Main South Woodsman | |
---|---|
Details | |
Victims | 3–5 |
Span of crimes | 2002 – 2004 (possibly until 2007) |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Massachusetts |
The Main South Woodsman is an unidentified serial killer who murdered between three and five prostitutes in Worcester, Massachusetts from 2002 to 2007. His nickname derives from the Main South neighborhood, where he picked up most of his victims.
The prime suspect in the murders, Alex Scesny, was identified in 2008, due to the fact he had a history of sexual abuse and was suspected in the murder of a sex worker. Although convicted of the aforementioned offenses, he has never been charged in the Main South Woodsman cases, all of which remain unsolved.
All of the Woodsman's known victims were Hispanic girls and women with slim builds, short statures, dark hair color and aged between 29 and 42 at the time of their deaths. [1] Each of them engaged in prostitution in some way, and suffered from drug addiction.
In order to solve the case, the FBI formed a task force, and with the help from profilers based in New Jersey, they made a psychological profile of the suspect. [11] According to the profile, the perpetrator was likely a blue-collar worker (possibly a construction worker, maintenance worker or truck driver); aged 28–41; fond of fishing and hunting; likely drove a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle; from a dysfunctional family where he possibly experienced physical or sexual abuse that led to him developing feelings of hatred towards his mother; unmarried; addicted to pornography and frequented Worcester's red-light districts. [12] Experts also speculated that he lived in Worcester or neighboring cities for a long time, had possibly been incarcerated before, was a voyeur and tortured animals. [12]
In May 2008, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office announced that they had a prime suspect - 38-year-old Alex F. Scesny, a resident of Berlin who had recently been charged with the rape of a female friend in West Boylston and the cold case murder of 39-year-old prostitute Theresa K. Stone, who had been beaten and strangled to death in Fitchburg in 1996. [13]
Since 1996, Scesny displayed aggressive behavior towards women and had been arrested on several occasions for assault and rape. [14] In 1996, he was arrested on charges of beating a prostitute, rape and attempted strangulation of a woman, and sexually assaulting a young girl. However, some of the charges were later dropped after the victims failed to appear in court, and the rest were reduced, due to which he received a relatively lenient sentence. [14]
In 2002, Scesny was indicted for the rape of a girl in Harwich, whom he had attempted to strangle with a necktie. [14] He was eventually arrested and almost went to trial, but because his victim died, the charges against him were dropped and the criminal case closed, as the charges hinged solely on the rape victim's testimony. In addition, it was found that Scesny's family owned a farm in Marlborough, which was coincidentally near the school where the remains of Rudy, Montalvo and Torres were found. Scesny himself lived in the city at the time, and was reportedly well acquainted with the area. [11]
When interrogated about the Woodsman murders, Scesny categorically refused to cooperate and denied guilt. [15] In the spring of 2012, he was convicted for the murder of Stone and sentenced to life imprisonment, but was acquitted of the West Boylston rape. He attempted to have his conviction overturned in 2015, but did not succeed. [15]
As of August 2023, Scesny has not been charged with any of the other murders, although he remains a suspect. Currently, both the confirmed and suspected murders all remain unsolved.
Main South Woodsman | |
---|---|
Details | |
Victims | 3–5 |
Span of crimes | 2002 – 2004 (possibly until 2007) |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Massachusetts |
The Main South Woodsman is an unidentified serial killer who murdered between three and five prostitutes in Worcester, Massachusetts from 2002 to 2007. His nickname derives from the Main South neighborhood, where he picked up most of his victims.
The prime suspect in the murders, Alex Scesny, was identified in 2008, due to the fact he had a history of sexual abuse and was suspected in the murder of a sex worker. Although convicted of the aforementioned offenses, he has never been charged in the Main South Woodsman cases, all of which remain unsolved.
All of the Woodsman's known victims were Hispanic girls and women with slim builds, short statures, dark hair color and aged between 29 and 42 at the time of their deaths. [1] Each of them engaged in prostitution in some way, and suffered from drug addiction.
In order to solve the case, the FBI formed a task force, and with the help from profilers based in New Jersey, they made a psychological profile of the suspect. [11] According to the profile, the perpetrator was likely a blue-collar worker (possibly a construction worker, maintenance worker or truck driver); aged 28–41; fond of fishing and hunting; likely drove a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle; from a dysfunctional family where he possibly experienced physical or sexual abuse that led to him developing feelings of hatred towards his mother; unmarried; addicted to pornography and frequented Worcester's red-light districts. [12] Experts also speculated that he lived in Worcester or neighboring cities for a long time, had possibly been incarcerated before, was a voyeur and tortured animals. [12]
In May 2008, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office announced that they had a prime suspect - 38-year-old Alex F. Scesny, a resident of Berlin who had recently been charged with the rape of a female friend in West Boylston and the cold case murder of 39-year-old prostitute Theresa K. Stone, who had been beaten and strangled to death in Fitchburg in 1996. [13]
Since 1996, Scesny displayed aggressive behavior towards women and had been arrested on several occasions for assault and rape. [14] In 1996, he was arrested on charges of beating a prostitute, rape and attempted strangulation of a woman, and sexually assaulting a young girl. However, some of the charges were later dropped after the victims failed to appear in court, and the rest were reduced, due to which he received a relatively lenient sentence. [14]
In 2002, Scesny was indicted for the rape of a girl in Harwich, whom he had attempted to strangle with a necktie. [14] He was eventually arrested and almost went to trial, but because his victim died, the charges against him were dropped and the criminal case closed, as the charges hinged solely on the rape victim's testimony. In addition, it was found that Scesny's family owned a farm in Marlborough, which was coincidentally near the school where the remains of Rudy, Montalvo and Torres were found. Scesny himself lived in the city at the time, and was reportedly well acquainted with the area. [11]
When interrogated about the Woodsman murders, Scesny categorically refused to cooperate and denied guilt. [15] In the spring of 2012, he was convicted for the murder of Stone and sentenced to life imprisonment, but was acquitted of the West Boylston rape. He attempted to have his conviction overturned in 2015, but did not succeed. [15]
As of August 2023, Scesny has not been charged with any of the other murders, although he remains a suspect. Currently, both the confirmed and suspected murders all remain unsolved.