HBO’s new Murder in Boston documentary is a ‘painful’ and ‘chilling’ true story
Mia Phillips
Updated on April 03, 2026
HBO’s new documentary series ‘Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage and Reckoning’ is one of the most ‘painful’ and ‘chilling’ true stories in years.
There will always be an innate fascination with true crime and criminally botched police investigations, with a plethora of groundbreaking documentaries available to stream worldwide. This week, HBO is set to premiere a brand new docu-series called ‘Murder in Boston’, which has been widely praised by critics as being one of the most ‘painful’ and ‘chilling’ stories of hate in years. It’s a tough watch, but a must-watch.
Spoiler warning: This article will contain information that is set to be covered in the HBO documentary, Murder in Boston.
Murder in Boston is a ‘painful’ and ‘chilling’ true story
Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage and Reckoning explores the tragic case of Carol Stuart, a tax attorney who was pregnant with her first child when she was brutally murdered in the front seat of her car in 1989.
Directed by The Last Dance’s Jason Hehir and in partnership with The Boston Globe, Murder in Boston is undoubtedly one of the best documentaries of 2023. But its scale and story mean that it isn’t an easy watch – even for the most hardcore true crime fans.
This is because the crime, subsequent police investigation, and intense media coverage were awash with racial discrimination, with the accusation that an African American man committed the killing leading to several innocent black residents being falsely arrested.
As seen in the series, on October 23, 1989, Boston Emergency Medical Services responded to a 911 call of a shooting in the Roxbury neighborhood, which is known as the ‘heart of black culture in Boston’.
Arriving at the scene, medics found Carol Stuart had been shot in the head and her husband Charles (both white) in the stomach. While the pregnant Carol was unconscious, Charles was able to describe the alleged assailant as a black man in a tracksuit, who seemingly came out of nowhere to shoot the couple with a revolver.
Tragically, Carol Stewart died several hours after the shooting and her baby was delivered by emergency cesarean, sadly passing away just two weeks later.
This is where the true story of the Carol Stuart murder case takes shape. Or at least an ‘alleged’ shape, since, despite lead investigators doubting Charles’ story to be wholly accurate, their superiors took his account at face value and believed him to be credible.
Unsurprisingly, the police took the description of a Black male in a tracksuit and ran with it, starting an enormous manhunt for the killer – predominantly in black communities.
In late-October, they arrested a man called Alan Swanson and, in November, another man called William Bennet after Stuart ‘picked him out’ of a police lineup; both men had their identities plastered across media bulletins and newspapers.
Not only were both men innocent of the crime but, in fact, the police had been sent on a wild and racially aggravated goose chase by Charles himself.
In January 1990, his own brother, Matthew, went to the police and confessed that Charles had murdered Carol to collect the life insurance money, before fabricating the story about an African-American murderer.
The story of the killer husband and the racially motivated police investigation was catapulted back into national headlines, but not before Charles reportedly took his own life.
Murder in Boston details the case, investigation, and fallout in far more detail than we could ever cover in one article – making it your must-watch series of the week.
Don’t just take our word for it; critics and fans who have already tuned in have described the documentary as ‘painful’ and ‘chilling’, especially since the case is still recent memory to so many people.
Entertainment Weekly said the documentary “gives voice to the people who were unjustly victimized by law enforcement and examines the legacy of a painful, racist rush to judgment.” The WSJ describes the series as a “captivating crime story, a socio-political treatise and even evidence that life can get better.”
Spent the afternoon watching the new HBO documentary MURDER IN BOSTON from THE LAST DANCE director Jason Hehir. It was excellent, and especially fascinating for this Boston boy, who was only 5 years old when the titular crime occurred. Chilling stuff. Complicated city…
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) December 3, 2023
How to watch Murder in Boston and episode 2 release date
Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage and Reckoning is a three-part documentary series, with the first episode releasing on Monday, December 4.
New episodes premiere at 9 PM ET/PT, with the following two episodes set to premiere weekly on both HBO and the Max streaming service:
- Episode 1 ‘Roots’ – December 4
- Episode 2 ‘Rampage’ – December 11
- Episode 3 ‘Reckoning’ – December 18
Episodes are expected to be available to stream on Max the day after the broadcast on the traditional HBO pay television network.
In addition to HBO being available through your TV provider, Max offers three different subscription offers to new customers hoping to catch Murder in Boston this week:
- Ad-Lite: $9.99 a month, or $99.99 a year
- Ad-Free: $15.99 a month, or $149.99 a year
- Ultimate Ad-Free: $19.99 a month, or $199.99 a year
Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage and Reckoning premieres on December 4.
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