Man who fatally stabbed pregnant woman in Boston in 1974 and confessed to rape granted parole for second time

Boston Globe

13-02-2025

He violated his parole two years later when he fled to North Carolina and was returned to prison, the decision said. His requests for parole in 2014 and 2022 were denied.
On Sept. 23, 1974, police found the woman lying on the floor of a Beacon Hill apartment in a pool of blood, the ruling said. She was 20 weeks pregnant at the time and had suffered stab wounds to her chest and back, the ruling said. Investigators also detected evidence of a sexual assault.
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A witness told police that she and the victim were sex workers in the city's Combat Zone, and that she had given her a key to the apartment so she could use it, officials said.
The witness also told police she had seen Marks and the woman talking on the afternoon of her death, the ruling said, and that the woman told her, 'If I'm not back in a reasonable hour of time, come up and check on me. I might be dead. He doesn't look right.'
The witness and three other residents, including a nurse, entered the apartment around 5 p.m. and found the woman's body, naked from the waist down.
Marks, meanwhile, fled to New York City and was apprehended there the next day, confessing to the slaying and providing the murder weapon, according to the ruling. He told investigators he had intended only to rob the woman but decided to kill her when he realized they were alone in the residence, officials said.
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He stole money that the woman kept in a sock and admitted to raping her 'after she died,' the ruling said. 'He also admitted to taking several steps to conceal his crimes, which included wiping the door, coffee table, and knife blade with a rag.'
Marks has made strides during his most recent stretch behind bars, according to the ruling.
'Since his last hearing, Mr. Marks has engaged in programming to address his coping skills,' the decision said. 'He has continued his mental health treatment. He has participated in dialectical behavior therapy to address his needs. He has maintained his sobriety. He previously completed SOTP (Sex Offender Treatment Program).'
Marks also 'presented with insight into the causative effects of his behavior. He has previously invested in educational pursuits and has maintained employment.'
Once released, Marks will have to submit to electronic monitoring and testing for drugs and alcohol, attend at least three AA meetings a week, and seek 'mental health counseling for adjustment, trauma, and depression,' the ruling said.
He's currently incarcerated at the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, records show.
Travis Andersen can be reached at