"Hello, Dr. Arlen?" "It's Albert." "Albert De Salvo?" "I must say, I didn't expect to hear from you." "How've you been?" "Actually, I've been doing well." "You know, Walpole ain't so bad after all." "Well, I'm very happy to hear that." "But listen, if you wouldn't mind relieving me of my curiosity, why you calling me?" "I got some things I wanna get off my chest." "I'm sure they have mental health professionals there who can help you." "This is different." "I want to tell the truth about the Boston Strangler murders." "I see." "Look, Albert... let's not do this over the phone, all right?" "I'll arrange to meet you at 9 A. M. Tomorrow morning." "I'll set up a private therapy room." "We can talk there." "That'd be great." "Thanks, Doc." "Hey, thanks a lot, huh?" "Now, now." "That's enough for now." "Come on, Jennifer, don't stop me now." "I'm begging here." "It's late." "I had to get up early." "Just a while longer." "Stop your groveling, Romeo." "It don't look so sexy on you." "You're right." "You're right." "I shall be like a knight of the round table and ride off into the cold, dark night." "Farewell, young maiden." "You okay?" "Well, if I'm not, can I come in?" "Send the King my best." "Mrs. Jennifer Foster." "Mrs. Jennifer Mitchum Foster." "No, too long." "Jennifer Foster." "Jen Foster." "Mrs. Jennifer Foster." "Such a klutz." " No!" "Stop!" " Mrs. Jennifer..." "Foster." "No!" "No!" "Captain, would you look at this?" "A front-page guide to the Strangler murders right there in black and white for every criminal in Boston to read." "Why don't we just hand the investigation over to Miss Fineman?" "It's my fault." "I let out the information." "I'm sorry, John." "I've just been under all sorts of pressure to get this case solved." "Winfield is threatening to take over." "Not just our department, but every department in the county." "So I figured, what the hell?" "Why not get everybody involved?" "But you know what you done, Cap?" "You compromised my entire investigation." "Investigation, John?" "We've got no investigation." "We've got no fingerprints, no witnesses." "Nothing!" "Captain Parker, the lineup's set." "They're waiting on you, Detective Marsden." "Let's just get this over with." "It's all right, they can't see you." "Okay, okay." "Just take your time." "The joker with the sunglasses is Albert De Salvo." "A couple years ago, he was charged with assault." "Spent 11 months at Middlesex before they let him go on parole." "Who's the serious one on the end?" "Frank Asarian." "I'm really surprised he's even out on the streets." "He's got a record a mile long." "It's him on..." "He's over there on the far right." "He's on the end." "It's him." "That's him." "Oh, my God, it's..." "He grabbed me." "He grabbed me and he punched me across the face." "I can never forget his face." "I'll never forget his face." "Look at him." "He even looks like a criminal." "Where are you?" "I know you're in there!" "Look at him." "I hope he burns in hell." "I'm gonna come back for you!" "You know that?" " Get over here." " Where's my lawyer?" "Have a seat, fellas." "Finish filling out your paperwork and you're free to go." "And what if I can't read?" "Sir, if you need help, we'll find you an assistant." "Yeah, I'd rather you assist me." "I'm sure you would." "What are you looking at, penguin?" "He's a fucking penguin, walking around in a suit and tie." "That's a tuxedo, asshole." " What?" " It's a tuxedo." "Penguins always look like they have tuxedos on, asshole." "You trying to make an ass of me?" "Don't you think I know that?" "It's allitera-fuckin-ation." "I didn't mean nothing of it, all right?" "Don't make no difference." "Got that burn in my stomach." "Gotta find some food, if you know what I mean." "You have a good one." "Keep your eyes forward, Asarian." " Keep moving." " I'm going." " What are you looking at?" " Keep moving." " You're not even done!" " Someone stole my sunglasses." "I don't care about that." "You gotta finish the paperwork." "Come home and help me do it, will ya?" "Oh, Jesus." "Hi, Mary Beth!" "Oh, hi, girls." "How are ya?" "Good." "Hey, beautiful day, huh?" "Yeah." "Hey, I got a new office here on campus." " Yeah?" " Yeah." "I've been meaning to introduce myself, but I just been really busy with the agency." "Agency?" "Yeah, things are easing up a bit." "Ever since Jackie took over the White House, they've been making me search for girls who look just like her." "Are you in the fashion business?" "You could say that." "I'm a modeling scout." " Modeling scout?" " Yeah." "You know, I find girls." "I measure them." "I photograph them, and then I introduce them to the agency." "Oh, sounds interesting." "You know, now that I have a moment alone with you, you do sort of have the type of build the agency is looking for." "What size are you?" "Thanks." "Actually, I'm a 4." "No friggin' way." "You're not a 4." "Yes, I am." "I gotta get to work." "Wait!" "You can measure me, and I'll prove it to you." "What, you'll prove it to me, huh?" " Yeah." " Well, it's a cut-throat industry." "Are you sure you can handle that?" "Don't know if I don't try." " That's true." " Yeah." " Uh..." " Oh, sorry." "Susan." "Susan, why don't you follow me to my office?" "You know, on second thought, it's probably not a good idea, you know, getting measured in a strange man's office." "Maybe another time, huh?" "Well..." "Hey, follow me." "My room's just upstairs." "Come on." " You sure?" " Yeah, come on." "Measure me upstairs." "Okay, I got a few minutes." " Let's make it fast, huh?" " Okay." " It's too beautiful outside, right?" " Yeah." "So, what agency did you say you're from?" "The Black and White modeling agency." "It's downtown." "I'll give you my card." "How much does it pay if they accept me?" " Forty dollars an hour." " Forty dollars an hour?" " Mm-hmm." " Are you kidding me?" "I could pay my entire tuition at that rate." "Forty dollars is just for the modeling in town." "They pay you more if they fly you out of town." "Plus they pay all your expenses." " Really?" " Mm-hmm." "Sure." "Yeah." "Lots of girls fly back and forth to Paris on a regular basis." " Paris!" " Mm-hmm." "Oh!" "Here's my apartment." "Okay." "Do you mind?" "No, not at all." " Thirty-four inches." " Really?" "I thought I was 32 inches." "No, you're a..." "You're 34." "Well, what's my cup size?" "How do you measure that?" "Well, there's no physical measurement for cup size." "You have to..." "Well, you know, by hand?" "Yeah?" "You're the professional." "Uh, to get an accurate measurement, I have to..." "Oh, yeah." "Okay." "You have a gentle touch." "Well?" " What's my cup size?" " Just a moment." "You really should know by now." "Sorry." "You're a C-cup, definitely a C-cup." "What did you say your name was?" "It was Johnson." "It's Mr. Johnson." "You can call me Gary." "And where's the agency?" "What's the address?" "It's downtown, 71st Street... 853." "Wouldn't the address be in the 70s?" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, 753." "You know," "I'm sure you're a good student and all, but maybe modeling is just not for you." "Maybe you're just not cut out for it." "Maybe you're not really a modeling agent." " Oh, yeah?" " Yeah." " I think you should go now." " Really?" "In fact, maybe I should just" " go ahead and call the cops." " You're not gonna do that." " You're not going anywhere." " Ow!" "Quit it!" "The agency doesn't like girls who talk back, you know?" "They put girls like you right back on a plane and send you where you came from." "Where do you think you're going, huh?" "I know there's no way out of here." "What are you gonna do, jump?" "Huh?" "What, do you got wings?" "My boyfriend will be here any minute." "When I was stationed in Germany," "I used to hear that one all the time, only it was in German." "Shut the fuck up." "There's money in my dresser." "You can have it all." "Top drawer." "Left side." "Just please go away." "Please just leave me alone!" "Why don't you go ahead and do me a favor and come on out of there, so I don't have to come get you, huh?" "Open the door." "Open the fucking door." "Open the fucking door." "Open the fucking door, bitch!" "Open the fucking door!" "Would have been here an hour ago." "Traffic's all backed up on Comm Avenue." "Oh, it's all right." "Been upstairs?" " Yeah, I been up there." " How's it look?" "It's not a pretty picture." "You'll see." " What's up, guys?" " Hey, John." "How are you?" "Hey, John." "Samans." "Beverly Samans." "Early 20s." "This one is not strangled, even though the stocking is up around her neck." "She was stabbed in the neck." "Well, that's creative." "And the killer left her body splayed out for all the world to see." "Dress pulled up, legs wide open." "Mr. Marsden." "When are you gonna catch the Strangler?" "Stranglers." "There's clearly more than one man at work here." "And how can you be so sure of that, John?" "How can you be so sure it's just one man?" "How long have you been doing this, John, huh?" "It's called M.O." "Sexual assault." "Strangled by stockings, break-ins, no witnesses, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera." "I can keep going, John." "Well, forgive me, Mr. Winfield, but his M.O. Isn't that clear." "The first five were elderly." "The sixth was young and black." " Mary Brown and now..." " Beverly Samans." "Beverly Samans, it appears, were stabbed to death." "Doesn't sound like one particular M.O. To me." "John, I need you to listen to me, because I'm trying to be painfully crystal clear to you, so I can get through that thick skull of yours." "I'm running for a Senate seat next year, John." "And the last thing I need is a crime-happy dick hop-bopping around town telling everyone that there are multiple murderers running rampant in my streets." "The city's position is that there's just one." "Just one." "And I intend to catch this one monster and send his ass so deep in jail the devil himself can't find him." "Therefore, my city will be happy about life again." "You understand me, John?" "You can have any theory that you want." "The fact is, you got no jurisdiction over my department." "And my department will continue the search for multiple killers." "You trying to oppose me, John?" "I don't work for you, Art." "I work for the people." "You know, it's amazing you've lasted this long." "Apparently, you have someone taking care of you on the force." "'Cause I've never seen a more naive detective." "Enough of this nonsense." " Good day, Mrs. Lucino." " Thank you, Albert." "How's that beautiful wife of yours?" "She's doing okay, if you mean adjusting and all." "Thanks for asking, huh?" "Us Italians and Germans were partners in the war." "It's a good match." "Makes for beautiful kids." "Thank you, Mrs. Lucino." "Michael and Judy certainly are beautiful." "But the war's been over for almost 20 years now, you know?" "We may be Italian, but always be proud to be an American." "Hey, I didn't join the military to fight for Mussolini, or the Nazis for that matter." "Of course, Albert, you're a decent young man." " See you on Sunday?" " Yes, ma'am." "Hey, be careful out there, huh?" "That Boston Strangler?" "Don't worry." "I've got protection." "You certainly do." " Good day, Mrs. Lucino." " You, too." "Claudia?" "Claudia, where are you?" "Claudia!" "Clad..." "Claudia!" "Michael?" "Where are you?" "Where the fuck are you?" "Claudia!" "Michael!" "Judy!" " Where are the kids?" " At your mother's house." "Don't you remember anything?" "I brought you some flowers and chocolates." "That was Munich, Albert." "This is Boston." "The romance is over." "Be a man." "I am a man." "No, Albert." "You are not a man until you can act like a responsible husband and father." "Claudia, I go to work every day to bring home money for you and the kids, right?" "Half the time you tell me you're at work, you're having a beer at the bar." "Or worse, you're screwing other women." "Claudia, come on now." "Albert, don't you realize that I can feed the children breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the price of all your beer?" "Baby, please, huh?" "I swear to God, I can make it better." "I swear to God." "When, Albert?" "When?" "You dragged me all the way across the Atlantic Ocean." "Why would you do that?" "So you could be a bum?" " Albert." " Hmm?" "Do you remember the promise that you told me back in Germany?" " Mm-hmm." " That you told my parents?" "Mm-hmm." " I promise..." " Albert." "Albert." "Albert." "Albert!" "Stop it!" " Albert!" " What?" "Stop it!" "I got needs!" "I'm a fucking man!" "You're my wife!" "Fuck you!" "Don't you ever touch me again!" "Is this the treatment I get for being a man?" "I got fucking needs, damn it!" "Again." "Different knot." " You sure about that?" " Positive." "The first five were tied into a bow." "This one was tied into a knot first, then the bow was tied." "And while we're scratching our asses, there are women dying all over the city." "And there's nothing we can do about it." "There is, if I can help it." "Hey, Captain, hand me those tweezers, will you?" "Thanks." "What are you gonna do with that?" "This is evidence, Captain." "I'm gonna save it." "Maybe we can match it up to the killer under a microscope." "Not in my lifetime." "Anything?" "Do we have anything?" "Not a thing, sir." "There was not a fingerprint anywhere in this apartment." "Witnesses?" "Not a one." "As far as I can tell, nobody heard or saw anything." " Family been notified?" " Yes, they have." "Find out if she had any ongoing disputes." "Find every friend and family member and get them down to the precinct for questioning." "Don't you worry, sweetheart." "We're gonna figure this out... if it's the last thing we do." "John, maybe we should let Forensics come in and do their thing." "Why don't you head back to the office?" "I don't need to head back to the damned office." "You know, that attitude is the reason we can't find these girls' killers." "Everybody wants this to just go away." "Sweep it under the carpet." "Well, it's not going away." "It's not going away 'cause the killing isn't just gonna stop." "People kill each other." "All we are is animals in a fucking suit and a tie." "No difference." "And all of you detectives need to think about why you're on the force." "What about you, Spinelli?" "Why are you here?" "What's motivating you?" "What motivates me?" "Job stability?" "Job stability." "There it is." "It ain't about catching the bad guy any more than it was when my father was a cop." "It's about job stability." "We're all just trying to provide for our families here." " Every one of us, that's what..." " Yeah, yeah." "You know what, Joe?" "Maybe you should have been a bricklayer, 'cause they get great fucking benefits." " Oh, get..." " Hey, hey, hey!" "John." "John." "Try that again, I'm gonna make sure you're cleaning convicts' cells for the rest of your career." "You got me?" "You got me, Joe?" "# Just a moment, sir #" "# A moment of your time #" "# Been dreaming of you #" "# Is that such a crime?" "#" "# I know that I'm foolish #" "# To look back on #" "# A romance that ended slowly #" "# But I can't forget her touch #" "# Or that crazy smile that meant so much #" "# All I'm left with #" "# Are wishes #" "Hello?" "Mark?" "Is that you, honey?" "I don't remember giving you a key." "Mark?" "Honey?" "Mark, this isn't funny." "Oh, my God!" " Stop!" "You're hurting me!" " Shh." "If you only make a sound, I'm gonna tear out your tongue and you will never speak again, do you understand?" "Good." "You know, I wasn't intending on being so rough and all." "But seeing you is a fighter," "I'm going to have to make sure you ain't capable of using those hands." "Ah!" "Oh, you smell good." "Oh, please stop." "That was the wrong decision." "Oh, please!" "I was going to make love to you." "If you only just behaved." "# 'Cause the only wish I have #" "# Is you #" "Winfield is calling it the seventh one." "The Strangler?" "Well, it's got all the ear markings." "Matches the M.O., but on close inspection there are some incongruities." "Really?" "Like what?" "John, she's strangled with the stocking all right." "But that bow is not tied like we'd expect." "It's a copycat." "The first five were killed by the same guy." "Sophie Clark and this girl were killed by jack-offs who actually read the papers." "New Year's Eve." "At least we know the Strangler doesn't take holidays off." "Well, technically, it's not a holiday until tomorrow." "Technically, it is tomorrow." "Hold on." "Who are you?" "And how the hell did you get access to my crime scene?" "I'm Jana Fineman." "I'm with The Record." "Oh, you're with The Record." "You're a reporter." "We prefer to think of ourselves as public disseminators." "It's our duty to inform the public." "Well, you know what?" "I'd prefer to think of you as somebody who's gone." "Donovan, get her out of my face." "Detective Marsden, would you mind commenting on why, after seven murders, you have no leads, no witness, no evidence?" "How do you know what evidence we've got?" "All right?" "The Department is not in the habit of sharing details on investigations with the papers." "Not to be disrespectful, but our sources tell us that you have nothing to go on at this point." "I don't give a damn about your sources." " Get her out of here." " And the Strangler's out there." "She's going, she's going, she's almost gone, she's gone." "Fellow citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, someone please call into my show." "I want to hear from you." "Someone tell me what is going on in this town." "Why can't the cops find this guy?" "He's strangling women all over town." "The list..." "It's just despicable." "Anna Slesers, she's 55 years old." "She was the first to die." "She was strangled with the cord of her bathrobe... her very own bathrobe around her neck..." "on June 14th, 1962." "A nylon stocking was used to kill 68-year-old Nina Nicols on June 30th." "And Helen Blake, age 65, was found the same day." "A stock..." "How was the party?" "Lt'd have been a lot better if you'd have been there." "You'll catch him, John." "Don't lose focus." "I can't catch him." "Of course you can." "You're the top detective on the force." "It's not that I don't believe in myself, babe." "I can't catch him because I don't think it's one man." "The M.O. Changed drastically between Jane Sullivan and Sophie Parker." "Jane was 67, Sophie was 19." "But they were all strangled." "The first five were the same guy." "But I'm a hundred percent sure that he stopped." "The last two were copycats." "Basically, the papers have printed a how-to book on the Boston Strangler." "Just follow these instructions, and you, too, can be the Strangler." "Have you told anyone else how you feel?" "Michelle, this is not how I feel." "John, I'm not questioning you." "Calm down." "This is your wife you're talking to here." "Sorry, babe." "I'm a bit tense." "Yeah, no kidding." "This is political." "The papers, the public, the mayor, and the attorney general all want it to be one man." "Nobody wants to hear there's a..." "There's murderers running rampant out there." "Well, we can't solve anything tonight." "So why don't you... you just focus on investigating me?" "Why don't you get over a little bit." "All right!" "All right, simmer down." "Look, I know it's odd for all of us to be here in the same room, but perhaps Mr. Winfield can enlighten us." "Morning, gentlemen." "Let's try and act like professionals." "Now, as you all know, there's been 12 Strangler murders without any real leads." "Now, I know you all have been working very hard investigating your cases, but it's simply not working." "I've got so much pressure up my ass," "I'm about to crap out of my mouth." "So I have devised a way to give us a chance to catch this murdering bastard." "As of today, the entire Boston Strangler case will be handled by a new bureau of the Commonwealth." "This bureau will be called the Strangler Bureau." "Every department, and I mean every department, will be working together providing the bureau with every shred of evidence, witness testimony, etcetera." "The head of this new bureau will be" "Mr. Fred Addison." "What?" "Addison?" "Are you kidding?" "Oh." "What is this, a joke or something?" "Wh-What does he know about law enforcement, huh?" "Has..." "Has he ever been on the street?" "No offense, Mr. Addison, but, uh... what the hell does he know about police business?" "Sergeant Donnely, are you questioning my judgment?" "Do I look like a joke to you?" "I suggest you put a sock in it right here and right now, or you will be at home with your wife baking cookies and doing laundry." " You understand me?" " Yes, sir." "Does this look like a fucking classroom to you, Mr. Smith?" "Put your hand down." "No questions will be answered until I'm finished." "I will tie your hands to your belt if you try that shit again." "Also leading this bureau will be Detective Philip Bloom," "Special Officer John Marsden of the Boston State Police, and Andrew Tunney of the Mass State." "Alongside these fine gentlemen will be a medical advisory made up of experts from around the state." "Finally the press will be informed of a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the capture of the Strangler." "You all look as if you want to kill me." "You have questions, Mr. Addison will take them." "He's your man." "I just delivered the message." "Fred." "Now, gentlemen, we all have to work together on this, and we will explore every option possible to gather as much information as we can to capture this criminal." "Now, I'd like you all to meet me back here today at precisely 2 P. M. To discuss further details." "Good morning." "2:00." "All right, ladies." "You heard him." "Yeah." "Great." " See you back here at 2." " See you later." "Why don't you go see if he's got anything." "Look, we'll try to keep you up on speed here on this." "I'm sorry." "John, maybe we can have a talk." "Your office or mine?" "Whoa!" "You all right?" "Yep." "Got it." "Here it is, Mr. Addison." "All 37,000 pages." "Well done, Richie." "I would imagine that everything is collated and labeled to my exact specifications." "Uh, you betcha." "And the computer folks have their copy?" "Yes, sir." "Delivered it this morning." "37,000 pages?" "Not 370?" "37,000 pages?" "That's right, Mr. Marsden." "This is every single bit of information about the cases organized into one master book." "And the scientists over at MIT have been gracious enough to help compile all of the information on their mainframe computers." "Computer?" "Whoa." "What the hell are you going to do with a computer?" "Organization, Mr. Marsden." "Organization." "Well, Mr. Addison, takes a hell of a lot more than computers and organization to solve a case." "Well, whatever it takes, Mr. Marsden, you haven't found it, have you?" "How the hell would you know?" "Freakin' Poindexter." "Well, it looks like MIT's going to be solving all our cases." "37,000 pages." " No, no, don't." " No, no!" " That's a one-way street!" " They'll never see me!" "No one's been on a one-way street except you!" " Shut up!" " Shut up!" "Albert, you can't go down this way." "It's a one-way street!" "Albert, you're taking our lives in your hands." " Pull over!" " You're going to kill us all, Albert." " Michael, tell him to stop!" " Shut up!" "Shut up!" " Sondra, just shut the hell up!" " Everybody, be cool!" " It was Johnson." "Mr. Johnson." " Paris?" "Ohl" "I done some..." "I done some bad things, man." " I got some problems..." " What kind of bad things?" "You've got the cops after you, Albert!" "Some fucking problems with the broads, you know that!" "Got that burn in my stomach." "Are you in the fashion business?" "I made some mistakes, okay?" "Mike, can you..." "Oh, shit!" "Shit!" "I'm sorry, guys." "Oh, fuck." "God!" "I'm a prick!" "I'm an asshole!" " It's all right." " Let's get out." "Come on, let's go outside." "Let's get out of here before..." "No, no." "Where you guys going?" " Where you going?" " Albert." "What did you do, Albert?" " Claudia, don't you go anywhere." " You're always doing this, Albert." "Don't you go anywhere!" " Why did you do this?" " Mikey!" " You're bleeding!" " What have you done, Albert?" "Now look what you've gone and done." "You're a mental case, Albert De Salvo." "A mental case!" "Claudia, don't you go anywhere!" " Don't you leave me!" " What'd you do, Albert?" "Don't you fucking leave me!" "Enough of this!" "I'm sick of this!" "I don't want to be here when the cops get here." "Just give yourself up." " Mikey!" " Come on, Albert." "Mikey, you're bleeding." "I'm sorry, Mike!" "What'd you do?" "What'd you do?" "I did some bad shit, man." "You're innocent till proven guilty, right?" "You..." "They got nothing on you!" "They're coming right now." "I'm in trouble." " Mikey!" " Innocent till proven guilty!" "What am I going to do?" " Mikey!" " Come on, just turn yourself in!" " I'm f..." " Please, Albert." "Please." " I can't do it." " Just, please turn yourself in." " Innocent till proven guilty!" " What am I going to do?" " Mikey!" "I'm f..." " Just turn yourself in." "We have you surrounded." " Turn off the ignition." " What's Ma going to think?" "Step out of the car and put your hands up." " Come on!" "What'd you do?" " Shit!" "Get out of here!" "Go now!" "Go!" "...you cannot get away." "You are under arrest, Mr. De Salvo." "God damn it!" "Start, you fuckin' thing!" "Damn itl" "Keep looking straight ahead, Mr. De Salvo." "I'm looking, I'm looking." "So this is the loony bin, eh?" "It ain't so bad." "Little faster, Mr. De Salvo." "All right, all right." "So where do they keep the broads in this joint?" "Just keep walking." "Hey, hey, how long this guy been in here?" "Ain't none of your business." "Ah, just asking." "I thought I said no roommates!" "Shit." "You better clean up on that sink over there." "Nice to meet you, too." "Gorgeous, huh?" "Hey." "Hey." "I know you." "No, you don't know me." "Nah." "I know you." "I never forget a face." "Yeah?" "I don't either, and, uh, you don't look too familiar to me." "That's because you ain't paying attention." "You can't remember nothing if you ain't watching." "February of last year." "Yeah, that's it." "You're..." "You're the little joker in the lineup." "I ain't never been in no lineup." "Sure, you have." "The bitch chose me." "Thought I was the Boston fucking Strangler or something." "Imagine that." "A nice guy like me." "The Boston Strangler." "Now, wait a minute now." "Yeah." "Now I remember." "Yeah, that's right." "Man, was I glad she chose you." "When I was walking out of the jail that day," "I met this little honey..." "Ah, I'm just saying." "I'm really happy for you." "Uh, no offense." "I don't mean no disrespect." "I'm just saying, you know." "Those were some serious charges, huh?" "You're telling me." "How'd you beat the rap?" "Had a winning ticket on a horse at the track." "Perfect alibi." "Sure, yeah." "It's perfect." "So, uh, which bed is mine?" "It don't bother me." "I don't sleep in the bed." "Yeah?" "Where do you sleep?" "You sleep with the fish?" "I don't really sleep much." "And when I do..." "I sleep on the floor." "Hey, wait." "What is that, some..." "Some Buddhist shit, huh?" "Hey, oh, whoa, whoa." "Nah." "Bad back." "So... what are you in here for?" "Why you in here, Al?" "How do you know my name?" "Memorized it." "Where?" "On the lineup card." "From a year ago?" "Come on." "I ain't that smart, Al." "You see, while I was at the police station" "I stole the lineup card just in case my alibi didn't hold up." "Because if it didn't hold up," "I was going to make up some cockamamie story about being one of yous." "Oh, now that's freakin' brilliant." "You're like your very own lawyer, huh?" " What, you study law?" " Nah." "What were you, a copper?" "Nah." "Just always thinking, you know?" "Can never stop thinking." "You gotta think like a rat if you want to stay out of shitholes like this." "What are you in here for anyway?" "I shot a guy." "Six times in the head, point blank." "Holy shit." "For what?" "Before that?" "I stabbed him five times." "Go tell your grandmother you got some hankering." "Um, no." "I don't want to go." " No, you're not going to..." " What do you mean?" "I'm not going to talk about this any further." "You're not going to Mary Ann's party." "I don't care what you say." " I'm going." " You're not going." "I don't like that woman's morals." "Why?" "It's just a party." "You can't go, Wendy." "I talked to your father." "You're gonna find out how you're not gonna go." "You're not going to go anywhere for two years." "Get in the car." "Fine." "Ma, what's happening?" " I don't know." " That guy's bleeding." " Ma, go help him!" " Oh, my God." "Get on your knees." "Mom, go!" "Go!" "Stay calm, stay calm." " But he has a gun!" " Don't look, honey." "Beg me for your life!" "Beg me." "Beg me not to shoot you." "On your knees." "Don't kill me." "Please don't kill me." "Take the money." "Don't kill me." "No!" "Lock your door." "That's much better." "Much better." "Unfortunately, beggars can't be choosers." "No!" "No!" "God!" "Oh, my God!" "Mom, go, please!" " It's okay." " Go!" "Please!" "No!" "No!" "He tried to be a hero." "I was just robbing the store." "That damned clerk wouldn't open up the register." "So you just stabbed him?" "You're damn right I did." "What, you're telling me you never killed nobody?" "I mean, no, no, not really." "What does that mean?" "What do you mean, "not really"?" "Well, there was this one woman." "You know, I..." "I think I scared her, you know?" "She..." "I think she had a heart attack right there." "She dropped dead." "That ain't murder." "You're funny." "I mean, you know, I..." "I'm just saying, if I hadn't snuck up on her, would she still be going to church this Sunday, you know?" "I mean, I didn't call an ambulance or anything, so I figured I killed her." "And that's why they locked you up?" "No." "What for?" "I like the broads, you know?" "Tell me who doesn't like the broads." "Tell me who doesn't like the broads." "John, go to sleep." "I heard a noise." "So what?" "This is the noisiest neighborhood in all of Boston." "Now go to sleep." "You're a cop, for God sakes." "What are you afraid of?" "I worry about you when we're not together." "I can take care of myself." "Oh, yeah?" "You can take on a 6'2", 200-pound man, can you?" "Yeah, sure." "I could take him on." "I'd kick him in the balls, and then I'd bite out his jugular, just like you taught me to." "Right." "John... it's quarter past 5." "Go on back to bed." "Did you hear that?" "Now you're losing it, John." "I didn't hear nothing." "Look, it's the Strangler case." "It's getting to you." "It's not getting to me." "You're only human, John." "Murdering people gets to people." "Ain't nothing strange about that." "Somebody's getting murdered out there right now, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it." "Two years I've been working on this case, and I got nothing." " I can't solve this thing." " No one can." " I'm not nobody, Michelle." " You solved ten cases since this investigation's been going on." " This is different." " How?" "This is the biggest case we've ever had." "This is bigger than Jack the Ripper." "What?" "I've heard enough." "I'm sleeping downstairs." "What's the matter?" "You're scaring me, John." "That's what's the matter." "Is it really necessary for you to walk me all the way there?" "It's for your protection, sir." "Yeah, you're a cheater." "Mr. De Salvo, you have a visitor." " Oh, get the cards." " I got it." "Get the cards." "Mr. Whitmore." "I'd like you to meet the newly infamous, famous the world over, soon to be a wealthy man," "Albert De Salvo." "Certainly is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Whitmore." "Frank's told me a lot about you." "This is the Boston Strangler?" "In the flesh, Mr. Whitmore." "Can you believe it?" "Not really, no." "All right." " Let's get down to business." " Okay." "You know, the city has spent millions of dollars trying to track you down." "The D.A. Created a special task force just for that purpose." "For three years they've been looking for you." "Not a trace." "It's pretty impressive." "It sure is." "Albert is like a cat." "He can sneak in and out of any apartment in Boston without being noticed." "No witnesses." "Ever." "Then why confess?" "Hmm?" "Family man, wife, kids, a dog, probably even a goldfish." "No one even suspected you." "Guess you could say it was a career move." "Ha." "A career move." "Look, Mr. Whitmore." "We got client-attorney privileges here, right?" " I mean..." " Frank, you know the score." "Anything you say in this room stays in this room." "That's the way it goes." "Guaranteed confidential." "Good, because... the way that we see this," "Winfield is offering $10,000 per murder." "Now, that's over $100,000." "See, I tell Frank," "Frank tells the cops, and we split the reward money." "Simple." "And you?" "You become a world-famous litigator." "I mean, any publicity is good publicity, right?" "It's gonna be messy." "It's a huge story." "I mean, the press and the public, they're gonna want to crucify... crucify him." "They're gonna have the grave already dug." "Unless..." "Unless what?" "Unless you claim insanity." "For me or for him?" "See, I'm going to jail for life anyway." "So we cop an insanity plea, they don't execute me, and I live out the rest of my life in a hospital." "And the best part is, our families get to keep the cash." "Jesus." "I mean, I'll do it." " Perfect." " That's great." " Perfect." " Thank you, Mr. Whitmore." "Thank you, thank you." "Now, one condition." "Sure, yeah, whatever." "If you guys get the reward, we split it three ways." " Three ways." " Oh, whoa, whoa." "Three friggin' ways?" "What is this?" "Frank!" "Calm down." "Mr. Whitmore." "Frank, I'm doing this for free." "It's pro bono." "I don't see a dime off of this." "It's the least you can do." "Before you know it, there's nothing left." "Wait." "Hold on." "There will be plenty of money, Al." "We can't do it without him." "Don't you see?" "The plan is already in motion." "There's no turning back." "He's the only one that can keep you out of the electric chair." "Hey, Mr. De Salvo." "I don't think you realize what the public really thinks of you." "They don't want to just see you get electrocuted." "They want to tear you to pieces." "They want to string you up from the nearest lamppost and cut your guts out." "That's what they want to do to you." "Now, you let me handle the legals," "I'll make sure that you live a long, comfortable life." "Mr. Whitmore, the thing is, see," "I got kids, and I got a wife who I know still loves me." "And I got a family." "I'm the one taking a chance here, right?" "I'm the one taking a risk." "That's it." "Al, it's gonna be fine." "Either way, there's no going back to the way things was." "So why not let Mr. Whitmore here make sure you go somewhere that's comfortable?" "And don't he deserve some of the money, too?" "I mean, I know him." "He works real hard." "He'll do anything and everything in his power to take care of you." "Al, come on." "We're running out of time here." "You're running out of time." "So..." "Do we have a deal or what?" "Got a deal." "Frank, I'll be in touch." "Okay." " That's what I'm talking about." " Okay." "Guard!" "Detective Marsden." "Sorry, uh..." "You know Albert De Salvo?" "Yeah, sure I do." "Measuring Man." "Green man." "Why, what's up?" "Well, come on." "Spit it out, for Pete's sake." "Albert De Salvo confessed to being the Boston Strangler." "He confessed to what?" "To the Boston Strangler." "I mean, isn't that great?" "We got our man." "That's it." "He confessed." "It's over." "It's finally..." "It's over." "I thought you'd be happy, Detective Marsden." "I thought you'd be jumping for joy right now." "In fact, everybody else is downstairs celebrating." "They're shaking hands." " Are they?" " Yeah." "So you coming downstairs and celebrate?" "Yeah, of course I am." "As a matter of fact, I'm gonna come down and buy you a drink." "I'll be right down." "You got it, sir." "Michael, Sondra," "I want you to meet a very good friend of mine." "This is Frank Asarian." "Frank, this is my brother Michael and my sister-in-law Sondra." "My pleasure." "My pleasure." "Al, it's a family meeting." "No, it's all right." "Frank is my family in here." "Come on, let's sit down." " So?" " I just don't get it." "I just don't know what to say." "There is nothing to say." "I made some mistakes." "Some mistakes?" "You call killing innocent women mistakes?" "Listen, Albert, we just don't understand how or when all this happened." "I mean, I know that you got your problems with the broads and all, but murder?" "Look, you don't understand, okay?" "There's a lot to the story I ain't telling you, okay?" "It's very complicated." "All I can say, though, is" "I'm gonna make a whole lot of money off of this deal." "And I'm already pretty famous, right?" "You're not famous, Albert." "You're infamous." "It's different." "Sondra." "Look, I know we never seen eye to eye on a few things, okay?" "But any sort of fame is all right by me, you know?" "I just don't get it." "There's reward money." "Frank's gonna collect that." "There's gonna be television interviews." "There's gonna be book deals." "I even got a call about a movie." "Listen, they want to make a friggin' movie about me." "And guess who's gonna play me." " Tony friggin' Curtis." " This is crazy." "You kill people, and all you can think about is being a movie star?" "The way we're looking at it is that" "I'm already gonna be in jail for life for other crimes." "Why not make the best out of it?" "And Frank's come up with this really good plan for my incarceration." "Tell them, Frank." "Go ahead." "Well, uh... we decided with our lawyer," "Stuart Whitmore, to go for an insanity plea." "Mr. Whitmore made a deal with the attorney general that nothing Albert says about the Boston Strangler case can be used against him." "I mean, they already got him in the court of public opinion anyway." "So why bother trying him in court?" "So they're gonna try him for the Green Man offenses." "Al, what's going on here?" "Is Asarian here your legal representation, too?" "He's a smart guy, okay?" "So just let him speak, Mike, all right?" "Come on." "Go ahead, Frank." "As I was saying," "Mr. Whitmore's gonna suggest to the jury that Albert's completely insane." "And instead of going to Walpole, he's gonna go to a country club run by the state." "It's brilliant." "It's friggin' brilliant." "Michael, I've had enough." "They're demented." "Why are you giving up so easy?" "Let them prove you guilty." "This is an opportunity." "I got a chance here to make the name Albert De Salvo mean something." "I mean, Ma worked her whole life for us to mean something." "No, this ain't what she meant, Albert." "I'd rather just be a plumber my whole life... than to be in the mess you're in right now." "I love you, Albert." "I'll visit you every week." "I promise." "Maybe next time we can just play some cards or something like the old days." "Yeah." "Yeah, sure, Mike." "Just like the good old days, huh?" "Don't worry, Al." "You're making the right decision." "He ain't in your predicament." "He don't know." "He's a plumber." "Yeah, you're right, Frank." "He doesn't know my predicament." "No." "She mapped it all out." "Look at all the details she got here." "You'd think she committed the murders." "Now, listen to this." "There was a pack of cigarettes sitting on the ground underneath a pink chair with flowers on it." "Mmm." "Yeah, see." "This is the kind of information we need." "We need to know the murders in more detail than anyone else." "Exactly." "Look, right here it says," ""Ida Irga was wearing a blue robe with flowers sewn on it. "" "Not pictures, but actual knitting." "That's what I'm talking about." "What are you doing?" "I gotta look at it." "I gotta see it." "I gotta let the pictures sink in." "What the fuck are you talking about?" "What?" "I've got a, you know, photogenic memory." "You've got a photographic memory, you moron?" "What, are you serious?" "Why didn't you tell me?" "What?" "I thought everyone had one." "What are you talking about?" "This is like a gift from God." "Do you know what that means?" "No." "Just look at that one, look at that one." "I'm looking, I'm looking." "Oh, my God." "They're gonna..." "You're gonna know better than the murderer." "Well, look, right here, you see these pictures right here?" "Just look at it, just look at it." " All right." " Okay, okay?" "I got..." "Oh, my God." " You got it?" " I got it." "Perfect." "Look at that." "Okay." "Next, next." "We're gonna..." "That fast?" " Come on." " Here you go." " Okay." " Jesus Christ." "So, you're Albert De Salvo." "Certainly is a pleasure to meet someone so famous." "The most famous person I ever met was Miss Ohio of 1957." "Uh..." "I didn't agree to no lie detector test." "Relax, Albert, it's a tape recorder." "For the record, we're going to record your confession." "I ain't afraid of no lie detector," "I'm just saying we never agreed on that." "Don't worry about it, Albert." "We all have secrets." "We're only interested in the ones you're confessing to." "Ready?" "Sure." "Mr. De Salvo..." "No, please, call me Al." "Let's get this thing started off on the right foot, eh?" "I couldn't agree more." "Albert, when was the first time you met Anna Slesers?" "Well, I wouldn't say I actually met her." " She was just a pretty girl that..." " Pretty girl?" "But Anna Slesers was 55 years old." "Yeah, yeah." "Anna Slesers." "But she was a real looker for 55." "See, I was, uh..." "I was hiding in the closet, right?" "And I watched her walk inside." "Usually, I'm hiding in the bedroom or something, but this time I was hiding in the foyer closet." "And, uh, she was, uh, she was holding a bag from Gimbels." "Oh, well, that's strange." "Because I'm sure that it was a bag of groceries." "Yeah, that's right, it was a bag of groceries." "Uh, you know, there's meat, milk, the normal stuff." "James, are you home?" "So after she finished putting the food and stuff away," "I stayed in the closet." "You do remember that you killed her in the bedroom." "You're talking about Anna Slesers, right?" "Yes." "Right." "Yeah." "So she walked into the bedroom and I followed her, very quietly." "Sh-sh-she didn't know I was there." "James?" "Ahh!" "Ahh, ahh!" "Stop!" "Help!" "Help me!" "Help me!" "Ah!" "Ahh!" "Help!" "Help!" "Someone help me!" "Ah, God!" "Help!" "Ah!" "Oh!" "Oh, God!" "Help me!" "Stop!" "So when did you use the stocking to strangle her?" "Where'd you get it?" "See..." "See, now you're trying to trick me, Mr. Addison." "I remember this one very clearly." "So I took the tie to the robe, I wrapped it around her neck." "And I'm pulling on it, and I'm pulling on it." "She's fighting me and fighting me, right?" "I mean, she even scratched me with her nails." "It was terrible." "But, I mean, it was necessary and..." "Okay, that's lots of information." "We might have to go back a few steps, though, just to make sure we got it all right." "I mean, we got it all." "You know how judges are." "Sure." "I understand." "So..." "Let's take a step back." "You said that on the night of the Slesers murder, you hid in the closet, and then you followed her into the bedroom." "Is that right?" "Yeah, yeah, sure." "That's exactly what happened." "I'm sorry, Al." "Sorry?" "Is that all you've got to say?" "You see, I'm the one who's gonna go to Walpole." "The appeal is already in motion." "Did you see the faces on those jurors?" "You see them?" "Those God-fearing people?" "They hated me." "They want to see me fry." "They sent me right to the chair." "We'll appeal it." "It's just..." "Everybody's all in a frenzy about the Strangler." "It's too soon." "Oh, yeah?" "Is that your professional opinion?" "At least you'll be with Frank in Walpole." "Frank's going to the freakin' electric chair, and you know it!" "That's on appeal, too." "Look, Albert, you're still going to get your money." "You're going to get your book deal, your movie deal." "All of that is still coming through." "But Walpole!" "For Christ's sake, Walpole!" "They will fucking kill me there!" "I'm gonna die there!" "Albert?" "This is your life." "You did this!" "Not me." "Not anyone else." "I've done everything that I could." "Everything." "Do you want me to appeal the verdict?" "I don't know." "I don..." "Does Frank think I shou..." "For God's sake, for once, forget about Frank!" "I'm your attorney!" "I am!" "Listen to me." "We can appeal this thing and get you in an institution." "Okay?" "Is that what you want?" "Yeah." "Yeah, maybe you're right." "By the time the court hears the appeal, this whole Strangler thing will be... old news." "Right?" "Yeah." "Right." "Stay strong." "Lay low." "Everything will be fine." "This is my world." "And we'll get you out of it, Al." "Need a little money while you're in here, hmm?" "Forty will last you." "Not enough for the fucking casket." "Albert Henry De Salvo, the 35-year-old mental patient who says he murdered 13 women as the Boston Strangler, was found guilty tonight of armed robbery, assault, and sex offenses involving four women." "He was sentenced to life imprisonment." "De Salvo's lawyer, who had asked a jury of 12 men to find the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity, told newsmen bitterly, quote, unquote," ""Massachusetts has burned another witch." ""No fault of the jury's, of course." "It's the fault of the law. "" "His case was built on the argument that De Salvo was a schizophrenic personality." "Although the 13 murders committed in the Boston area from mid-1962 to early 1964 were not a part of his trial," "De Salvo's lawyer tried to inject testimony relating to them." "He said he felt these crimes were so monstrous that the jury must agree that his client was insane." "But the court refused to permit testimony relating to the stranglings." "De Salvo, a former military policeman and former middleweight boxing champion of the Armed Forces in Germany, stood erect and wan as the jury foreman," "F. Hunter Rowley of Concord, a brokerage firm analyst, reported him "guilty"" "on each count of a 10-count indictment." "The jury deliberated three hours..." "I just can't take it no more, you know?" "I just can't take no more." "It's time, man." "Six years is enough time." "I'm a changed man, you know." "I ain't the same man I used to be." "I help the old people now," "I work in the infirmary," "I haven't had a drink since I broke out of Bridgewater." "Now what's the difference if I tell the real story now?" "What's the difference if I tell that I ain't the Boston Strangler?" "That I never was the Boston Strangler." "I don't need the fame no more." "And I ain't seen a dime from any of this mess, not a freakin' dime!" "You know, maybe if I tell the truth, my family will talk to me, you know?" "You can't say nothing." "Nothing, to nobody." "And that's for the rest of your life." "But why, Frank?" "Why?" "What's the difference?" "Because I'm telling you not to." "I'm in this too, you know?" "I don't want no problems, no press, no nothing." "There's no sense in rehashing the past." "In my book, it's over." "You're talking like you got something you don't want me to know, Frank." "You hiding something?" "You better shut up, boy!" "Before I grab your head and I bust it against those bars." "Sounds like you got a secret." "Sounds like you've been holding on to something for all these years." "I'm done talking." "I've said enough." "You can do with it whatever the fuck you want." "Do you even know what you have done?" "You're running out of time." "Why you giving up so easy?" "I got needs, I'm a fucking man!" "You're my wife!" "I ain't the same man I used to be." "Guard?" "Hello, Dr. Arlen?" "It's Albert." "Albert De Salvo." "I must say, I'm surprised to hear from you." "How have you been?" "Actually, uh, I've been doing well." "You know, Walpole ain't so bad after all." "Well, I'm very happy to hear that." "But listen, if you wouldn't mind relieving me of my curiosity, why are you calling me?" "I got some things I want to get off my chest." "Well, I'm sure they have mental health professionals there who can help you." "No, no, this is different, Dr. Arlen." "I want to tell the truth about the Boston Strangler murders." "I see." "Look, uh, Albert, let's not do this over the phone, all right?" "I'll arrange to meet you at 9 A. M. Tomorrow morning." "I'll set up a private therapy room." "We can talk there." "That'd be great." "Thanks, Doc." "Thanks a lot, huh?" "Who's over there?" "Who's there?" "Who are ya?" "Ah!" "Oh!" "What are you doing?" "What are you doing?" "What the fuck are you doing?" "You gonna fucking talk now?" "Fucking snitch!" "Guard, we're done here." "Albert H. De Salvo, who became known as the Boston Strangler, was found stabbed to death at Walpole State Prison this morning." "The prison authorities said that the 40-year-old inmate's body was discovered in his cell bed in the prison's hospital wing at 7:00 A. M." "De Salvo, who worked as an orderly in the hospital, was said to have died of multiple stab wounds." "The Norfolk County District Attorney said tonight that a possible suspect had been questioned, but that no arrest had been made." "Although De Salvo confessed the details of the slayings of 13 women from the Boston area to a psychiatrist, and became widely known as the Boston Strangler..." "Subtitled By J.R. Media Services, Inc." "Burbank, CA"