United States of America
SUMPTER
Michael E.
Active from 1969-1975 in Boston, Massachusetts
DID YOU KNOW...
Stupid Fact
Twice neighbours heard screams or disturbing noises, and did not call police
Furlough Fact
Twice Sumpter attacked women while on temporary release from prison
Coincidental Fact
Twice Sumpter chose secretaries as victims
THE DISPATCH
The Beginning
DNA evidence caught up with Michael Sumpter 50 years after his first murder. But death had caught up with him first. Sumpter died in 2001 from cancer. In 2018, he was linked to an old murder through DNA.
Early Crimes
Sumpter was in trouble with the law while still a teenager. On December 13, 1965, the 19-year-old was sentenced for purse snatching. The victim refused to testify in court against Sumpter. She was afraid of retaliation. He was given an indeterminate sentence in reformatory.
The Murders
Jane Sanders Britton
- January 7, 1969
- 6 University Road
Jane Sanders Britton’s father was the Administrative Vice-President of the storied Radcliffe College. Britton was an alumni of Radcliffe and was attending Harvard University for graduate studies.
On January 7, 1969, Cambridge, Massachusetts police received an anonymous call about Britton. They found her half-nude on her bed in a pool of blood. She had been hit many times on the back of the head with something heavy. She had been sexually assaulted. Britton was known to her neighbors as a friendly woman whose door was rarely locked: it was in poor working order.
Media and police paid special attention to her murder because Britton lived in the same building complex as Beverly Samans. Samans had been killed by the Boston Strangler in 1963. It was an unnerving coincidence.
Britton was 23.
Ellen Faith Rutchick
- January 6, 1972
- 483 Beacon St
Almost three years to the day Britton was killed, Ellen Faith Rutchick was murdered in her 10th floor Boston apartment. Rutchick was a secretary who had graduated the University of Minnesota in 1970. She had been visiting with a friend nearby and left at about 11pm. Her walk home only took her about 10 minutes.
In the late evening of the 5th, neighbors of Rutchick heard a scream. No one called police. Co-workers became concerned when she failed to show up at the Colonnade Hotel, where she worked. They went to her home and found her dead.
She died on or very close to January 6. Rutchick was strangled with a stereo speaker cord. She was found partially nude on a sofa bed. The apartment door was ajar, and there was no sign of forced entry.
She was 24.
Prison Time and Furlough for Sumpter
- June 1972
- Boston, Massachusetts
In June, 1972, Sumpter began a 6-10 year prison term for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He would have been eligible for parole in February 1976. While serving time, he was granted furlough. On November 20, 1973, Sumpter failed to return from a furlough. He was still facing another 3 years in jail for assault.
Mary Lee McClain
- December 12, 1973
- 140 Mt. Vernon St
Mary Lee McClain was a secretary for the Boston Alcohol Safety Action Project. She shared a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 other women. Both roommates and a man were in the home that evening, but heard and saw nothing.
McClain was found dead by her roommate in the morning. She had been asphyxiated in her bed. Neighbours had heard a “whimpering” and “muffled screams” followed by footsteps on the fire escape. Police were not notified.
She was 24.
Arrest & More Crimes
Sumpter Arrested
- December 19, 1973
- Boston University Campus
On December 19, 1973, just days after killing McClain, Sumpter was arrested. He was caught purse snatching. He faced unarmed robbery and weapons charges. Sumpter also faced assault and battery charges on a police officer. He was carrying a loaded .38 calibre revolver when arrested. Police had not tied Sumpter to any murders. For these crimes, he was given a 6-10 year term.
Sumpter Rapes Woman While on Work Release
- August 2, 1975
- Beacon St.
In August, 1975, Sumpter was on a work release from prison. He was allowed to leave Norfolk Prison at 5:30am six days a week. He was expected to return from his job at Quincy Home Furnishings by 7:30pm. Authorities did not know the company closed at noon on Saturdays.
Sumpter raped a college student on August 2 at about 4pm. The victim, who was 19, said she let Sumpter in to get a drink of water. He had introduced himself as a new neighbour. He then emerged from the bathroom wearing surgical gloves and attacked her. Sumpter had returned to prison later.
She identified Sumpter within a few days. She had looked at more than 250 police photos at Boston Police Headquarters. Sumpter was and was charged and found guilty. On November 28, 1975, he was sentenced to 15 to 20 years. He had to complete his other sentence of 6-10 years, first.
Sumpter’s Death and DNA Links to Murders
Sumpter Dead
- August 10, 2001
- Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Correctional Unit
Sumpter died on August 10, 2001 of cancer without having been charged with any of his murders.
DNA Link to Rutchick
- February 18, 2010
- Boston, Massachusetts
On February 18 2010, police announced that they matched Sumpter to the murder and sexual assault of Rutchick. Rutchick’s murder from 38 years previous was solved using new forensic methods. After hearing about the advancements of the technology, Rutchick’s family asked authorities if they could re-examine her murder. In July, 2009, the cold case investigators matched DNA from Sumpter to that found at the Rutchick scene. Sumpter’s DNA was in CODIS.
Authorities also matched his DNA to a 1985 rape. It is supposed he was on another work release or furlough at the time.
DNA Link to McClain
- October 18, 2012
- Boston, Massachusetts
Police announced on October 18, 2012, they linked Mary Lee McClain’s murder to Michael Sumpter. Authorities had been unable to compare DNA until they received money to launch a cold case investigation. Investigators had stored evidence from McClain’s attack under laboratory conditions. Sumpter had earlier been required to give the FBI his DNA for a CODIS profile. Based on DNA evidence, police said Sumpter would have been charged if he were alive.
DNA Link to Britton
- November 21, 2018
- Boston, Massachusetts
It took almost half a century to solve Jane Britton’s murder. On November 21, 2018, police told the media that Sumpter was connected to the Britton case through DNA analysis and genealogy DNA. Britton’s murder was the oldest cold case solved by Middlesex prosecutors. Previous forensic testing produced a “soft hit” pointing to Sumpter. It took newer technology to obtain a swab from the Britton crime scene. Investigators then tracked down Sumpter’s brother for a genealogical DNA test. This ruled out the brother and pointed directly at Sumpter. The Britton murder case was closed.
SIMILAR SERIAL KILLERS
Aladár Donászi
Donászi also died on August 10, 2001
Melvin Johnson
Johnson and Sumpter both died from cancer
George Fitzsimmons
Like Sumpter, Fitzsimmons' first murder was in 1969 and last murder was in 1973
THE STATS
Michael E. Sumpter in a Historical Timeline
Statistical table for Michael E. Sumpter
| Killer Name | Sumpter, Michael E. |
| Gender | M |
| Suspected Only | Yes |
| Arrest Date | December 19, 1973 |
| Sentence | Tied to murders only after death |
| Birth Location | Massachusetts USA |
| Birth Date | September 26, 1947 |
| Death Date | August 10, 2001 |
| Deceased | Yes |
| Cause of Death | Natural Causes - cancer |
| Sexual Preference | Straight |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Killer Type | Sexual/Sadistic, Territorial |
| Total Dead Victims | 3 |
| Victims (Misc) | Linked posthumously via DNA to 3 murders |
| Victim Gender | F |
| Victim Race | White |
| Victim Age | 23, 24, 24 |
| Victim Type | Strangers |
| Method of Killing | Strangulation, asphyxiation |
| Weapon | Wire |
| Sex Assault | Yes |
| Binding | Yes |
| Body - Left, Not Hidden | Yes |
| Previous Crimes | robbery, assault and weapons charges, sexual assault |
| Previous Prison Time | 6-10 years, 15-20 years |
| Commit Crimes While Out | Failed to return from furlough - Murder |
Killer Rating
RESOURCES
- The Boston Globe (Dec 13, 1965)
- The Times-Tribune (Jan 08, 1969)
- The Harvard Crimson (Jan 08, 1969)
- The Boston Globe (Jan 21, 1969)
- The Boston Globe Part 1 (Jan 07, 1972)
- The Boston Globe Part 2 (Jan 07, 1972)
- The Boston Globe (Nov 21, 1973)
- The Boston Globe (Dec 13, 1973)
- The Boston Globe (Dec 20, 1973)
- The Boston Globe (Nov 28, 1975)
- Ancestry
- The Boston Globe Part 1 (Feb 18, 2010)
- The Boston Globe Part 2 (Feb 18, 2010)
- The Boston Globe (Oct 19, 2012)
- The Boston Globe Part 1 (Nov 21, 2018)
- The Boston Globe Part 2 (Nov 21, 2018)
E. Kelly Hemingway | Last updated August 22, 2021