Overview
- Jurors found Carey guilty of first-degree murder with extreme cruelty and atrocity in the killing of 20-year-old Claire Gravel.
- Gravel was last seen after visiting a Salem pub on June 29, 1986, and her body was found the next day in Beverly; the medical examiner ruled strangulation.
- Prosecutors said a 2012 investigative lead and evidence recovered from Gravel’s clothing led investigators to Carey and proved pivotal in solving the case.
- Carey was already serving a 20-year sentence for a 2007 attempted strangulation and was indicted in the Gravel case while incarcerated at MCI Concord for a 2008 conviction.
- The defense challenged the case by citing gaps in the 1986 investigation and inconsistencies in long-term witness statements, while prosecutors alleged a sexualized strangulation motive.