Local News

Wu to issue formal apology to two men wrongfully linked to Charles Stuart case

“His accusation resulted in the racist harassment of Black men, in particular those living in the Mission Hill neighborhood, by City officials and the Boston Police Department.”

December 19, 2023

1 minute to read

Mayor Michelle Wu will issue a formal apology on Wednesday to Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett, two men who were wrongfully linked to the 1989 Charles Stuart case, for what her office called the city’s “wrongdoing” in the investigation.

Charles Stuart shot and killed his pregnant wife and blamed a Black man for her murder, falsely claiming in a 911 call that a carjacker shot him and his wife in Mission Hill.

“His accusation resulted in the racist harassment of Black men, in particular those living in the Mission Hill neighborhood, by City officials and the Boston Police Department,” the mayor’s office said in a statement on Tuesday. “This dark time in the City’s history exacerbated distrust between Boston’s Black community and the Boston Police Department. Acknowledging this painful moment and apologizing for the City’s wrongdoing is an effort to aid in the healing of those still living with this trauma and our City as a whole.”

Wu will offer the apologies during a press conference at Boston City Hall alongside Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox. Alan Swanson and the family of Willie Bennett will also be attending, according to the mayor’s office.

The announcement follows an investigation from The Boston Globe and a related HBO docu-series examining the Stuart case and its aftermath.

According to The Globe, Swanson and Bennett were both publicly labeled as suspects following the shooting but were never formally charged with anything related to the case.

Months after the murder, Stuart’s brother, Matthew, admitted to police that his brother orchestrated Carol’s death.