The man accused in a 1988 Boston rape and murder is finally on trial. Here's what to know. (2024)

Local News

Judy Chamberlain's body was found stuffed in a sump pump in a the basem*nt of a Boston building decades ago. Now, convicted sex offender Richard Vega is on trial for her murder.

By Ross Cristantiello

June 3, 2024 | 12:38 PM

In July 1988, Judy Chamberlain’s body was found in the basem*nt of a building on D street in South Boston. She had been strangled to death and submerged in a large sump pump. Decades later, registered sex offender Richard Vega was identified as a suspect. His trial begins this week, with jury selection starting on Monday, according to Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office.

Vega, 61, is charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Vega has been incarcerated since 1990, when he was convicted of raping a woman in Revere. He has also been known to use the aliases Carl Vega, Ricardo Vega, and Ricardo Mazzerino.

Chamberlain was found by a maintenance worker inside the former Fargo building at 451 D St. Investigators discovered that Chamberlain had been strangled from behind with a ligature and sexually assaulted, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

Authorities collected a DNA sample from her body during the initial investigation, which was later submitted to the FBI’s Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS). The database is used to compare DNA samples from unknown assailants with those of known offenders in other cases, according to Hayden’s office.

In 2011, Vega was identified as a suspect after his DNA profile was matched with that of Chamberlain’s suspected killer. Investigators began looking into Chamberlain’s death again, but did not have enough evidence to convict Vega at the time.

They learned that he was charged with rape in 1987, released on bail, and taken into custody again in 1990. In that case, Vega was convicted on three counts of rape in connection with the attack of a 72-year-old woman in Revere. He was sentenced to a term of 19 and a half to 20 years in state prison for those offenses, and was required to submit a DNA sample, according to court documents.

As his sentence neared its end, prosecutors petitioned to have him civilly committed under the state’s Sexually Dangerous Person statute. A jury found him sexually dangerous in 2008, extending his imprisonment, according to Hayden’s office.

In 2019, former Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins launched a new cold case initiative to “review unsolved homicide cases with fresh eyes, renewed interest, and a deep commitment to help residents who lost a loved one to violence.”

As a result, investigators learned that Vega was working as a flooring subcontractor in Boston and the North Shore around the time of Chamberlain’s death. The Fargo building was undergoing major renovations, and a witness told investigators that they hired Vega to do work in the building.

Detectives interviewed Vega. He denied doing any work for that witness or in the Fargo building in general. Vega was shown photos of Chamberlain, but denied ever having seen her before. He also denied ever having paid sex workers before, as investigators believe Chamberlain was working as a sex worker at the time of her murder.

Vega was told about the biological evidence linking him to her death, but continued to deny any connection to Chamberlain for the Fargo building, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

Eventually, enough evidence was collected to present a case to a Suffolk County grand jury. An indictment was returned on Aug. 30, 2021, charging Vega with Chamberlain’s murder.

“This trial represents a good outcome for DNA science and a good outcome for those investigators who worked this terrible crime when it occurred and those who took it up again upon developing the new evidence. But most importantly it is a solemn moment for Judy Chamberlain’s family and friends, who after so many years will have the opportunity to see a defendant answer for Judy’s tragic death,” Hayden said in a statement.

After news of the indictment broke in 2021, Chamberlain’s brother released a statement to The Boston Globe.

“Our family has waited 33 years for someone to be arrested for the brutal death of our sister Judy,’’ he said in the statement. “We thank all of those involved in his capture. Our sister can now lay in peace and our family has closure. We love and miss you Judy.”