New forensic testing has linked Albert DeSalvo to the last of the Boston Strangler's 1960s murders, Boston police announced Thursday.
Familial DNA evidence linked DeSalvo to the 1964 rape and murder of then-19-year-old Mary Sullivan, police said. It was the last of 11 murders attributed to a serial killer known as the Boston Strangler who terrorized the city for weeks.
Only Sullivan's case has this forensic tie. "These developments give us hope that there can be finality if not accountability," says conley— Maria Cramer (@GlobeMCramer) July 11, 2013
DeSalvo was arrested later in 1964 for a series of armed robberies and sexual assaults on various women. DeSalvo claimed responsibility for the Boston Strangler killings while awaiting trial. However, a judge ruled DeSalvo's confession inadmissible in court due to a lack of evidence to back up his claims.
DeSalvo later died in prison in 1973 with doubt still surrounding his status as the Boston Strangler.
"Even to this day, I can’t say with certainty that the person who ultimately was designated as the Boston Strangler was the Boston Strangler," former Massachusetts Attorney General Edward W. Brooke told the Boston Globe last year.
Investigators unsuccessfully attempted to use forensic evidence to link DeSalvo to Sullivan's murder 10 years ago. Modern advancements in forensic analysis played a role in the new result, according to police.