This Serial Killer Murdered 13 Women in Their Own Homes Without Breaking and Entering

y the time 1963 rolled around, Boston was in the clutches of a phantom serial killer who had already claimed the lives of 11 women. Known as the “Boston Strangler,” he was difficult to profile, as his victims ranged from ages 19-85 and were very diverse in terms of ethnicity.

His actual name was Albert DeSalvo, and he was a charming, good-looking man, who strangers naturally trusted.

DeSalvo’s 12th victim was named Joann Graff, and she was new to Boston. Having recently graduated from the Chicago Art Institute, she taught Sunday School at her local church and made certain her new home was safe and respectable. And although she mostly kept to herself, there was no stopping what happened next.

On November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and Joann’s neighbors — along with the rest of the city — were in a daze. When handsome DeSalvo asked around about a young woman living in the building, her upstairs neighbor didn’t think twice about sending the man down to Joann’s home.

The next day, she was murdered.

The epic search for Albert DeSalvo and his horrific rampage are detailed in Gerold Frank’s bestselling, Edgar Award-winning true crime chronicle, The Boston Strangler. The gripping book pulls you in with details that are as captivating and heartbreaking as they are grisly.

And now The Boston Strangler is a Hulu true crime thriller starring Kiera Knightly—trailer below.