
A chilling cold case hailing from Boston dating 44 years back has finally been solved after a man from Oregon walked into an FBI office, confessing to the murder and rape of a woman in 1979.
The accused, John Michael Irmer, aged 68, was presented in a Boston court on Monday. He stands charged for the murder of Susan Marcia Rose, a 24-year-old woman whose life was tragically cut short on October 30, 1979. These details were presented by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
In an unexpected turn of events back in August, Irmer voluntarily surrendered himself at a Portland FBI field office. He proceeded to share with agents the grim tale of him meeting a ginger-haired woman at a Boston skating rink, around the time of Halloween in the year 1979. Irmer confessed to not only the killing but also performed sexual acts on her post her demise.
The assault took place at 285 Beacon Street, a building which was undergoing renovation at the time. He expressed ghastly details of grabbing a hammer and repeatedly hitting the woman until she succumbed to her injuries.
Upon his confession, the authorities successfully corroborated the details he provided with reports on Rose, who indeed had red hair and was discovered dead on Beacon Street. This historically known avenue is in close proximity to the city’s heart. The postmortem reports mentioned the cause of death as multiple blunt injuries suffered on the head, leading to skull fractures and brain lacerations.
The investigators, through DNA profiling, matched a sample from Irmer with those secured from the crime scene. In an interesting development, the DA’s office revealed that another individual had been previously tried for Rose’s murder in 1981 but was eventually acquitted. No information was further shared about this prior case.
During the Monday arraignment, Assistant District Attorney John Verner brought to light the fact that Irmer, while confessing to Rose’s murder, also admitted to committing another homicide in a state down south. Authorities are currently delving into this admission.
A further revelation was made – Irmer had spent approximately three decades in prison for another murder case in California. However, Steven J. Sack, Irmer’s attorney present in court, mentioned his client did not resist the authorities and willingly faced the charges.
Presently, John Michael Irmer is in custody and held without bail.
District Attorney Kevin Hayden spoke for the victim’s family and friends, stating that after losing Susan Marcia Rose prematurely, they would finally get some semblance of closure. This horrifying murder, he described, was made even more unsettling by the fact that a wrong man was once on trial for this very case. Fortunately, justice hadn’t been mis-served, as the individual was found not guilty. However, the real criminal remained silent until now, allowing the case to grow cold. He empathised with the grief and loss endured by the loved ones of the deceased, claiming that resolution of such cold cases were indeed important for the closure they deserved.
In conclusion, the Suffolk County’s Attorney Office refused to comment further on Irmer’s case at this juncture.