Murder of Carol Stuart

"Chuck Stuart" redirects here. For the ice hockey player, see Chuck Stuart (ice hockey).

Murder of Carol Stuart
LocationBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DateOctober 23, 1989
Attack type
Murder by gunshot
VictimCarol Ann Stuart
PerpetratorCharles Michael Stuart

Carol Ann Stuart (née DiMaiti; March 26, 1959 – October 24, 1989) was murdered by her husband, Charles Michael "Chuck" Stuart Jr. (December 18, 1959 – January 4, 1990). Charles Stuart claimed that a Black man had carjacked their car in Boston and shot both his pregnant wife and himself.

His statement to police set off a months-long manhunt by the Boston Police Department for a purported Black assailant. Police actions, with widespread stop and frisk of African-American residents in Mission Hill, was supported by the Suffolk County District Attorney. The hunt lasted until Charles' younger brother, Matthew, confessed that Carol was killed by Charles to collect her life insurance payout. Soon afterward, Charles committed suicide.[1]

The shooting occurred in Boston's predominantly Black Mission Hill neighborhood. It generated intense and sustained media attention both nationally and in Boston as an alleged example of black on white crime.[2] During this period, Suffolk County District Attorney Newman A. Flanagan lobbied the state legislature to reinstitute the death penalty.[3]

Before the revelation of Charles as the killer, police arrested William "Willie" Bennett, a 39-year-old black man from Roxbury, on unrelated charges, but soon the investigation centered on Bennett. The media reported as though his guilt were certain.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Jones, Alex S. (January 14, 1990). "Bias and Recklessness Are Charged In Boston Reporting of Stuart Slaying". New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  3. ^ Rollins, Rachael (November 6, 2019). "Transcript of remarks at the 2019 panel discussion on the Carol Stuart case". Commonwealth Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Jack (December 4, 2023). "Murder in Boston Delivers a Long-Overdue Reckoning". Slate. The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Retrieved December 5, 2023.