Albert DeSalvo
The confessed Boston Strangler, whose crimes and disputed guilt spawned decades of legal controversy and true-crime fascination.
1931–1973 (age 42)·American rapist and suspected serial killer·Birthday: September 3·The Silent Generation
Biography
Albert DeSalvo's name is permanently tied to one of America's most chilling crime sprees. A Massachusetts native with a history of violence and sexual assault, he was incarcerated on unrelated charges when he began confessing in elaborate detail to being the Boston Strangler, the killer of 13 women in the early 1960s. His knowledge of crime scenes convinced authorities, yet he was never formally charged with the murders. Instead, he was convicted for a series of earlier rapes and sentenced to life. His 1973 murder in prison by a fellow inmate only deepened the mystery. Later DNA evidence linked him to the final victim, Mary Sullivan, but debates persist over whether he was the sole perpetrator or a compulsive confessor capitalizing on notoriety. His story remains a dark, unresolved chapter in forensic history.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Albert was born in 1931, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Albert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1931
#1 Movie
Frankenstein
Best Picture
Cimarron
Albert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1931Born
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1936Started school
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1944Became a teenager
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Could drive
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1949Could vote
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Turned 21
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1961Turned 30
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 40
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Died at 42
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
Key Achievements
- Confessed in detail to being the 'Boston Strangler,' the perpetrator of a series of murders that terrorized Boston from 1962 to 1964.
- Was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1967 for a series of unrelated armed robberies and sexual assaults.
- His case became a landmark in discussions about criminal confession reliability and the media's role in serial killer investigations.
Did You Know?
Before being identified as the Strangler suspect, he was known as the 'Green Man' and the 'Measuring Man' for separate series of assaults where he posed as a model agency representative.
Actor Tony Curtis portrayed him in the 1968 film 'The Boston Strangler.'
He escaped from a state mental hospital in 1967 by tying bedsheets together, but turned himself in a day later.
In prison, he reportedly submitted designs for a protective bra he called the 'Murder Bra' to a company, which declined it.
“I'm not the Boston Strangler, but I know who is.”
