**Man Found Guilty of Murdering Salem State University Student 40 Years Ago**
Forty years after the murder of a Salem State University student, a jury has found John Carey, 66, of Gloucester, guilty of first-degree murder, according to prosecutors.
Carey was convicted Tuesday in Essex County Superior Court for the killing of Claire Gravel, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release. He was originally indicted on the murder charge in 2022.
Claire Gravel was a 20-year-old sophomore from North Andover who worked at National Braille Press. In June 1986, Carey strangled her to death, an act jurors described in their verdict as one marked by “extreme atrocity and cruelty.”
Investigators found that Gravel had been out with friends on the night of June 29. A friend dropped her off at her apartment in the early hours of June 30. Later that day, her body was discovered on the side of Route 128 in Beverly.
At the time of Carey’s indictment, prosecutors revealed that a new lead had developed in 2012. Key evidence recovered from Gravel’s clothing significantly advanced the investigation. During the trial, another critical breakthrough came from DNA testing, which showed samples matching Carey’s on a black tank top used to strangle Gravel.
“What he left behind was his genetic blueprint on the murder weapon,” Deputy First Assistant District Attorney Kim Faitella said during Monday’s closing arguments.
Gravel’s family, including her father and brothers, attended the trial. Her brother, James Gravel of Manchester, New Hampshire, remembered her on the witness stand as “a fun, feisty, and friendly young woman.”
At the time of the indictment, Carey was serving a prison term for an unrelated attempted murder conviction from 2008. Prosecutors also noted that Carey had previously been a person of interest in the investigation into Gravel’s murder.
Carey now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Claire Gravel. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26.
“The family of Claire Gravel has waited 40 long years for justice,” District Attorney Paul Tucker said in the press release. “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’s attorney, Mark Booker, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2026/03/03/salem-state-students-killer-convicted-40-years-after-her-murder-prosecutors-say/
