The Killer Who Forgot His Brutal Acts

Albert DeSalvo is widely known as the prime suspect behind the “Boston Strangler” series of murders that shook Boston in the early 1960s. Numerous women were found dead in their homes with clear signs of strangulation—sparking a wave of terror across the city. Yet DeSalvo’s own confession was riddled with contradictions, and to this day doubts remain about the extent of his involvement. Rather than being tried for the stranglings, he received a life sentence for unrelated crimes. During interrogation, he claimed to suffer from a personality disorder and experienced ‘blackouts,’ leaving him unable to remember his actions.