Boston Mayor Apologizes To The Families Of Two Black Men Who Were Wrongfully Arrested For A 1989 Murder

On Wednesday, Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston issued an apology to the families of Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett, two Black men who were mistakenly arrested in connection with the 1989 murder of Carol Stuart.

“I am so sorry for what you endured,” Wu said. “As a result, our Black residents suffered, as a result Alan Swanson suffered, Willie Bennett suffered, and their families continue to suffer. What was done to you was unfair, unjust, racist and wrong.”

In 1989, Boston police officers responded to a 911 call from Charles “Chuck” Stuart, reporting a shooting during an attempted carjacking involving him and his pregnant wife, Carol. Officers quickly located the couple in their car, both injured – Carol with a gunshot wound to the head and her husband also shot.

Carol was transported to a hospital where her baby was delivered via cesarean section. Sadly, she succumbed to her injuries later. The infant survived for 17 days. During his recovery, Chuck informed the police that they had been assaulted by a Black man. This identification triggered an intense police “stop and frisk” initiative in Boston’s Black neighborhoods, exacerbating existing racial tensions in the city. As a result, Swanson and Bennett was arrested for the murder of Stuart.

However, a recent Boston Globe investigation has brought to light that, at the time of the incident, numerous officers were already aware that Chuck’s initial description of his attacker was false. Stuart’s brother later admitted to the police that Chuck had orchestrated the murder as part of an insurance fraud scheme, falsely attributing the attack to a Black man.