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Just wanted to let you know that I'll be posting essays at www.zacharykleinonline.com every other Monday, starting May 18. My June 1 article is "Why We Write About Crime," which may interest you. It will be the lead article till June 8, but will still be featured after that. I hope you enjoy it.

Yes, they are. The youngest would probably be in their late sixties, but certainly still alive.

There were in fact four suspects in the various murders incarcerated at Bridgewater with DeSalvo, whom he talked with in the months before he started confessing, or hinting that he was the Strangler.

Well, bear in mind the fact that the person whose DNA was found on Mary's body also flunked lie detector tests, the results of which were examined by two independent examiners, both of whom concluded that he was involved in the murder. And it's important to bear in mind that some time later...

But how do you account for the fact that there was never any other physical evidence or eyewitness testimony to tie DeSalvo to the killings? Or the fact that male DNA not belonging to DeSalvo was found in Mary Sullivan's pubic area, according to the autopsy and forensic examinations in...

Again, good questions. It's true DNA doesn't lie. But it doesn't always prove culpability or innocence. A sample of DNA not belonging to DeSalvo was taken from Ms. Sullivan's body. It DID match that of the prime suspect in the case. (He had been introduced to her a day or so before the murder...

That's an interesting point. But consider this: If DeSalvo was a serial killer capable of performing horrific crimes, why did he suddenly decide to alter his behavior so radically and revert to molesting women rather than murdering them? This doesn't happen with serial killers. They don't stop...

I see your point about paid experts. But, in this case, the autopsies were performed by Baden and a team of forensics experts. The DNA samples were then analyzed by a scientist at George Washington University who had no vested interest in the outcome. I observed the second autopsy of DeSalvo...

No, they wouldn't have. It was a big local story, but there was no reason for the Hilton murder, or the previous one, to have gotten nationwide coverage. Of course, that all changed a few years later.

And the Lawrence victim, Joann Graff, was a friend of the mother of one of my sister's classmates; she attended our Lutheran church.

I think I might have replied to a similar question back a page or so, but, yes, DeSalvo's DNA was found on a blanket in the apartment. He had confessed to breaking into some of the crime scenes in the aftermath of the murders, so it's conceivable he left his DNA there. BUT--and it's a big...

Indeed it is. I grew up in the town where it happened. It was horrific. Of course it never occurred to me as a child that someday I'd write about it.

I doubt she'd be willing to implicate a family member, even a deceased one. She herself may not be alive any longer.

Yes, several siblings. Richard, his brother, repeatedly offered his own DNA sample to the Commonwealth for testing, and they always refused the offer.

Thank you. Another issue here--insofar as the Sullivan case is concerned--is that DeSalvo claimed to have visited some of the crime scenes in the aftermath of the murders. He was a pretty skilled b & e guy, except when he got caught (grin), and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he was in the...

Not as far as I know, in terms of the DNA. The Commonwealth officially considers the case closed now (again), and they've said that all the other evidence in the case is too deteriorated. Thank you so much for ordering my book!

I've read that, back in 2005, someone compared DNA found on the ladder used in the Lindbergh kidnapping with DNA found in the Hauptmann house, and there was a match.

I should have added that some authorities have stated that the DNA testing done on Sullivan in 2000 and on DeSalvo in 2001 was not done by the "proper" organizations. In the Sullivan case, it was Dr. Michael Baden. In the DeSalvo case, it was George Washington University. I think both would be...

Thank you so much, Dragonfyre. I really appreciate your comment. The Boston Police Department said, most recently, that it has no plans to test any of the physical evidence in the other cases, because it has all deteriorated too badly. But, as you say, there are methods of so doing...

I go into the acquaintanceship a fair amount in my book, and in return to the subject on my Amazon author page. Again, thanks for your interest.