Kenneth Harrison

Kenneth Francis Harrison (September 4, 1938 – April 20, 1989), known as The Giggler, was an American serial killer who killed four people in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1967 to 1969, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He earned his nickname from calling the authorities after each killing, professing it was the killer speaking and uncontrollably giggling before hanging up. Harrison died in hospital in 1989, following a suicide attempt by overdosing on medication.

Early life Kenneth Francis Harrison was born on September 4, 1938, in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, one of two children of Earl Harrison and his Polish-born wife Veronica (née Zemotel). Little is known about his personal life, but after finishing the eighth grade, Harrison became an unemployed itinerant cook who lived in various rooming houses around the South End, and sometimes inside South Station.

Murders On April 15, 1967, 6-year-old Lucy Palmarin, originally from Puerto Rico, was sent by her parents to turn in a tonic bottle in a public housing project in Boston. When she failed to return home for dinner, her disappearance was reported to the authorities, who launched an all-out search for Palmarin. They questioned numerous neighbors, searched various abandoned buildings and isolated areas, but were initially unable to find her. According to a playmate of Palmarin, she was last seen climbing into a black Sedan driven by an unfamiliar man – this greatly alarmed her family, as Palmarin did not speak English and was not very well acquainted with anyone in the area.

On May 24, two teenagers walking towards Broadway station noticed something wedged between some rubbish thrown into the Fort Point Channel, and upon closer inspection, they realized that it was the body of a little girl. Her death was listed as drowning, but at the time, it was presumed to have been accidental. The finding was quickly reported to the authorities, who recovered it and brought it to local mortuary, where it was positively identified as that of Lucy Palmarin by one of her brothers. Upon hearing of the discovery, Palmarin's mother fainted and had to be driven to a hospital for treatment. She was identified via her identity papers, which were still on her body, and despite the similarities with Palmarin's death two years prior, her death was also ruled accidental. When he got to the platform, he was approached by Harrison, who convinced him to play around with him instead and then accompany him to his living space inside the station. Upon entering a tunnel under South Station, Harrison strangled Martin with a piece of twine and then covered the body with a canvas, which he left in the tunnel. Martin's body was found ten days later by a detective searching through the station, and he was positively identified by a friend of his.

Arrest, investigation and trial Unbeknownst to Harrison, multiple witnesses had seen him accompanying the boy on the day of his disappearance, which was later relayed to the authorities. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and after receiving an anonymous tip, police officers traced Harrison to the Biltmore Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was arrested on the following day. Harrison offered no resistance and waived extradition to Boston, where he was soon charged with Martin's murder. A few days later, he was arraigned on additional murder charges for the deaths of Palmarin, Parker and Breen. After consulting with a lawyer, she decided to call the police and told them what had happened.

In spite of his pleas and claims that another unnamed individual had participated in the crime, Harrison was found guilty of Martin's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. From there, he was transferred to serve his sentence at MCI-Walpole, where he would await trial for the three other murders. In June 1972, Harrison pleaded guilty to the remaining murders, explaining how he had carried them out in detail. At said trial, his attorney requested that he be allowed to serve his sentences at the Bridgewater State Hospital, but this was denied by the presiding judge, who said that this decision was beyond the court's jurisdiction.

On April 20, 1989, Harrison was found slumped on the floor of his room by staff members and quickly transported to St. Luke's Hospital in Middleborough, where he subsequently died. An autopsy confirmed that he had deliberately taken an overdose of Elavil, an antidepressant which he had been prescribed. This claim was denied by Wesley Profit, Bridgerwater's chief clinical psychologist, who claimed that he had personally made the decision not to place him on suicide watch. According to him, Harrison's suicide attempt was not the result of his depression, but an attempt to embarrass hospital staff that gone awry.