Jump to content

List of homicides in Massachusetts

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

The list is divided into three categories:

  • 1. Multiple homicides, events in which more than one person was murdered, such as school shootings or familicides.
  • 2. Serial killers, individuals who murdered at least three people within Massachusetts.
  • 3. Single homicides, incidents involving only one fatality.

Multiple homicides

[edit]

Listed in reverse chronological order.

Incident Location Date Deaths Injured Total Description
Boston Marathon bombing Boston April 15–19, 2013 6[a] 281 287 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, 2011 3 0 3 Three 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, 2000 7 0 7 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, 1994 2 5 7 Shooting: 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, 1992 2 4 6 Shooting: 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 Boston January 12, 1991 5 6 11 Shooting: 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 Boston June 28, 1978 5 0 5 Shooting: 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, 1892 2 0 2 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 Boston March 5, 1770 5 6 11 Shooting: A confrontation during the American Revolution in which a crowd was opened fire on by British soldiers.[10]

Serial killers

[edit]

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

Perpetrator Location Date Deaths Description
Stewart Weldon Springfield 2017–2018 3 Weldon 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 2002–2004 3–5 Unidentified serial killer who targeted sex workers.[12]
Alfred Gaynor Springfield 1995–1998 9 Drug-addicted serial murderer and rapist. Gaynor is currently an inmate at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.[13][14]
New Bedford Highway Killer New Bedford 1988–1989 11 Unidentified serial killer who targeted sex workers.[15]
Michael Sumpter Greater Boston 1969–1973 3 Raped and strangled three women; identified posthumously.[16]
Tony Costa Truro 1968–1969 4+ Murdered and dismembered at least four women; committed suicide behind bars in 1974.[17]
Kenneth Harrison Boston 1967–1969 4 Serial 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 counties 1962–1964 13 An 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 counties 1895–1901 12–100+ Nurse who poisoned patients. After her apprehension, Toppan was committed to Taunton State Hospital, where she died in 1938.[21]
Sarah Jane Robinson Boston 1881–1886 8–11 Serial killer who poisoned her relatives; died behind bars in 1906.[22]
Thomas W. Piper Boston 1873–1875 2–3 Convicted for the murder of two girls and confessed to a third. Piper was executed by hanging in 1876.[23]

Single homicides

[edit]

Listed in reverse chronological order.

Incident Location Date Solved? Ref.
Murder of Vanessa Marcotte, 27 Princeton August 7, 2016 Yes [24]
Murder of Bella Bond, 2 Boston c. May–June 2015 Yes [25]
Murder of Odin Lloyd, 27 North Attleborough June 17, 2013 Yes [26]
Murder of Rebecca Riley, 4 Hull December 13, 2006 Yes [27]
Murder of Christa Worthington, 45 Truro January 6, 2002 Yes [28]
Killing of Molly Bish, 16 Warren June 27, 2000 No [29]
Murder of Deanna Cremin, 17 Somerville March 30, 1995 No [30]
Murder of Holly Piirainen, 10 Sturbridge August 5, 1993 No [31]
Murder of Kristin Lardner, 21 Boston May 20, 1992 Yes [32]
Murder of Melissa Ann Tremblay, 11 Lawrence September 11, 1988 No [33]
Murder of Tiffany Moore, 12 Boston August 19, 1988 Yes [34]
Assassination of Orhan Gündüz Somerville May 4, 1982 No [35]
Murder of Andrew Puopolo, 21 Boston November 15, 1976 Yes [36]
Murder of Ruth Marie Terry, 37 Body found in Provincetown c. July 1974 Yes [37]
Murder of John J. McCabe, 15 Lowell September 27, 1969 Yes [38]
Murder of Edward Deegan, 35 Chelsea March 12, 1965 Yes [39]
Murder of George Parkman, 59 Boston November 23, 1849 Yes [40]
Murder of Elizabeth Fales, 18 Dedham May 18, 1801 Yes [41]
Murder of Christopher Seider, 11 Boston February 22, 1770 Yes [42]
Murder of John Newcomen Plymouth Colony 1630 Yes [43]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Including co-perpetrator Tamerlan Tsarnaev and a police officer who died from his injuries in 2014

References

[edit]
  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. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  4. ^ Saltzman, Jonathan; Andersen, Travis (December 26, 2010). "Wakefield rampage 'an unforgettable event'". Boston.com. 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. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  6. ^ Depalma, Anthony (December 28, 1992). "Questions Outweigh Answers In Shooting Spree at College". The New York Times. 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. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  8. ^ Seidel, Leanne (June 27, 2012). "The Blackfriars Massacre". The Boston Globe. 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.
  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. 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. 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. 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. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  21. ^ Potts, Michael. "Jane Toppan: A Greed, Power, and Lust Serial Killer". Academia.edu. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  22. ^ "A Bay State Borgia". Morning Journal and Courier. August 13, 1886.
  23. ^ "Execution of Piper at Boston and Frost at Worcester". New York Herald. May 27, 1876.
  24. ^ Ly, Laura; Levenson, Eric (November 2, 2022). "Massachusetts man sentenced to life in prison in 2016 killing of Google employee Vanessa Marcotte". CNN. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  25. ^ Levenson, Eric (June 28, 2017). "Man gets life for murder of toddler found in trash bag". CNN. 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. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  27. ^ "GUILTY: Michael Riley gets life without parole for killing 4-year-old daughter". The Patriot Ledger. March 26, 2010. 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. 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. 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. 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. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  35. ^ "Gunman in jogging suit slays Turkish consul on U.S. street". The Register-Guard. May 5, 1982. 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. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  38. ^ Redmond, Lisa (February 21, 2014). "Tewksbury man gets life in cold-case murder". The Lowell Sun. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ Glen H. Carlson, The Unfortunate Dr. Webster. A Tale of Murder, Money, Lies, and Injustice, Far North Publishing, Anchorage, Alaska, p. 328.
  41. ^ 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.
  42. ^ Unger, Harlow (2011). American Tempest: How the Boston Tea Party Sparked a Revolution. Hachette Books. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-30681-976-6.
  43. ^ Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_homicides_in_Massachusetts&oldid=1292961359"