List of homicides in Massachusetts
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
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
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
Listed in reverse chronological order.
Notes
- Including co-perpetrator Tamerlan Tsarnaev and a police officer who died from his injuries in 2014