“Boston Strangler”

Movie Review

The 2023 American historical crime drama film Boston Strangler was written and directed by Matt Ruskin. It is based on the real-life events of the Boston Strangler, who murdered 13 women in Boston in the 1960s. With Carrie Coon, Alessandro Nivola, Chris Cooper, David Dastmalchian, and Morgan Spector, Keira Knightley plays Boston Record American reporter Loretta McLaughlin in the movie. Filming took place in Greater Boston and the film was released in 2023.

American reporter Loretta McLaughlin of the Boston Record looks into three cases of older women who were raped and strangled to death in the Boston area in 1962. She confirms that the victims were all found with stockings tied in a bow around their necks, tying the crimes to a serial killer most likely. Boston police are upset with the story, and Loretta's boss is planning to have it killed to protect the newspaper.

Yet when a fourth victim is discovered, Loretta and her colleague Jean Cole continue their inquiry. The two women experience pervasive sexism at work and in society at large. The stress caused by Loretta's long hours and the harassment she receives from her family is getting worse. The term "the Boston Strangler" is created by Loretta when writing the articles.

Sophie Clark is the sixth woman to be murdered in 1963. A neighbor may have seen the murderer and has given a sketchy description of him. Sophie deviates from the Strangler's pattern in that she is significantly younger than prior victims. The Boston Police Department is bungling the investigation and not sharing information with other cities, Loretta and Jean found out. This indicates that comparable homicides, such as one perpetrated in New York City by a guy by the name of Patrick Dempsey, have gone unnoticed.

Albert DeSalvo, a suspect, is taken into custody. When Sophie Clark's neighbor is asked to recognize him from a lineup, she chooses George Nassar instead. Despite this, DeSalvo admits to all 13 killings in 1964. As there is insufficient proof linking him to the killings, he is found guilty of earlier robberies and sexual misconduct and given a life sentence in jail. A police detective in Ann Arbor, Michigan informs Loretta in 1965 that there have been six killings there that are an exact replica of the Boston Strangler's crimes. When she arrives in Ann Arbor, she finds out that Daniel Marsh, an ex-boyfriend of a Strangler victim, is the most likely suspect. Marsh is later taken into custody but is uncooperative with the authorities.

DeSalvo phones Loretta in 1973 and invites her to attend visiting hours the next day to hear his version of events. He gets stabbed to death by another inmate before Loretta can meet with him. Loretta meets with Harrison, a former patient at Bridgewater State Hospital, as a result of an anonymous report. DeSalvo, Marsh, and Nassar were all detained in the same ward at the same time, he reveals. Harrison further asserts that Marsh and Nassar tutored DeSalvo's confession. In prison, Loretta pays Nassar a visit. He confesses that he hoped to receive the prize money, but he disputes that he and Marsh trained DeSalvo. Insinuating that there may be more than one murderer but that the public is unwilling to accept it, he blames Loretta and the media for making a spectacle out of the Boston Strangler.

Theoretically, Paul Dempsey murdered the first six elderly people in Boston before relocating to New York, according to Loretta and Jean. Once Dempsey left Boston, imitation killings started, which led to later victims being significantly younger. Nassar could have received a $10,000 prize for each murder victim if DeSalvo hadn't admitted to all 13 killings. In exchange, Nassar set up DeSalvo to be represented by well-known attorney F. Lee Bailey. DeSalvo was also duped into thinking that he would secure a book deal for $1 million that would enable him to provide for his family. Loretta and Jean's theory is published in The Record American.