the details readily available to them.
This documentary does an excellent job of introducing you to professionals who are familiar with the case as well as family members of the detectives and one victim. Each has invaluable insights, but it goes even further.
Once the film covers the basics and speculation around these cases, it begins to delve really deep. DeSalvo was easy. He said he committed the crimes, the detectives could close the case, and everyone was happy. But the tapes of his interrogation, not to mention further DNA testing, tell quite a different story. And unlike many other films where you get a little information and they let you wonder, here, there is concrete evidence that points to very specific determinations that prove that The Boston Strangler may have been many men. This is good stuff.
Runtime: 85 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: TV-14
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Available: Free on Peacock, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
With all of the developments in criminology and DNA testing, I always hope that the age of serial killers has ended. How anyone could get away with ongoing crimes feels like it would be impossible at this point, so while they may happen, it’s not likely that the culprits won’t be caught or identified. Which may be why the serial killers of the past continue to fascinate us. We want the answers.
