SALEM, MASS. (WHDH) - A jury found John Carey, 66, guilty of first degree murder in the killing of Claire Gravel on June 29, 1986, the Office of Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker confirms.
Gravel was found dead in the woods near Route 128 in Beverly. Police said she was strangled with her own tank top.
At the time of her death, Gravel was a 20-year-old Salem State University student from North Andover who worked at National Braille Press. Several of her family members attended the trial. On the witness stand, Claire’s brother remembered her as a fun, feisty, and friendly young woman.
Prosecutors say it took years for DNA technology to link Carey to the crime. His sample was put into the system after he was convicted of choking and nearly killing Rosemary Diskin in her Hamilton home in 2007.
In a statement, Tucker wrote, “The family of Claire Gravel has waited 40 long years for justice. The prosecutors here today, together with our partners in law enforcement, never gave up on Claire’s case and today we are pleased that at least the family has some answers – some closure.”
Carey will return to court to be sentenced for Gravel’s murder on March 26. Tucker says the penalty for first degree murder is life without the possibility of parole.
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