The Downs Road Monster and the Charles Sanford murders are somewhat related because the murders happened near the southern end of Downs Road. There’s not a direct line, but Sanford may be how stories of the Downs Road Monster began.

The whole thing is a bizarre tale. Sanford definitely had a mental illness but he likely snapped because his uncle — no joke — was murdered by a cult in New Haven.

http://www.murderbygaslight.com/2013/03/murdered-by-maniac-guest-post-by-james.html?m=1