Nightmare in Mission Hill

Chapter 1:
The shootingChapter 2:
A manhuntChapter 3:
Roots & racismChapter 4:
The rumorChapter 5:
Suspect #3Chapter 6:
The open secretChapter 7:
Shock & disbeliefChapter 8:
New clues & closureEpilogue:
Media sins
TimelineNewspapersPeopleDocumentsPhotosPodcast

Nightmare in Mission Hill

The untold story of the Charles and Carol Stuart shooting

stuart landing page illustration

Read the series

This is the untold story of Mission Hill, the Stuart shooting, and the people who got caught up in it and never managed to get free.

Chapter 1:
The ShootingChapter 2:
A ManhuntChapter 3:
Roots & RacismChapter 4:
The RumorChapter 5:
Suspect #3Chapter 6:
The Open SecretChapter 7:
Shock & DisbeliefChapter 8:
New Clues & ClosureEpilogue:
Media sins

Explore the archives

Go behind the scenes of the investigation with a detailed timeline of the crime, meet the people involved, and explore the case documents for yourself.


Timeline
Newspapers
People
Documents
Photos

Listen to the podcast

Globe columnist Adrian Walker and a team of award-winning investigative reporters reveal hard truths, unveil explosive new findings, and change the narrative of a story long cemented in Boston’s lore. Subscribe to get the latest episode.

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Impact
Boston, MA - 12/20/2023: Mayor Michelle Wu, right, addresses the crowd including Alan Swanson, second from left, and members of the Bennett family during a press conference and public apology to Swanson and Willie Bennett at City Hall in Boston, MA on December 20, 2023. More than 34 years after Charles Stuart shot his pregnant wife and blamed a Black man for the crime, Mayor Michelle Wu issued a formal apology from the city to two men who were wrongly linked to the shooting, Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff)
Community

Wu apologizes to Boston’s Black community, men falsely linked to Stuart killing

Following the publishing of this series, Mayor Michelle Wu issued a formal apology from the city to two men wrongly linked to the slaying. “What was done to you was unjust, unfair, racist, and wrong, and this apology is long overdue.”

SPOTLIGHT - CHARLES STUART CAMBRIDGE, MA - 11/20/2023 A projection of a Boston Globe article from October 25th, 1989 is projected with the Boston city skyline. Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Your memories

Tell us what you remember about the Charles Stuart case and its aftermath

As we continue to consider the legacy of the case, we want to know what you remember about the shooting and its aftermath in Boston.

10/23/1989 Boston, MA Police investigate Charles Stuart's car at the crime scene on St. Alphonsus St. in Mission Hill after Carol Stuart was murdered.
Letters to the editor

Reliving the Charles Stuart case (though it’s never left us)

Readers wrote in to share their experiences and connections with the Charles Stuart case.

About
SPOTLIGHT - CHARLES STUART CAMBRIDGE, MA - 11/20/2023 A projection of a Boston Globe article from October 25th, 1989 is projected with the Boston city skyline. Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Takeaways

The five most surprising findings from the Globe’s Charles Stuart investigation

For decades, many have gotten parts of the story wrong. A Globe reexamination of the case uncovered new truths and sought out the stories of those most affected.

Charles Stuart's car
Learn more

How we reported this series

Read more about how the team of Boston Globe journalists reported this series and podcast, and dig into our sources.

Watch
stuart day one illustration cropped version
Boston Globe Today

How we made the “Murder in Boston” podcast

In the new podcast, ‘Murder in Boston: The untold story of the Charles and Carol Stuart shooting,’ host and columnist Adrian Walker, along with a team of award-winning reporters, uncover explosive new findings and reveal a conspiracy that was bigger than anyone knew. Go behind the scenes to see how it came together.

HBO Stuart tease
The documentary series

Watch the three-part HBO documentary series produced in association with the Globe

The HBO Original three-part film “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, Reckoning” was produced and directed by Jason Hehir (“The Last Dance”) and in association with the Globe. Streaming on Max.

Credits
  • Reporters: Adrian Walker, Evan Allen, Elizabeth Koh, Andrew Ryan
  • Editors: Brendan McCarthy, Kristin Nelson, Mark Morrow
  • Photographer: Erin Clark
  • Photo editors: Leanne Burden Seidel and Bill Greene
  • Photo archivist: Colby Cotter
  • Video director: Anush Elbakyan
  • Researcher: Jeremiah Manion
  • Associate audio producer: Melissa Rosales
  • Design: Ryan Huddle
  • Development: John Hancock and Kirkland An
  • Digital editor: Christina Prignano
  • Copy editor: Michael J. Bailey
  • Fact checker: Matt Mahoney
  • Legal review: Jonathan Albano
  • Quality assurance: Nalini Dokula, Michael Johnston, Daigo Fujiwara, Andrew Nguyen, Shanna Kelly, Dov Derin, Karla Ovalle
  • Audience strategy: Heather Ciras, Cecilia Mazanec, Jenna Reyes, Adria Watson
  • Newsletter strategy: Jacqué Palmer
  • SEO Strategy: Ronke Idowu Reeves
  • Homepage strategy: Leah Becerra
  • Illustrations: Derek Gores
  • Editorial consultant: Scott Allen
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