True crime cases in Massachusetts span decades of criminal history, from unsolved disappearances in rural communities to high-profile investigations in the state's largest cities. Massachusetts law enforcement agencies, from local police departments to the state bureau of investigation, have tackled cases ranging from cold-case homicides and serial offenders to fraud schemes and domestic violence tragedies. CaseSleuth tracks each Massachusetts case with comprehensive timelines, profiles of victims and persons of interest, evidence summaries, and links to media coverage and court documents. Browse the cases below to explore the full scope of criminal investigations in Massachusetts.
5 cases found
Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old mother of three in Cohasset, Massachusetts, was murdered by her husband Brian Walshe on New Year's Day 2023. Brian dismembered her body and disposed of the remains across multiple locations. He was convicted of first-degree murder in July 2024 and sentenced to life without parole.
Karen Read, a financial analyst, was charged with the second-degree murder of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, who was found dead in the snow outside a fellow officer's Canton, Massachusetts home on January 29, 2022. After a first trial ended in a hung jury mistrial in July 2024, Read was acquitted of murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene at her retrial on June 18, 2025, but was convicted of operating under the influence. The case became a national flashpoint over allegations of a law enforcement cover-up, investigator misconduct, and deep community polarization.
Aaron Hernandez, a former New England Patriots tight end, was convicted of first-degree murder in April 2015 for the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd and sentenced to life without parole. He was acquitted of a separate 2012 double homicide on April 14, 2017, but was found dead by suicide in his prison cell five days later at age 27. A posthumous examination by Boston University researchers revealed he had Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the most severe case ever documented in someone his age.
On April 15, 2013, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev detonated two homemade pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three spectators and injuring more than 260 others. The ensuing manhunt paralyzed metropolitan Boston for days, culminating in Tamerlan's death in a Watertown shootout and Dzhokhar's capture hiding in a dry-docked boat. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted on all 30 federal charges and sentenced to death; the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in March 2022 after a lower court had vacated it.
On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were axed to death in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. Their daughter Lizzie was charged with the double murder but was acquitted in 1893 after a trial that captivated Victorian America. The case has never been officially solved.