Ep 2. Boston Strangler Redux

In Rizzoli & Isles season 1 episode 2, titled "Boston Strangler Redux," Detective Jane Rizzoli and Medical Examiner Maura Isles investigate a series of murders that seem to be a copycat of the infamous Boston Strangler case from the 1960s.

The episode begins with Rizzoli and Isles examining the body of a young woman found strangled in her apartment. The crime scene is eerily similar to those of the Boston Strangler, causing Rizzoli to suspect that a copycat killer is on the loose.

The investigation takes Rizzoli and Isles to a local university where they question Professor Warren Hoyt, an expert on the Boston Strangler case. Hoyt is initially uncooperative, but eventually admits to teaching a class on the Strangler and even recommending the book "The Boston Strangler" to one of his students, Timothy. When Rizzoli and Isles track down Timothy, they find him dead in his apartment, also strangled.

As the body count rises, Rizzoli and Isles struggle to find any concrete leads. However, they suspect that the killer may be targeting women who are tied to the original Boston Strangler case. This suspicion is confirmed when they discover that one of the victims was the daughter of a witness who testified against Albert DeSalvo, the man believed to be the original Boston Strangler.

With this new information, Rizzoli and Isles track down Albert DeSalvo's son, who tells them that his father was not the real Boston Strangler. He reveals that his father was forced to take the blame for the murders after he was caught breaking and entering. The real killer, he claims, was a man named Frank who worked at the same factory as his father.

Rizzoli and Isles track down Frank, who is now living in a nursing home. Frank initially denies any involvement in the murders, but when Rizzoli threatens to notify the nursing home staff about his criminal past, he finally confesses. He reveals that he was responsible for the Boston Strangler murders and that he is now committing copycat murders to keep the memory of the original murders alive.

The episode ends with Rizzoli and Isles apprehending Frank and putting an end to the copycat murders. While the case is solved, Rizzoli and Isles are left shaken by the fact that the Boston Strangler case, which they had previously thought was closed, may still hold secrets.