8 Famous Homicides In Boston That Will Never Be Forgotten

The Parkman–Webster murder case was a Boston crime that was highly publicized due to the high social status of the victim and the alleged murderer, as well as the gruesome nature of the crime. In November 1849, Boston businessman Dr. George Parkman disappeared. His remains were found and had been partially cremated, dental evidence and bone fragments were used to verify the remains. On January 26, 1850, Webster was indicted for murder. He was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging, although it was speculated that he was never actually hanged.

John Frank Hickey was called the "Postcard Killer" because he sent anonymous messages to police detailing his crimes and the locations of his victims’ bodies. Detectives used the messages to apprehend Hickey in New Jersey. He confessed to the murders of one man and two young boys, as well as assaults on numerous children. He claimed his crimes were fueled by alcohol and argued not guilty by reason of insanity. Hickey was found guilty of second-degree murder.

Whitey Bulger was an Irish-American organized crime boss who ran the Boston Irish Mob known as the Winter Hill Gang in his South Boston headquarters for decades. He was involved in all kinds of crimes, from racketeering to drug trafficking to murder. Bulger ran due to an impending indictment in late 1994, and he was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. After almost 17 years, he was found in California and arrested. He was convicted of 11 murders and was sentenced to two life sentences plus five years.

On June 23, 1996, Karina Holmer, a 20-year-old Swedish au pair, disappeared outside a Boston nightclub. Less than 12 hours later, a homeless person discovered her severed upper body in a Back Bay dumpster. The murder has never been solved, and remains Boston's most notorious "cold case."

Philip Markoff, a 23-year-old man, was engaged to be married and studying to be a doctor at Boston University. He was charged in the death of Julissa Brisman, a 25-year-old woman. Investigators say Markoff responded to Brisman’s ad on Craigslist for a massage. He met her at the Marriott Copley Place and allegedly shot her multiple times. Due to the way Markoff found his victim, he became known as the "Craigslist Killer." Police later used surveillance footage to connect him to two other assaults on women he’d met through Craigslist. Markoff was put in prison and committed suicide in 2010 while awaiting trial for his alleged crimes.