upi telephoto/Boston Globe Archive
Feb. 25, 1967: Suspected Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo, wearing sailor’s garb, is shown leaving the Lynn police station. His capture ended a nationwide manhunt begun when DeSalvo and two other inmates broke out of Bridgewater State Hospital the previous day. DeSalvo was captured at Simmons Uniform Co. at 741 Western Ave. He had spent the night in a nearby cellar and had found a sailor’s pea jacket and trousers to replace his prison gear. He entered the store at 2:35 p.m. and asked salesman Frederick Waldron for permission to use the phone. DeSalvo told him, “I want to call F. Lee Bailey.” When Waldron heard the name of DeSalvo’s attorney, he told the manager, James Trelegan, to call the police. DeSalvo was arrested shortly thereafter.
The Boston Strangler first struck on June 14, 1962, and the panic that gripped the city lasted until after the last victim died on Jan. 4, 1964. The fear led to a run on door locks and other security measures, and many women were reported to stop venturing out at night and to fear staying alone. No one was ever convicted of the crimes. Thirteen women were murdered, most of them sexually assaulted and strangled, but one man confessed. Albert DeSalvo, already in custody for robbery and sexual assault, claimed to be the Strangler. Serving his sentence in Bridgewater State Hospital for his other crimes, DeSalvo escaped with two other inmates and triggered a massive manhunt. He was captured the next day, Feb. 25, 1967. DeSalvo was stabbed to death in his sleep in Walpole State Prison on Nov. 26, 1973. The grisly crimes inspired several books and films, and even the Rolling Stones’ song “Midnight Rambler.” - Lane Turner