It was Saturday, November 24th, 1973, two days after Thanksgiving. Thirty-year-old Ethel Higonnet, a fellow of Radcliffe Institute and the wife of Harvard professor Patrice Higonnet, was walking in Longfellow Park only a few blocks from her home when she was suddenly set upon by an unknown assailant at around five-forty-five p.m.
According to a fourteen-year-old girl who witnessed the early stages of the incident, Ethel was approached from behind by a thin, dark-haired man who was staggering like a drunk, who proceeded to grab his victim and attempt to drag her away. Ethel reportedly struggled and fought the man, but was pushed deeper into the park and eventually into a thick clump of bushes. Neighbors alerted police after hearing a gunshot, but by the time officers arrived at the scene, it was too late.
Ethel Higonnet was found naked from the waist down, dead of a single bullet wound through the head. It appeared as though her attacker had been attempting to rape her, but then shot her instead after fearing that her struggles and screams would attract too much attention.
The murder, taking place in a relatively affluent neighborhood, stunned the college community, and it appeared that investigators had few clues to go on. Making the case even more baffling was the fact that only three days later, a secretary at Harvard named Barbara Brown sustained a serious head wound after an unidentified assailant threw a brick at her. Though it was speculated that the two crimes might have been related, witness descriptions of the perpetrators differed enough that police surmised they were likely dealing with unrelated occurrences.
The murder of Ethel Higonnet remains a dark and nearly forgotten chapter in the storied history of Harvard University.
Crime Immemorial 