Current:Home > reviewsMan gets life without parole in 1988 killing and sexual assault of woman in Boston -Summit Capital Strategies
Man gets life without parole in 1988 killing and sexual assault of woman in Boston
View
Date:2025-04-18 09:35:54
BOSTON (AP) — A man was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the killing of a woman whose body was found in the basement of a Boston building more than three decades ago.
DNA evidence linked Carl Vega, 61, to the 1988 killing of 21-year-old Judy Chamberlain, prosecutors said. A maintenance worker discovered her body in a basement well. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted.
“She was beautiful, loved, and still is,” Chamberlain’s brother, John Olson, said Tuesday in Suffolk County Superior Court before Vega was sentenced. “Judy remains in our mind and hearts until we meet again.”
Vega was convicted of first-degree murder in June. His lawyer, Timothy Bradl, didn’t immediately respond to a Wednesday email seeking comment.
Vega, who went by several names, was identified as a suspect in 2011 after a federal database matched his DNA profile to evidence from Chamberlain’s killing, according to the district attorney’s office. However, prosecutors at the time did not think they had enough evidence to bring charges.
Vega was required to submit a DNA sample in 1990 after he was convicted of rape in a 1987 attack on an elderly woman in Revere. He was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, and then prosecutors successfully petitioned to have him civilly committed in 2008.
Investigators collected new evidence in the Chamberlain case and a grand jury returned an indictment against Vega in 2021 for her killing.
veryGood! (5645)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- South Korea opposition leader Lee says impeaching Yoon best way to restore order
- 'We are all angry': Syrian doctor describes bodies from prisons showing torture
- Epic Games to give refunds after FTC says it 'tricked' Fortnite players into purchases
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- South Korea opposition leader Lee says impeaching Yoon best way to restore order
- With the Eras Tour over, what does Taylor Swift have up her sleeve next? What we know
- Man on trial in Ole Miss student’s death lied to investigators, police chief says
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- KISS OF LIFE reflects on sold
Ranking
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- US inflation likely edged up last month, though not enough to deter another Fed rate cut
- Analysis: After Juan Soto’s megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soon
- Atmospheric river and potential bomb cyclone bring chaotic winter weather to East Coast
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- We can't get excited about 'Kraven the Hunter.' Don't blame superhero fatigue.
- Social media platform Bluesky nearing 25 million users in continued post
- Making a $1B investment in the US? Trump pledges expedited permits — but there are hurdles
Recommendation
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
Atmospheric river and potential bomb cyclone bring chaotic winter weather to East Coast
Timothée Chalamet makes an electric Bob Dylan: 'A Complete Unknown' review
A Malibu wildfire prompts evacuation orders and warnings for 20,000, including Dick Van Dyke, Cher
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Fortnite OG is back. Here's what to know about the mode's release, maps and game pass.
This drug is the 'breakthrough of the year' — and it could mean the end of the HIV epidemic
Gas prices set to hit the lowest they've been since 2021, AAA says