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After consulting with a lawyer, she decided to call the police and told them what had happened. In response, Harrison's attorney argued that while his client did admit to playing around with the boy at the escalators at South
Station, he did not explicitly state being responsible for his murder. Furthermore, he argued that if he was indeed guilty, then the crime was not committed intentionally, arguing that Harrison had either been drunk or had suffered a blackout. Harrison himself claimed that there was not enough evidence to convict him, but that if he was found guilty, then he should be given the
265:, and upon closer inspection, they realized that it was the body of a little girl. Her death was listed as drowning, but at the time, it was presumed to have been accidental. The finding was quickly reported to the authorities, who recovered it and brought it to local mortuary, where it was positively identified as that of Lucy Palmarin by one of her brothers. Upon hearing of the discovery, Palmarin's mother fainted and had to be driven to a hospital for treatment.
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Breen's death was ruled a homicide, and after interviewing the two friends who had accompanied him, police were provided with a description of the man they had seen with Breen – a pudgy man in his early 30s, of average height and wearing old clothes. After some time had passed, one of the two friends
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later released a statement claiming that a high-ranking official without medical training had ordered them to lessen the surveillance on
Harrison. This claim was denied by Wesley Profit, Bridgerwater's chief clinical psychologist, who claimed that he had personally made the decision not to place him
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with another customer – Harrison. The two played until closing time, whereupon they left the bar together. Sometime later, the pair got into a brawl over the cost of a bottle of liquor and the cab fare, whereupon
Harrison pushed Breen into a waterfilled pit and beat him on the head with rocks. He
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During the trial for Martin's murder, it was revealed that the phone tip that lead to his arrest was made by his sister, Eileen Longo. She testified that
Harrison had called on two occasions prior to his arrest and confessed to killing the boy, and had even told her where he had hidden the body.
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and went in the direction of South
Station, where he planned to catch a train and go to his friend's house. When he got to the platform, he was approached by Harrison, who convinced him to play around with him instead and then accompany him to his living space inside the station. Upon entering a
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On
November 27, the body of 75-year-old Clovis Parker, an elderly woman who lived in the South End, was also found floating in the Fort Point Channel. She was identified via her identity papers, which were still on her body, and despite the similarities with Palmarin's death two years prior, her
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in Boston. When she failed to return home for dinner, her disappearance was reported to the authorities, who launched an all-out search for
Palmarin. They questioned numerous neighbors, searched various abandoned buildings and isolated areas, but were initially unable to find her. According to a
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then went to the nearest phone and called the police, informing them about the body's location. Harrison then said that it was "The
Giggler" who was speaking, promptly began to giggle, and then hung up. Breen's body was found on the following day at the described location.
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Unbeknownst to
Harrison, multiple witnesses had seen him accompanying the boy on the day of his disappearance, which was later relayed to the authorities. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and after receiving an anonymous tip, police officers traced Harrison to the
346:, where he would await trial for the three other murders. In June 1972, Harrison pleaded guilty to the remaining murders, explaining how he had carried them out in detail. At said trial, his attorney requested that he be allowed to serve his sentences at the
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After spending only six days at MCI-Walpole, Harrison was transferred to the
Bridgewater State Hospital for treatment, where he remained for more than a decade. Sometime in early 1989, he was informed by staff members that he was due to a transfer to
201:. He earned his nickname from calling the authorities after each killing, professing it was the killer speaking and uncontrollably giggling before hanging up. Harrison died in hospital in 1989, following a deliberate attempt to commit suicide by
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who kept visiting the Novelty Bar spotted Harrison and immediately reported the sighting to the police, but by the time they arrived, he had already left. Since they were unable to learn his name, Harrison managed to avoid arrest.
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and then covered the body with a canvas, which he left in the tunnel. Martin's body was found ten days later by a detective searching through the station, and he was positively identified by a friend of his.
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extradition to Boston, where he was soon charged with Martin's murder. A few days later, he was arraigned on additional murder charges for the deaths of Palmarin, Parker and Breen.
221:-born wife Veronica (née Zemotel). Little is known about his personal life, but after finishing the eight grade, Harrison became an unemployed itinerant cook who lived in various
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which he had been prescribed. The hospital received heavy criticism for its handling of the case and for previous suicides that taken place there since 1987, but the hospital's
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In spite of his pleas and claims that another unnamed individual had participated in the crime, Harrison was found guilty of Martin's murder and sentenced to
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driven by an unfamiliar man – this greatly alarmed her family, as Palmarin did not speak English and was not very well acquainted with anyone in the area.
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On April 20, 1989, Harrison was found slumped on the floor of his room by staff members and quickly transported to St. Luke's Hospital in
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to drink with some friends. After drinking with them for some time, Breen decided to play
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tunnel under South Station, Harrison strangled Martin with a piece of
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neighborhood of Boston, one of two children of Earl Harrison and his
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On December 26, 9-year-old Kenneth "Kenny" Martin left his home in
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Kenneth Francis Harrison was born on September 4, 1938, in the
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noticed something wedged between some rubbish thrown into the
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playmate of Palmarin, she was last seen climbing into a black
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On April 15, 1967, 6-year-old Lucy Palmarin, originally from
342:. From there, he was transferred to serve his sentence at
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Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Massachusetts
750:
Murder & Mayhem in Boston: Historic Crimes in the Hub
245:, was sent by her parents to turn in a tonic bottle in a
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On June 16, 1969, 31-year-old Joseph "Joe" Breen, a
583:Robert Walsh and Robert Kenney (January 14, 1970).
507:Robert Walsh and Robert Kenney (January 14, 1970).
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812:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
197:from 1967 to 1969, for which he was sentenced to
727:"Union disputes account of Bridgewater suicide"
668:. November 19, 1970 – via Newspapers.com.
631:. November 13, 1970 – via Newspapers.com.
554:. December 28, 1969 – via Newspapers.com.
536:. November 28, 1969 – via Newspapers.com.
181:(September 4, 1938 – April 20, 1989), known as
272:veteran who worked at the water department in
572:. January 7, 1970 – via Newspapers.com.
19:For other people named Kenneth Harrison, see
8:
451:. April 22, 1967 – via Newspapers.com.
827:People convicted of murder by Massachusetts
689:. June 22, 1972 – via Newspapers.com.
604:"Jobless cook charged in murder of Hub boy"
397:List of serial killers in the United States
585:"Boy's Death, 3 Others Charged to Hub Man"
509:"Boy's Death, 3 Others Charged to Hub Man"
493:. May 25, 1967 – via Newspapers.com.
425:"Joe Breen had a beer, met a guy–and died"
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644:"Harrison asks jury for death, if guilty"
257:On May 24, two teenagers walking towards
705:"Bridgewater patient dies; suicide seen"
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591:. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
515:. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
423:Jeremiah V. Murphy (January 15, 1970).
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748:Christopher Daley (August 21, 2015).
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642:Robert E. Walsh (November 18, 1970).
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530:"Waters yield body of So. End woman"
524:
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443:"Six-Year-Old Girl Sought by Police"
802:American people convicted of murder
725:Peter B. Sleeper (April 22, 1989).
662:"Drifter gets life term for murder"
602:Robert M. Smith (January 8, 1970).
487:"Body of Girl, 6, Found in Channel"
566:"Police grill boy slaying suspect"
14:
842:Serial killers from Massachusetts
807:American people of Polish descent
548:"Dorchester boy reported missing"
293:death was also ruled accidental.
276:, went to the Novelty Bar in the
625:"Dorchester man tied to slaying"
787:20th-century American criminals
310:Arrest, investigation and trial
797:American murderers of children
703:Diane Lewis (April 21, 1989).
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683:"Convict admits to 3 murders"
462:Janet Riddell (May 7, 1967).
74:Middleborough, Massachusetts
733:– via Newspapers.com.
711:– via Newspapers.com.
650:– via Newspapers.com.
610:– via Newspapers.com.
472:– via Newspapers.com.
431:– via Newspapers.com.
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348:Bridgewater State Hospital
189:who killed four people in
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847:Suicides in Massachusetts
172:
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354:Imprisonment and suicide
321:Providence, Rhode Island
179:Kenneth Francis Harrison
40:Kenneth Francis Harrison
817:American serial killers
792:American male criminals
229:, and sometimes inside
752:. Arcadia Publishing.
464:"Lucy's Still Missing"
448:North Adams Transcript
247:public housing project
16:American serial killer
822:Drug-related suicides
72:St. Luke's Hospital,
56:, Massachusetts, U.S.
134:Span of crimes
832:People from Boston
263:Fort Point Channel
185:, was an American
340:life imprisonment
199:life imprisonment
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50:September 4, 1938
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164:Date apprehended
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82:Other names
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67:(1989-04-20)
21:Ken Harrison
782:1989 deaths
777:1938 births
380:labor union
361:MCI-Concord
344:MCI-Walpole
278:Combat Zone
243:Puerto Rico
225:around the
183:The Giggler
771:Categories
403:References
298:Dorchester
209:Early life
203:overdosing
46:1938-09-04
274:Brookline
227:South End
138:1967–1969
391:See also
152:State(s)
237:Murders
143:Country
125:Victims
120:Details
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372:Elavil
325:waived
219:Polish
191:Boston
102:Murder
76:, U.S.
54:Boston
374:, an
303:twine
252:Sedan
754:ISBN
62:Died
36:Born
383:on
319:in
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