If It Happened Now: A Boston Lie — The Charles Stuart Case
On October 23, 1989, a car-phone call sent Boston into a frenzy. Charles Stuart claimed that a Black gunman had shot him and his pregnant wife, Carol. His accusation placed innocent Black men under suspicion and gave the city a story it was prepared to believe.
In this installment of If This Happened Now, Steph examines Charles’ lie, the people who paid for it and whether modern technology would expose him sooner—or give investigators more information to interpret through the same assumptions.
• Carol DiMaiti Stuart was a 30-year-old Boston College graduate and tax attorney, not simply “the pregnant wife.”
• Carol was about seven and a half months pregnant. Her son, Christopher, was delivered by cesarean section and lived for 17 days.
• Charles’ description of a Black attacker sent police flooding into Mission Hill.
• Detectives noticed early problems involving his route, the car’s dome light and its unusually clean back seat.
• Alan Swanson spent approximately three weeks in jail but was never charged with Carol’s murder.
• Willie Bennett was targeted through changing witness statements, raids and a lineup in which Charles claimed to be 99 percent certain.
• James Moody, a Black man killed in Boston that same night, received far less attention.
• Charles’ brother Matthew eventually told investigators that Charles had asked for help staging a robbery.
• A 2023 Boston Globe investigation found that at least 33 people had heard Charles was responsible before Matthew went to police.
• Modern phones, cameras and forensic testing could weaken the lie—but a false accusation could spread online even faster.
• Boston formally apologized in 2023. In 2025, the city agreed to pay Willie $100,000 and Alan $50,000 without admitting liability.
Time Stamps:
00:01 — The call that sent Boston into a frenzy
02:29 — Introducing If This Happened Now
03:32 — Remembering Carol Stuart
04:25 — The shooting and Christopher’s 17 days
05:23 — An accusation built on race
06:23 — Mission Hill under suspicion
07:46 — Political pressure and early theories
09:14 — Questions investigators should have asked
10:09 — Problems with the route and car
11:06 — Alan Swanson and the tracksuit
13:27 — Willie Bennett, the raids and lineup
15:49 — Charles identifies an innocent man
16:17 — The Bennett family seeks accountability
17:12 — James Moody’s overlooked death
18:08 — Matthew Stuart and the recovered gun
19:13 — The 33 people who heard the truth
20:10 — Matthew goes to police
21:08 — No trial and unanswered questions
22:03 — The Boston Globe reinvestigation
23:29 — The unsupported insurance claim
23:56 — Phones, cameras and forensics now
25:53 — How the accusation could spread online
26:45 — Information versus interpretation
28:22 — The limits of lineup safeguards
29:19 — Body cameras and recorded interviews
30:18 — A false accusation travels farther now
31:15 — The apologies and settlements
33:36 — Where responsibility lies
34:35 — Evidence or the easiest suspect?
35:05 — Questions for listeners
If Carol’s murder happened now, which would move faster: the evidence exposing Charles or the accusation against a Black stranger? Would technology have protected Willie Bennett and Alan Swanson—or made the suspicion permanent online? Do you believe Charles acted alone?
Catch up on the earlier If This Happened Now episodes featuring Carlesha Freeland-Gaither and the Austin Ripper.
Follow Murder in the Black, leave a five-star rating and review, and share the episode.
Instagram: @murderintheblack
Facebook: Murder in the Black Podcast
Email: [email protected]
Steph: @stepher_
In this installment of If This Happened Now, Steph examines Charles’ lie, the people who paid for it and whether modern technology would expose him sooner—or give investigators more information to interpret through the same assumptions.
• Carol DiMaiti Stuart was a 30-year-old Boston College graduate and tax attorney, not simply “the pregnant wife.”
• Carol was about seven and a half months pregnant. Her son, Christopher, was delivered by cesarean section and lived for 17 days.
• Charles’ description of a Black attacker sent police flooding into Mission Hill.
• Detectives noticed early problems involving his route, the car’s dome light and its unusually clean back seat.
• Alan Swanson spent approximately three weeks in jail but was never charged with Carol’s murder.
• Willie Bennett was targeted through changing witness statements, raids and a lineup in which Charles claimed to be 99 percent certain.
• James Moody, a Black man killed in Boston that same night, received far less attention.
• Charles’ brother Matthew eventually told investigators that Charles had asked for help staging a robbery.
• A 2023 Boston Globe investigation found that at least 33 people had heard Charles was responsible before Matthew went to police.
• Modern phones, cameras and forensic testing could weaken the lie—but a false accusation could spread online even faster.
• Boston formally apologized in 2023. In 2025, the city agreed to pay Willie $100,000 and Alan $50,000 without admitting liability.
Time Stamps:
00:01 — The call that sent Boston into a frenzy
02:29 — Introducing If This Happened Now
03:32 — Remembering Carol Stuart
04:25 — The shooting and Christopher’s 17 days
05:23 — An accusation built on race
06:23 — Mission Hill under suspicion
07:46 — Political pressure and early theories
09:14 — Questions investigators should have asked
10:09 — Problems with the route and car
11:06 — Alan Swanson and the tracksuit
13:27 — Willie Bennett, the raids and lineup
15:49 — Charles identifies an innocent man
16:17 — The Bennett family seeks accountability
17:12 — James Moody’s overlooked death
18:08 — Matthew Stuart and the recovered gun
19:13 — The 33 people who heard the truth
20:10 — Matthew goes to police
21:08 — No trial and unanswered questions
22:03 — The Boston Globe reinvestigation
23:29 — The unsupported insurance claim
23:56 — Phones, cameras and forensics now
25:53 — How the accusation could spread online
26:45 — Information versus interpretation
28:22 — The limits of lineup safeguards
29:19 — Body cameras and recorded interviews
30:18 — A false accusation travels farther now
31:15 — The apologies and settlements
33:36 — Where responsibility lies
34:35 — Evidence or the easiest suspect?
35:05 — Questions for listeners
If Carol’s murder happened now, which would move faster: the evidence exposing Charles or the accusation against a Black stranger? Would technology have protected Willie Bennett and Alan Swanson—or made the suspicion permanent online? Do you believe Charles acted alone?
Catch up on the earlier If This Happened Now episodes featuring Carlesha Freeland-Gaither and the Austin Ripper.
Follow Murder in the Black, leave a five-star rating and review, and share the episode.
Instagram: @murderintheblack
Facebook: Murder in the Black Podcast
Email: [email protected]
Steph: @stepher_