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Boston Pays $150,000 to Two Men Wrongly Linked to 1989 Stuart Murder

The payout marks formal recognition of harm following renewed scrutiny of a false accusation that reshaped policing in Boston.

Mayor Michelle Wu and Alan Swanson arrive for a press conference and public apology to Swanson and Willie Bennett at City Hall in Boston on Dec. 20, 2023.
Boston, MA- Joey Bennett, nephew of Willie Bennett, (R) and Alan Swanson after the ceremony as the Mayor apologizes to the families of the Bennetts and Alan Swanson, who were accused in the Charles Stuart murder case on Dec. 20.
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Willie Bennett's family spoke together for the first time after the city of Boston officially apologized to him for a wrong decades earlier.

Overview

  • The mayor’s office confirmed Tuesday that Willie Bennett received $100,000 and Alan Swanson received $50,000, with few details released about the agreement.
  • The settlement follows a December 2023 public apology by Mayor Michelle Wu that came after a Boston Globe investigation and an HBO documentary revisited the case.
  • Charles Stuart killed his wife, Carol DiMaiti Stuart, in 1989 and later died by suicide as his fabricated account unraveled.
  • Police tactics driven by Stuart’s false claim led to widespread stops and harassment in Mission Hill, and neither Bennett nor Swanson was ever charged in the murder.
  • Advocates criticized the payment as too small, and city documents show the men released all related claims against Boston as part of the settlement.