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DA, police ask for public’s help as anniversary of Cambridge murder nears

Paul Wilson, 60, was attacked in Danehy Park and died as a result of multiple head injuries.

Paul Wilson Middlesex District Attorney's Office

December 30, 2021

2 minutes to read

As the anniversary of the 2019 murder of 60-year-old Paul Wilson of Cambridge approaches, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and acting Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow are asking for the public’s help in solving the case.

According to a statement from Ryan’s office, officials have made progress in the case over the last three years. Investigators have conducted forensic testing, examined similar incidents in other communities, and followed up with potential witnesses.

Though progress has been made, police have not identified a suspect, according to the statement.

Police and prosecutors are again asking anyone with any information related to this incident to contact law enforcement.

“This is an area where people frequently make their way from the Alewife T Station, as well as from the buses on Concord Avenue,” Ryan said at a press conference in 2020. “It’s a well-traveled area. We’re asking people to call us if they remember anything that might have caught their attention.

“Many times people see something, they do not realize the significance, and for us that is a critical link in getting us to be able to identify a suspect in this matter and to be able to bring to Mr. Wilson’s family some information about what took place in the park that evening,” she said.

On Jan. 2, 2019, around 6:48 p.m., Cambridge police found Wilson injured in Danehy Park. Police said the 60-year-old had “significant head trauma” and was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead as a result of multiple blunt-force injuries to his head.

The day he was attacked, the 6-foot-6 man wore shorts, a red winter coat, a winter hat and gloves, according to police. He was found in an area visible from Danehy’s parking lot.

That day, investigators say Wilson took a Blue Bike to and from his job at IBM. He came home via the Porter MBTA station, rode a Blue Bike, and parked it by his house on Sherman Street before walking through the park.

Anyone with information about this case can contact Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office at 781-897-6600 or Cambridge police at 617-349-3121.

Wilson’s family is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for his death.