Carol Stuart

On October 23, 1989, Charles Stuart called 911 from his car in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, claiming he and his pregnant wife Carol had been shot by a Black carjacker. Carol, seven months pregnant, died from a gunshot wound to the head. Their baby, Christopher, was delivered by emergency cesarean but died 17 days later.

The case inflamed racial tensions in Boston. Police conducted aggressive stop-and-frisk operations in Mission Hill, a predominantly Black neighborhood. William Bennett, a Black man, was identified by Charles Stuart in a lineup and was about to be charged.

The truth emerged in January 1990 when Charles's brother Matthew went to police and revealed that Charles had shot Carol himself, likely for insurance money. Matthew had disposed of the gun and Carol's jewelry.

On January 4, 1990, the day after his brother's confession, Charles Stuart jumped to his death from the Tobin Bridge into the Mystic River. The case became a searing example of racial bias in the criminal justice system and a defining moment in Boston's history of racial tension.