ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of the Charles Stuart. Stuart did the unthinkable on October 23, 1989, when he fatally shot his pregnant 30-year-old wife, Carol Stuart, in the head while the couple sat in their car in the Mission Hill district of Boston, Massachusetts. The case is a sad example of how playing the race card can easily ignite racial tensions, while leading the authorities awry as the killer sought, but failed, to commit the perfect crime. As the investigation proceeded into the murder mystery, authorities briefly considered the possibility that the injuries suffered by Charles Stuart may have been self-inflicted. The police immediately issued an arrest warrant for Charles Stuart for the murders of Carol and Christopher Stuart. The elements of uxoricide, infanticide, racism, family cover-up, and a rush to judgment made the murder of Carol Stuart and her newborn child by Charles Stuart an almost-made-for-television drama, inspiring a slew of projects for the small screen.
