A woman who survived being choked and nearly murdered by a man in 2007 took the stand in a separate murder case against that man Wednesday, testifying about the terrifying attack that happened in her home in Hamilton.
John Carey is accused of killing a Salem State University student in 1986. The victim, Claire Gravel, was found dead in the woods in Beverly. Police said she was strangled with her own tank top.
Police were able to link Carey to Gravel’s murder after he was convicted of choking and nearly killing Rosemarie Diskin in 2007. DNA evidence left at that scene helped crack the murder case against him.
Diskin took the stand in Carey’s murder trial Wednesday, testifying that Carey, who lived near her at the time, came into her home and strangled her.
“He used to live the next street over, and I knew his ex-wife,” Diskin said. She was also asked if she was friends with Carey, and replied, “no.”
Carey’s defense attorney argues that the prosecution has the wrong man, and Beverly police did not fully investigate all of the suspects.
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