The Yuppie Murder on ID: What happened to Carol Stuart? 

The Yuppie Murder revisits the terrifying shooting of a young married couple, Charles and Carol Stuart, during what was initially reported as a robbery. The episode is set to air on Saturday, August 17, 2024, on Investigation Discovery at 10:00 p.m. It covers one of the most shocking and influential crimes to rock Boston in the late 1980s.

The tragedy that struck the Mission Hill neighborhood left the city gripped by fear and outrage. Carol Stuart, who was seven months pregnant, succumbed to her injuries, and the baby boy she was carrying did not survive. Charles Stuart was shot in his abdomen but survived, and his hysterical account of the attack at first sent police on an extensive manhunt for a black man.

However, as the investigation progressed, suspicions began building that it was not such a random act of violence but something far more sinister. Evidence pointed out the shocking possibility that the attack might have been part of some premeditated plan concocted by Charles himself.

The Yuppie Murder zooms in on this harrowing incident, focusing on the personal effects on the victims and the rigorous efforts law enforcers had to put in to uncover the truth.

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The fateful night: What happened to Carol Stuart?

On the evening of October 23, 1989, Charles and Carol Stuart were returning from a birthing class at Brigham and Women's Hospital when Charles dialed 911, telling the operator he and his wife had been ambushed by an unknown black man.

He described the attacker as a tall man who had shot him and his wife during a robbery in the Mission Hill neighborhood. While Charles sustained a bullet wound in his abdomen, Carol was shot in the head. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Carol Stuart succumbed to the attack, and the baby boy she gave birth to prematurely died four days after it was delivered.

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The Investigation: A city gripped by fear and misguided search

Following the shooting, Boston police launched an intensive city-wide manhunt for a black man based on the very vague description given by Charles Stuart. The search led to numerous wrongful arrests, including that of Willie Bennett, who became a prime suspect due to his previous criminal record and general resemblance to the suspect's description.

The police focused their investigation on black communities across the city, creating a tense atmosphere as the massive manhunt for Carol Stuart's killer dominated the front pages of the newspapers.

However, the case took a dramatic turn with the sudden announcement of some shocking revelations against Charles Stuart. His own brother, Matthew, came forward to the police, stating that Charles was guilty of his wife's murder.

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The shocking truth: Charles Stuart's betrayal

On January 3, 1990, Matthew Stuart disclosed to authorities that he believed his brother, Charles, was the mastermind behind the plan to kill his wife and make it look like a robbery.

He further admitted to having disposed of the murder weapon and other pieces of evidence following Charles' instructions. Matthew had believed all along that the plot was part of an insurance scam on his wife's life. This confession opened the case, and the police closed in on him.

Following this, Charles Stuart tragically ended his own life by jumping from Boston's Tobin Bridge. His death brought an end to a case that had not only shattered a family but deeply affected an entire city.

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In the years following the tragedy, Carol Stuart's family established a foundation in her memory, the Carol DiMaiti Stuart Foundation, which provides scholarships to students from Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood.