Connecticut River Valley Killer | |
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![]() Composite sketch of Boroski’s unidentified attacker, possibly the Valley Killer. | |
Details | |
Victims | 7+ |
Span of crimes | October 24, 1978 –August 6, 1988 (Confirmed) |
Country | United States |
States | New Hampshire, Vermont |
The Connecticut River Valley Killer, also known as the Valley Killer, is moniker for an unidentified American serial killer believed to be responsible for at least seven murders of young women in the Connecticut River Valley region of New England between 1978 and 1988.
In 1985 and 1986, the skeletal remains of two victims were recovered within one thousand feet (300 m) of each other in a wooded area in Kelleyville, New Hampshire; forensic examination indicated multiple stab wounds. Between the recovery of the first and second bodies, a 36-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in a frenzied attack inside her home in Saxtons River, Vermont. Ten days later, the remains of a third missing woman were found, also bearing evidence of stab wounds. At this point, investigators began examining prior homicides in the area and found two previous cases, in 1978 and 1981, further reinforcing the presence of a serial killer.
At the peak of the investigation, and after additional homicides and one non-fatal attack, investigators noted similarities in modus operandi , often-used dump sites and specific wound patterns that linked many of the murders, suggesting a common perpetrator. The murders apparently stopped in 1988 after a woman survived an encounter with the killer.
Around 2006, private investigator Lynn-Marie Carty proposed that Michael Nicholaou, who shot his estranged wife and stepdaughter before killing himself on New Year's Eve 2005, could have been the Connecticut River Valley Killer. [29] While initially stating that Nicholaou could be a suspect, attack survivor Jane Boroski stated in an interview for the Dark Valley Podcast [14] that she does not believe that Michael Nicholaou was her attacker.
Delbert Tallman lights a cigarette as he leaves Windsor County Courthouse in White River Junction, VT., yesterday after being found not guilty in murder of Heidi Martin. Tallman, 22, confessed to slaying 16-year-old Hartland girl last May, but later recanted confession and blamed killing on another man. Tallman is accompanied by his attorney, Robert Keiner. his mother, Joan Gilman, follows.