Brother Called ‘Frankenstein’ in Wife’s Slaying

Charles Stuart, who accused a black mugger of killing his pregnant wife only to become the prime suspect himself, is being called a “Frankenstein’s monster” by his brother, who also charges police with botching the murder investigation.

Michael Stuart broke his silence in the case, the October, 1989, murder of Carol DiMaiti Stuart, in an interview published in Friday’s Boston Herald.

Michael said he concluded only days after the killing that his brother, Charles, was responsible, but he still believes someone else pulled the trigger.

Carol was shot in the car Charles was driving after they left a hospital birthing class. He was also shot but called police on his car phone, leading them to the scene of the crime.

The killing set off the biggest manhunt in Boston history for a black man Charles said had committed the crime. The city’s black community was outraged by events in the investigation, which allegedly included threats against some witnesses to testify against a man Charles fingered but who was ultimately exonerated.

Charles Stuart apparently leaped to his death on Jan. 3, 1990, after another brother, Matthew, implicated him in the killing. Matthew Stuart pleaded guilty this month to insurance fraud and related crimes and was sentenced to up to five years in prison.

The twisted murder tale has obsessed Boston and no one has been charged with the killing since Charles Stuart apparently committed suicide by jumping into Boston Harbor.