Who Was the Boston Strangler?

B O S T O N, Feb. 24 -- When Albert DeSalvo was identified as the Boston Stranger more than 30 years ago, the entire city breathed a sigh of relief.

It had been a terrifying time for the city, which was living in fear of the first modern-day serial killer.

No woman — it seemed — was safe. There was no sanctuary. Almost all the victims were strangled in their own apartments. The oldest was 85, the youngest, 19.

Mary Sullivan, the last victim, was strangled in January 1964. Her body was found in her apartment. She had been strangled with a stocking and two scarves, and propped up against her left foot was a greeting card that read "Happy New Year."

A year later, DeSalvo, who was already in jail on rape and robbery charges, declared that he had killed Mary Sullivan and 12 other women.

Incredibly, DeSalvo was never put on trial for any of the Boston Strangler killings. For law enforcement agencies, the confession apparently was enough. His case was closed.

Victim's Family Pursues New Investigation

But Mary Sullivan's family was not convinced.

"The only thing that connected DeSalvo to the Boston Strangler was his confession, not an eyewitness. Not a fingerprint. Nothing," says Casey Sherman, her nephew.

The Sullivan family believes a prime suspect before DeSalvo's confession is the real killer.

In an extraordinary development, the families of the brutally attacked young woman and the man who said he killed her are now working together. They claim DeSalvo confessed for money and fame.

"He was going to be able to … sell books, movies," says his brother, Richard DeSalvo. "His family would be well taken care of."

After nearly four decades, state authorities recently reopened the case.

But there are those who believe DeSalvo, who was stabbed to death in prison, was telling the truth.

"I don't think that Albert was innocent. If he didn't do all 13, he did pretty close to it," says his attorney, F. Lee Bailey.