John Carey, known as the "Hamilton Strangler," was sentenced to life without parole after a jury convicted him of the 1986 strangulation of 20-year-old Claire Gravel. DNA from a 2008 criminal case, entered into the CODIS database, matched biological material on a tank top used in the killing and led to a 2022 indictment. Prosecutors say Carey acted to satisfy a sexual interest in strangulation; Gravel’s family thanked investigators for securing justice after four decades.
‘Hamilton Strangler’ John Carey Sentenced To Life Without Parole After 1986 Murder Linked By DNA
Claire Gravel; John CareyCredit: Essex County DA/Instagram; NBC10 Boston/YouTube
John Carey, long known in media accounts as the "Hamilton Strangler," was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in the 1986 killing of Claire Gravel, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said in a press statement on April 9.
Prosecutors say the cold case was solved through modern DNA testing. Biological material on a black tank top used to strangle Gravel on June 29, 1986 was matched to Carey's DNA after a sample he provided following a separate 2008 attempted murder conviction was entered into the national CODIS database.
Gravel was 20 years old at the time. She was a Salem State University student from North Andover who worked at the National Braille Press. She was last seen leaving a pub in Salem and being dropped off at her apartment in the early morning hours; her body was later discovered in woods near Route 128 in Beverly.
Assistant District Attorney Kim Faitella told the court that prosecutors believe Carey killed Gravel to "satisfy his sexual interest in strangulation," according to local reporting. Carey was indicted in the case in 2022 after the CODIS match led investigators to him; the jury convicted him the month prior to the sentencing announcement.
"The family of Claire Gravel has waited 40 long years for justice," District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said in the statement, thanking prosecutors and law enforcement partners who continued to pursue the case.
At sentencing, Gravel’s siblings remembered her as a "ray of sunshine" who dreamed of studying law, raising a family and "going everywhere and doing everything," and they expressed gratitude to those who worked on the long-unsolved investigation.
Carey is already serving a 20-year sentence for the 2008 attempted murder in Hamilton, in which prosecutors say he choked a woman inside her home; she survived, local outlets reported.
Local news organizations that covered the developments include NBC Boston, The Boston Globe and 7News Boston. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office issued the formal announcement of the conviction and sentence.
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