List of homicides in Massachusetts

Last updated

This is a list of homicides in Massachusetts. The list features only notable homicides that have Wikipedia articles of their own.

Contents

The list is divided into three categories:

Multiple homicides

Listed in reverse chronological order.

IncidentLocationDateDeathsInjuredTotalDescription
Boston Marathon bombing Boston April 15–19, 20136 [a] 281287 Islamic terrorism: Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev carried out a bombing at the 117th Boston Marathon and fatally shot a police officer three days later while on the run. Tamerlan was killed during their fugitive period, while Dzhokhar was apprehended and sentenced to death; he is currently incarcerated at ADX Florence. [1] [2]
2011 Waltham triple murder Waltham c. September 11, 2011303Three men had their throats slashed in an apartment. Tamerlan Tsarnaev (co-perpetrator of the Boston Marathon bombing) and Ibragim Todashev were suspects in the case but were both killed in 2013. [3]
Edgewater Technology shooting Wakefield December 26, 2000707 Shooting: Michael McDermott killed seven of his co-workers at Edgewater Technology. He is incarcerated at Old Colony Correctional Center as of 2025. [4]
Brookline clinic shootings Brookline December 30, 1994257Shooting: John Salvi, a Catholic anti-abortion extremist, carried out attacks at two abortion clinics. He committed suicide in prison in 1996. [5]
1992 Bard College at Simon's Rock shooting Great Barrington December 14, 1992246Shooting: Student Wayne Lo carried out a shooting at Bard College at Simon's Rock, killing one student and one professor. He is currently serving two life sentences. [6]
Boston Chinatown massacre BostonJanuary 12, 19915611Shooting: A gang-related attack in which five men were killed execution-style at a gambling den in Boston's Chinatown. Two men were convicted for the massacre, while a third suspect remains a fugitive as of 2025. [7]
Blackfriars Massacre BostonJune 28, 1978505Shooting: Mob-related massacre that occurred in the Blackfriars Pub in Downtown Boston. The attack, which is believed to have been a robbery-gone-wrong, remains officially unsolved. [8]
Borden murders Fall River August 4, 1892202 Axe murders: Married couple Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in their home. Andrew's daughter (and Abby's stepdaughter), Lizzie Borden, was infamously tried and acquitted in the case. [9]
Boston Massacre BostonMarch 5, 17705611Shooting: A confrontation during the American Revolution in which a crowd was opened fire on by British soldiers. [10]

Serial killers

Serial killers who operated solely within or had at least three victims within Massachusetts. Listed in reverse chronological order.

PerpetratorLocationDateDeathsDescription
Stewart Weldon Springfield 2017–20183Weldon murdered three women and hid their bodies on his property and is also suspected to be responsible for a series of rapes. He is currently incarcerated at Old Colony Correctional Center. [11]
Main South Woodsman Worcester 2002–20043–5Unidentified serial killer who targeted sex workers. [12]
Alfred Gaynor Springfield1995–19989Drug-addicted serial murderer and rapist. Gaynor is currently an inmate at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. [13] [14]
New Bedford Highway Killer New Bedford 1988–198911Unidentified serial killer who targeted sex workers. [15]
Michael Sumpter Greater Boston 1969–19733Raped and strangled three women; identified posthumously. [16]
Tony Costa Truro 1968–19694+Murdered and dismembered at least four women; committed suicide behind bars in 1974. [17]
Kenneth Harrison Boston1967–19694Serial killer nicknamed "The Giggler" due to the perpetrator, Kenneth Harrison, calling the police after each murder and giggling. He committed suicide in prison in 1989. [18] [19]
Boston Strangler Multiple counties1962–196413An unidentified serial murderer of women. Rapist Albert DeSalvo confessed to the killings, which remain mostly unsolved, before he was murdered in prison in 1973. In 2013, DNA evidence linked him to the final victim. [20]
Jane Toppan Multiple counties1895–190112–100+Nurse who poisoned patients. After her apprehension, Toppan was committed to Taunton State Hospital, where she died in 1938. [21]
Sarah Jane Robinson Boston1881–18868–11Serial killer who poisoned her relatives; died behind bars in 1906. [22]
Thomas W. Piper Boston1873–18752–3Convicted for the murder of two girls and confessed to a third. Piper was executed by hanging in 1876. [23]

Single homicides

Listed in reverse chronological order.

IncidentLocationDateSolved?Ref.
Murder of Vanessa Marcotte, 27 Princeton August 7, 2016Check-green.svg [24]
Murder of Bella Bond, 2Bostonc. May–June 2015Check-green.svg [25]
Murder of Odin Lloyd, 27 North Attleborough June 17, 2013Check-green.svg [26]
Murder of Rebecca Riley, 4 Hull December 13, 2006Check-green.svg [27]
Murder of Christa Worthington, 45TruroJanuary 6, 2002Check-green.svg [28]
Killing of Molly Bish, 16 Warren June 27, 2000Dark Red x.svg [29]
Murder of Deanna Cremin, 17 Somerville March 30, 1995Dark Red x.svg [30]
Murder of Holly Piirainen, 10 Sturbridge August 5, 1993Dark Red x.svg [31]
Murder of Kristin Lardner, 21BostonMay 20, 1992Check-green.svg [32]
Murder of Melissa Ann Tremblay, 11 Lawrence September 11, 1988Dark Red x.svg [33]
Murder of Tiffany Moore, 12BostonAugust 19, 1988Check-green.svg [34]
Assassination of Orhan Gündüz SomervilleMay 4, 1982Dark Red x.svg [35]
Murder of Andrew Puopolo, 21BostonNovember 15, 1976Check-green.svg [36]
Murder of Ruth Marie Terry, 37Body found in Provincetown c. July 1974Check-green.svg [37]
Murder of Danny Croteau, 13 Chicopee April 14, 1972Check-green.svg [38]
Murder of John J. McCabe, 15 Lowell September 27, 1969Check-green.svg [39]
Murder of Edward Deegan, 35 Chelsea March 12, 1965Check-green.svg [40]
Murder of George Parkman, 59BostonNovember 23, 1849Check-green.svg [41]
Murder of Elizabeth Fales, 18 Dedham May 18, 1801Check-green.svg [42]
Murder of Christopher Seider, 11BostonFebruary 22, 1770Check-green.svg [43]
Murder of John Newcomen Plymouth Colony 1630Check-green.svg [44]

Notes

  1. ↑ Including co-perpetrator Tamerlan Tsarnaev and a police officer who died from his injuries in 2014

References

  1. ↑ "Boston bombing: Tsarnaev's death sentence could be reinstated". BBC. March 22, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  2. ↑ Murphy, Shelley (April 16, 2023). "Where the legal battle over Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's death sentence stands a decade after the Marathon bombings". The Boston Globe . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  3. ↑ Schmidt, Michael; Rashbaum, William; Oppel Jr., Richard (May 22, 2013). "Deadly End to F.B.I. Queries on Tsarnaev and a Triple Killing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 8, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ Saltzman, Jonathan; Andersen, Travis (December 26, 2010). "Wakefield rampage 'an unforgettable event'". Boston.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Abortion clinic gunman dies John Salvi, who killed two at Mass. facilities, commits suicide in cell". The Baltimore Sun. November 30, 1996. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  6. ↑ DePalma, Anthony (December 28, 1992). "Questions Outweigh Answers In Shooting Spree at College". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  7. ↑ "'Cold-Blooded Killer': Reward Offered For Capture Of Hung Tien Pham, Wanted In 1991 Chinatown Murders". CBS News. January 12, 2021. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  8. ↑ Seidel, Leanne (June 27, 2012). "The Blackfriars Massacre". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  9. ↑ Moriarty, Erin (July 31, 2021). ""Lizzie Borden took an axe" — or did she? What would a jury say today?". CBS News . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  10. ↑ Zavala, Cesar (March 24, 2017). "The Incident on King Street: the Boston Massacre of 1770". StMU Research Scholars. St. Mary's University, Texas. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Prosecutor after serial killer sentenced: Weldon will never be free to hunt in Springfield again". WWLP. September 30, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  12. ↑ Croteau, Scott (March 9, 2015). "Convicted killer Alex Scesny, person of interest in 'Main South Woodsman' case asks for conviction to be overturned". MassLive. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  13. ↑ Spencer, Buffy (October 8, 2010). "Springfield serial killer Alfred Gaynor admits killing total of 9 women". MassLive . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Convicted killer's art offered for sale on the Internet" . The Portsmouth Herald. November 17, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  15. ↑ Hunter, Brad (July 25, 2020). "CRIME HUNTER: Who was serial killer who terrorized New Bedford?". Toronto Sun . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  16. ↑ Willmsen, Christine (November 20, 2018). "Killer Identified By DNA In Unsolved 1969 Cambridge Murder, DA Says". WBUR-FM. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  17. ↑ Damore, Leo (1981). In His Garden: The Anatomy of a Murderer. New York: Arbor House. ISBN   9780425057070.
  18. ↑ Murphy, Jeremiah (January 15, 1970). "Joe Breen had a beer, met a guy—and died". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on May 30, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Lewis, Diane (April 21, 1989). "Bridgewater patient dies; suicide seen". The Boston Globe . Retrieved May 10, 2025– via newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Jenkins, John. "Boston Strangler". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  21. ↑ Potts, Michael. "Jane Toppan: A Greed, Power, and Lust Serial Killer". Academia.edu . Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  22. ↑ "A Bay State Borgia". Morning Journal and Courier. August 13, 1886. Archived from the original on April 21, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Execution of Piper at Boston and Frost at Worcester". New York Herald. May 27, 1876. Archived from the original on March 15, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  24. ↑ Ly, Laura; Levenson, Eric (November 2, 2022). "Massachusetts man sentenced to life in prison in 2016 killing of Google employee Vanessa Marcotte". CNN. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  25. ↑ Levenson, Eric (June 28, 2017). "Man gets life for murder of toddler found in trash bag". CNN. Archived from the original on June 30, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  26. ↑ Wetzel, Dan (March 13, 2019). "Aaron Hernandez's 2015 murder conviction reinstated, which could have ramifications for his family". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  27. ↑ "GUILTY: Michael Riley gets life without parole for killing 4-year-old daughter". The Patriot Ledger. March 26, 2010. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Court denies appeal for man convicted of Cape writer's murder". Boston Herald. December 10, 2010. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  29. ↑ Barnacle, Sarah (June 28, 2024). "Molly Bish case reaches sad 24th anniversary, still unsolved". Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  30. ↑ Tench, Megan (March 30, 2005). "A mother's renewed hope for justice" . Boston.com . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  31. ↑ Elfland, Mike (March 4, 2025). "'She's with Holly': Mother of Holly Piirainen, who sought closure for decades, has died" . Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on April 8, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  32. ↑ Ragland, James (June 1, 1992). "D.C. WOMAN IS FATALLY SHOT IN BOSTON BY EX-BOYFRIEND". The Washington Post . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  33. ↑ Casey, Michael (November 5, 2024). "Jury finds Alabama man not guilty of murdering 11-year-old girl in 1988". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Man in Court on Heroin Charges Is Arrested in Slaying of Girl, 11". The New York Times. August 30, 1988. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  35. ↑ "Gunman in jogging suit slays Turkish consul on U.S. street". The Register-Guard. May 5, 1982. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Google News.
  36. ↑ Barrett, Paul (December 6, 1979). "Easterling Sentenced To 20 Years". The Harvard Crimson . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  37. ↑ Rotondo, Irene (August 28, 2023). "'Lady of the Dunes' Ruth Marie Terry case now closed; husband named killer, DA says". MassLive. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  38. ↑ Fitzsimons, Tim (May 24, 2021). "Former priest responsible for 1972 death of altar boy, but died before his arrest, DA says". NBC News . Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  39. ↑ Redmond, Lisa (February 21, 2014). "Tewksbury man gets life in cold-case murder". The Lowell Sun. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  40. ↑ Committee on Government Reform (February 3, 2004). "EVERYTHING SECRET DEGENERATES: THE FBI'S USE OF MURDERERS AS INFORMANTS". Washington, D.C. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  41. ↑ Glen H. Carlson, The Unfortunate Dr. Webster. A Tale of Murder, Money, Lies, and Injustice, Far North Publishing, Anchorage, Alaska, p. 328.
  42. ↑ Daniel A. Cohen (1993). "The Story of Jason Fairbanks: Trial Reports and the Rise of Sentimental Fiction". Legal Studies Forum. 17 (2). Archived from the original on February 13, 2007.
  43. ↑ Unger, Harlow (2011). American Tempest: How the Boston Tea Party Sparked a Revolution. Hachette Books. p. 120. ISBN   978-0-30681-976-6.
  44. ↑ Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation
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