Willie Bennett's Family Recalls Stuart Case 22 Years Later
ROXBURY (CBS) - Sunday is the 22nd anniversary of the Charles Stuart murder case, which rocked the city of Boston.
Stuart allegedly killed his wife Carol and unborn baby in 1989, then told police a black man committed the crime. Police then arrested Willie Bennett, falsely accusing him of the murder.
Stuart later jumped to his death off the Tobin Bridge in 1990 after his story fell apart.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports.
Podcast
It's been more than two decades since, but for Bennett's niece, images of police officers breaking down the door of her family's home looking for her uncle are fresh in her mind. She was only 7 at the time.
"Fifteen officers marching down the hill. They had their big ol' shields in front of them. All of a sudden, I heard this noise, like 'Bang! Bang!' like they were trying to get inside the building, but the door was locked. They had like a big sledgehammer, banging on the door like 'Bang! Bang!,'" said Bennett's niece.
Bennett's niece said police trashed their apartment and Willie wasn't there.
Vida Bennett, who was also in the home at the time, said she'll never get over what happened to her family and how her brother was wrongly accused in the Stuart murder.
"I feel trauma, just as much as the Stuart's. I feel real bad for Carol, I really do, and for that unborn baby," said Vida.
