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Roxbury murders

SOLVED1974Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Between January and May 1979, twelve women — eleven Black women and one White woman — were killed within several miles of one another in the Roxbury neighborhood on the south side of Boston, Massachusetts. According to Wikipedia's account of the case, this was not believed to be the work of a single serial killer; at least four different men were charged in connection with the various killings. The Boston Globe was reportedly one of the only media outlets to cover the killings as they occurred, while Black feminist organizations, including the Combahee River Collective, were among the most vocal in drawing public attention to the deaths.

The killings occurred against a backdrop of severe racial tension in Boston stemming from the court-ordered desegregation of public schools beginning in 1974, which led to riots, protests, and violent incidents in and around Roxbury and neighboring communities.

Victims named in available reporting include Christine (Chris) Ricketts, 15, and Andrea Foye, 17, both found on East Lenox Street in Roxbury on January 29, 1979, in trash bags with a blanket; Gwendolyn Yvette Stinson, 15, found strangled near her Dorchester home on January 30; Caren Prater, 25, found beaten and stabbed in Franklin Park on February 2; Daryal Ann Hargett, 29, found strangled and bound in her Wellington apartment on February 21; Desiree Denise Etheridge, 17, found beaten and burned on Fellow Street in Dorchester on March 14; Darlene Rogers, 22, found stabbed in Washington Park on April 14; Lois Hood Nesbitt, 31, found strangled in her bed on April 28; Valyric Holliday, 19, who died after being stabbed in her Dorchester apartment; Sandra Boulware, 30, found dead and burned near a YMCA; and Bobbie Jean Graham, 34, found dead in an alley after witnesses reported seeing her dragged there.

Named individuals arrested or charged in connection with specific killings include a man in relation to the Ricketts and Foye deaths, a neighbor in relation to the Stinson killing, a man in relation to the Prater killing, a man convicted in relation to the Nesbitt killing, a man arrested the night of the Holliday stabbing who pleaded not guilty, and a man in relation to the Boulware killing.

In response to the killings, Barbara Smith and the Combahee River Collective organized an April 1, 1979 march memorializing the deaths of, at that time, six women, and distributed a pamphlet titled "Six Black Women: Why Did They Die?" arguing the killings reflected both racist and sexist violence against systemically undervalued Black women. The Coalition for Women's Safety, a Boston women's organization, formed in response to the murders to pursue community education on violence against women and to examine taxi driver licensing following a number of assaults in taxicabs. Wikipedia's account notes that most of the killings received little national media coverage, in contrast to the widely publicized death of Faye Polner, described as an example of "Missing White Woman Syndrome" in surrounding media coverage.

Key facts

Victims
Christine (Chris) Ricketts, Sandra Boulware, Lois Hood Nesbitt, Daryal Ann Hargett, Andrea Foye, Valyric Holliday, Darlene Rogers, Desiree Denise Etheridge, Faye Polner, Bobbie Jean Graham, Caren Prater, Gwendolyn Yvette Stinson
Date
1974
Location
Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1974

    Court-ordered desegregation of Boston public schools leads to riots, protests, and violent incidents in Roxbury and surrounding neighborhoods.

  2. 1979-01-29

    Christine (Chris) Ricketts, 15, and Andrea Foye, 17, found dead in trash bags on East Lenox Street, Roxbury.

  3. 1979-01-30

    Gwendolyn Yvette Stinson, 15, found strangled near her Park Street home in Dorchester.

  4. 1979-02-02

    Caren Prater, 25, found beaten and stabbed near the Boston Parks Department office in Franklin Park.

  5. 1979-02-21

    Daryal Ann Hargett, 29, found strangled and bound in her apartment in Wellington.

  6. 1979-03-14

    Desiree Denise Etheridge, 17, found beaten and burned on Fellow Street, Dorchester.

  7. 1979-04-01

    Thousands attend a march organized by Barbara Smith's Combahee River Collective memorializing six murdered women.

  8. 1979-04-14

    Darlene Rogers, 22, found stabbed multiple times in Washington Park.

  9. 1979-04-28

    Lois Hood Nesbitt, 31, found tied up and strangled in her bed.

  10. 1979-05

    Bobbie Jean Graham, 34, the twelfth woman murdered, found in an alley.

  11. 2012

    TV One's series 'Find Our Missing' features an episode covering Daryal Ann Hargett's death.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Kenneth Spann

    CHARGED

    Arrested in relation to the death of Caren Prater.

  • Eugene B. Conway

    CHARGED

    18-year-old arrested the night of the stabbing of Valyric Holliday; pleaded not guilty.

  • James Brown

    CHARGED

    40-year-old neighbor arrested for the murder of Gwendolyn Yvette Stinson.

  • Christine (Chris) Ricketts

    VICTIM

    15-year-old found dead in a trash bag on East Lenox Street, Roxbury, on January 29, 1979.

  • Sandra Boulware

    VICTIM

    30-year-old found dead, naked, and burned in a grass lot near a YMCA; the tenth woman murdered.

  • Dennis Jamal Porter

    CHARGED

    Arrested in connection with the killings of Christine Ricketts and Andrea Foye.

  • Lois Hood Nesbitt

    VICTIM

    31-year-old found tied up and strangled to death in her bed on April 28, 1979.

  • Daryal Ann Hargett

    VICTIM

    29-year-old choir singer and social worker found strangled and bound in her Wellington apartment on February 21, 1979.

  • Andrea Foye

    VICTIM

    17-year-old found strangled and dead in a trash bag on East Lenox Street, Roxbury, on January 29, 1979.

  • Valyric Holliday

    VICTIM

    19-year-old who died after being stabbed in her Dorchester apartment.

  • Osbourne (Jimmy) Sheppard

    CHARGED

    55-year-old identified in connection with the murder of Sandra Boulware.

  • Darlene Rogers

    VICTIM

    22-year-old found stabbed multiple times in Washington Park on April 14, 1979.

  • Desiree Denise Etheridge

    VICTIM

    17-year-old part-time student found beaten and burned on Fellow Street, Dorchester, on March 14, 1979.

  • Faye Polner

    VICTIM

    White victim whose death received widespread publicity, cited as an example of disparate media coverage compared to the Black victims.

  • Bobbie Jean Graham

    VICTIM

    34-year-old, the twelfth woman murdered; died from a lacerated liver caused by multiple blows, found in an alley.

  • Richard Strother

    CONVICTED

    31-year-old identified as the murderer of Lois Hood Nesbitt.

  • Caren Prater

    VICTIM

    25-year-old mother found beaten and stabbed to death in Franklin Park on February 2, 1979.

  • Gwendolyn Yvette Stinson

    VICTIM

    15-year-old found strangled near her home in Dorchester on January 30, 1979.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts

42.3188, -71.0846

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Between January and May 1979, twelve women — eleven Black and one White — were killed within a few miles of one another in and around the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston; at least four different men were separately charged in connection with various killings.
Where did the murders happen?
Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts.
Who was convicted?
Richard Strother (31-year-old identified as the murderer of Lois Hood Nesbitt.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Massachusetts

Sources

  1. Roxbury murderswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Six slain women, and those who loved themnews · secure.pqarchiver.com · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — proquest.comnews · proquest.com · 2026-07-07