"A Must for City Living": WBZ's Archive Report on the Boston Strangler, with Albert DeSalvo's Taped Voice

Name: "A Must for City Living": WBZ's Archive Report on the Boston Strangler, with Albert DeSalvo's Taped Voice
Uploaded: 2018-05-06T00:00:00Z
Duration: 3 min 45 s
Description: WBZ-TV archive footage of Boston's fear of the Strangler in the 1960s, a later retrospective with reporter John Henning, and a brief excerpt of Albert DeSalvo on tape asking to be studied by psychiatrists.

WBZ-TV archive footage of Boston's fear of the Strangler in the 1960s, a later retrospective with reporter John Henning, and a brief excerpt of Albert DeSalvo on tape asking to be studied by psychiatrists.

Subject: Albert DeSalvo
Runtime: 3:45

Content warning: Concerns the rape and strangling of women in the Boston area, 1962 to 1964, and the killing of DeSalvo in prison. No graphic detail beyond the narration's reference to the display of the victims.

The Interview

This is not an interview. It is a WBZ-TV archive piece, posted by CBS Boston in 2018, that combines a 1960s WBZ film report on the fear gripping Boston, a later WBZ retrospective on the Boston Strangler case with comments from reporter John Henning, and, at the end, about 15 seconds of Albert DeSalvo's own voice from a tape recording.

Historical Context

Between June 1962 and January 1964, 13 women were murdered in and around Boston in the killings attributed to the Boston Strangler. In late 1964 Albert DeSalvo was arrested for a series of sexual assaults known as the "Green Man" crimes. In custody he confessed to the stranglings, reportedly first to a fellow inmate, George Nassar, whose lawyer, F. Lee Bailey, then represented him. DeSalvo was never tried for the stranglings; in 1967 he was sentenced to life for the Green Man crimes and robberies. He later recanted. He was stabbed to death in the prison infirmary at Walpole on November 25, 1973.

Circumstances

CBS Boston posted the piece on May 6, 2018, the anniversary of the murder of Beverly Samans in Cambridge on May 6, 1963, the tenth killing on the usual count. Despite the title, the video is a general history of the case and does not name her.

What the Recording Covers

The 1960s report describes the stranglings as "the chief topic of conversation" among housewives, students and secretaries, and women carrying objects "suitable for throwing" and taking karate and jujitsu courses, one advertised as "a must for city living." The retrospective narrator describes the nylon "tied in a granny knot" left at each scene, names Anna Slesers as the first victim, and recounts DeSalvo's arrest by Cambridge police, his confession, F. Lee Bailey's role, the lack of hard evidence "before sophisticated fingerprint and DNA tests," and his conviction on other charges. John Henning says he thinks DeSalvo committed some of the killings, that there were copycats, and that Nassar "might have done a couple of them too." The narration says DeSalvo was found dead "stabbed 20 times," and that Boston detectives had recorded hours of tape with him. In the excerpt, DeSalvo asks that his case be studied: "Some idea might be gotten out of what happened to me."

What Makes the Recording Significant

The piece joins period WBZ film of a frightened city with a short excerpt of DeSalvo's own voice, and with the doubts of a reporter who covered the case.

Archival Importance

The footage comes from the Boston station's own archive.

Important Caveats

DeSalvo speaks for only about 15 seconds; this is a news report, not a recording of him in which he is the main speaker. The source and date of the tape (said to be recorded by Boston detectives) are not verified. The narration's "stabbed 20 times" is not verified. The 1960s report probably dates from early 1964, not May 1963. The retrospective does not mention the 2013 familial DNA match that linked DeSalvo to the murder of Mary Sullivan, and whether he committed all the killings remains disputed. Henning's view that others committed some of the killings is his opinion. A short passage at 02:27 is unclear. The opening reporter is named only in CBS Boston's description.

Reporter: The city is, for some, glamorous, stimulating, prosperous. Only recently has it become dangerous. Five young girls have been strangled in the Boston area in little over a year. The stranglings have become the chief topic of conversation between housewives on the telephone, coeds between classes, and secretaries during coffee breaks. Some carry heavy [unclear: "ash sprays" / "a phase"] and other artifacts suitable for throwing, and karate and jujitsu courses are becoming very popular. One karate course is advertised as a must for city living.

Narrator: It would have made a frightening Hitchcock thriller if the crimes hadn't been real. A killer was stalking Boston women, raping and strangling them. In the most grotesque manner, he would display his work, and he always left a bizarre calling card: a nylon tied in a granny knot around the neck of each victim.

Unidentified Speaker: They were devastating crimes. They compare, in the annals of crime, they compare absolutely with Jack the Ripper. Oh, perhaps even worse, because they were quiet and they were deadly.

Narrator: The Strangler's first victim was Anna Slesers, a 55-year-old divorcee, brutally beaten and strangled while a parade passed down her Back Bay street. From June 1962 until January 1964, ten more women would die the same way. They were young and old, black and white. As the number of victims grew, police became more and more frustrated. No woman felt safe. An intense investigation ensued. Police even brought in a psychic, but their efforts brought no hard leads. It wasn't until 11 months after the last strangling, purely by chance, Cambridge police arrested a con man and rapist named Albert DeSalvo on unrelated charges.

Narrator: DeSalvo confessed to be the Strangler. Attorney F. Lee Bailey came in to defend him. DeSalvo related details of the crime no one but the killer could have known. Even though DeSalvo had confessed, police had no hard evidence tying him to the stranglings. These were the days before sophisticated fingerprint and DNA tests. DeSalvo was convicted on unrelated rape charges and sent to jail. Some investigators [unclear: "and this report decision, yes" (Whisper) / "in this" (captions; the rest not picked up)]. [unclear: "Why?" (Whisper only)] Reporter John Henning covered the Strangler story.

John Henning: I think he did some of them. But I think, uh, there were some copycats. And I think a man named George Nassar, who was Albert's cellmate, might have done a couple of them too. Some of the attorneys always thought that. F. Lee Bailey did, who defended DeSalvo in the crimes that he was convicted for, the assaults.

Narrator: Albert DeSalvo was found dead on this cot, stabbed 20 times by [unclear: "other inmates" / "inmates"]. But before his death, Boston detectives recorded several hours of tape with DeSalvo. In one section, he pleads with psychiatrists to examine him and analyze his behavior. A chilling message from the grave now about his perverse but never understood mind.

Albert Desalvo: Some idea might be gotten out of what happened to me. If this will help only one, [unclear: "we've accomplished" / "who accomplished"] something. There are many out there. There are many fathers and sons out there that are Albert DeSalvos at a given time. [03:31 to 03:45: music; no further speech; clip ends.] ---