HBO Max plans to re-examine the gruesome murder of Carol Stuart in its upcoming documentary series titled, Murder In Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning. The docuseries will delve deep into the case, revealing new details about it. It will air on the aforementioned streaming platform on Monday, December 4, at 9 p.m. EST.
The three-part docuseries will explore how the murder of a pregnant lawyer in 1989 shocked the community. On October 23, Carol Stuart was murdered when she and her husband, Charles Stuart, were traveling through the Roxbury neighborhood. According to her husband, a young adult African-American gunman allegedly forced his way into their car and committed the murder.
However, when the investigation began, authorities found that Charles’ statement was false. The case took a wild turn when Charles’ brother testified against him, admitting that his brother killed Carol Stuart. Before the authorities could catch him for the heinous crime, Charles Stuart took his own life in January 1990.
But why did he kill his wife? What was his motive? Let’s take a look.
Charles Stuart case: Why and how did he kill his wife?
In 1989, Carol and Charles Stuart were about to welcome their first child. On October 23, 1989, the couple left a birthing class and was driving near Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. Initially, Charles informed the police that a young Black male attacked them, killing his wife and shooting him. However, as soon as the investigation began, authorities found that all his claims were untrue. On January 3, 1990, Charles Stuart’s brother, Matthew, confessed that Charles killed his wife by putting a bullet in her head. Meanwhile, he also shot himself to make it look like someone else had shot them.
According to Matthew’s confession, Charles Stuart had planned an insurance fraud scam. As per the plan, Matthew would pretend to rob the couple of Carol’s jewelry. But, when Matthew arrived, Charles had already shot Carol and himself. Then, Matthew agreed to hide the murder weapon in Stuart’s family home.
Reports indicate that the authorities learned Stuart had been upset at the prospect of becoming a father. He was particularly worried that, after childbirth, his wife not going back to work would diminish their financial status. Citing the investigators, the New York Times reported that Charles Stuart aimed to collect “several life insurance policies held by his wife, which were known to have amounted to at least $182,000.” Reports indicated that Stuart cashed Carol Stuart’s life insurance policy and bought a few things with the money he received.
On January 4, 1990, following his brother’s confession, Charles met his lawyer hours later. Shortly afterward, authorities found Charles’ abandoned car on the Tobin Bridge in Chelsea. He then apparently jumped off the bridge to his death, and authorities found his body in the Mystic River the next day. When investigators tried talking to people close to the couple, they found that Charles had previously expressed a desire to kill his wife well before the October shooting. After Charles’ death, revelations suggested he might have engaged in an affair and involved a friend in his wife’s murder.
Carol Stuart murder case affected an entire community
Charles Stuart’s case gained notoriety for falsely accusing a black man of murdering his wife. Without even thinking twice, the authorities started to arrest young American-African men for allegedly killing Carol Stuart. The arrests created paranoia in the community and the police reportedly targeted Black men in their investigation.
