Jane Doe No More
Page 30
Beyond the book, I want to extend my immense thanks to Andrew “Fazz” Farrell, Anita Bezjak, Therese Hegarty, Geoff Fitzpatrick, Alex Barry, John Luscombe, and everyone else at Beyond Productions in Australia who have believed in me all these years, along with my Dark Minds road crew: Colette “Coco” Sandstedt, Geoff “Sausage” Thomas, Jared Transfield, Julie Haire, Elizabeth Daley, Jeremy Adair, Paddy, and Jen Longhurst; along with my producers at Investigation Discovery: Jeanie Vink, Sara Kozak (senior vice president of production), and Sucheta Sachdev. David Schaefer (director of communications) has become a great mentor in all things media, and I appreciate Dave’s love for and dedication to Dark Minds. Likewise, Nancy Wilson and Heather Lyons are great assets to the ID team; both have become great friends. A special shout-out to Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery, who has been behind my show since day one.
I would be negligent not to mention all the booksellers throughout New England and beyond—the indie stores and the chains—who have supported me and talked up my books to their customers (thank you from the bottom of my heart); and my readers: You are the most wonderful people—thank you for sticking with me all these years!
Lastly, thanks to my immediate family (Matty, Jordon, April, and Regina), who have stood behind me forever.
Finally, Donna Palomba would like to express her appreciation.
First and foremost, I must acknowledge that it is through God’s grace and love that I have been able to persevere.
My sincere thanks go out to M. William Phelps for his desire to tell my story and for his belief in me and the importance of my work. When I set out to do something, I immerse myself in it. In many ways, collaborating on the book was difficult—I felt very vulnerable as I shared things never before revealed and was reminded day after day of all the disturbing details that had become my life. M. William Phelps understood that and helped me to, as he said many times, “embrace the process.” I tried my best, knowing we had to get through the tough stuff in order to share a message of hope. And M. William Phelps’s incredible work ethic and engaging writing style enabled the process to stay on a great track. I am forever grateful that he stood by the project even while some believed it would be better off not in print. In the end, I feel Lyons Press was meant to publish this work and, like M. William Phelps, I want to thank Keith Wallman and Janice Goldklang for standing by my side throughout.
Of course, I wouldn’t be here today were it not for the love and support of my family and friends: my husband, John, our beautiful children, Sarah and Johnny, my mom, and my sister, Maria, my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Even though my father is no longer with us, he lives in my heart always.
I also wish to thank all of John’s family and our dearest friends, Lisa and Santo Sampino.
And finally, to everyone on our growing Jane Doe No More team (staff, board of directors, volunteers, and supporters), thank you for sharing my dream and working with me to make it a reality.
So many people have voiced astonishment that my husband and I were able to stay together through it all. To us, there was no other way. We held each other up and, surrounded by our loved ones, our marriage grew stronger. It is fitting that I leave you with the lyrics to our wedding song thirty years ago:
’Til I Can Gain Control Again
written by Rodney Crowell
(Reprinted with permission of Rodney Crowell)
Just like the sun over the mountaintop
You know I’ll always come again
You know I love to spend my morningtime
Like sunlight dancing on your skin
I’ve never gone so wrong
As for telling lies to you
What you see is what I’ve been
There is nothing I could hide from you
You see me better than I can
Out on the road that lies before me now
There are some turns where I will spin
I only hope that you can hold me now
’Til I can gain control again
And like a lighthouse
you must stand alone
Landmark the sailor’s journey’s end
No matter what sea
I’ve been sailing on
I’ll always pass this way again
Out on the road that lies before me now
There are some turns where I will spin
I only hope that you can hold me now
’Til I can gain control again
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Crime expert, television personality, and star of Investigation Discovery’s Dark Minds, investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the national best-selling, award-winning author of twenty-one nonfiction books. Winner of the 2008 New England Book Festival Award for I’ll Be Watching You, Phelps has appeared on CBS’s Early Show, truTV, The Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel, ABC’s Good Morning America, The Learning Channel, Biography Channel, History Channel, Montel Williams, Investigative Discovery, Geraldo at Large, USA Radio Network, Catholic Radio, Ava Maria Radio, ABC News Radio, and Radio America, which calls him “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer.” He is one of the principal stars of the hit Investigation Discovery show Deadly Women, now airing its fifth season. He’s written for the Providence Journal, Hartford Courant, and the New London Day, and has been profiled in such noted publications as Writer’s Digest, NY Daily News, The Sun, Newsday, Albany Times-Union, Hartford Courant, Connecticut Magazine, Advance for Nurses magazine, Forensic Nursing, and NY Post. He has also consulted for the Showtime cable television series Dexter. He lives in a small Connecticut farming community and can be reached at his author website, www.mwilliamphelps.com.
The face and founder of the education and advocacy group Jane Doe No More, Inc. (www.janedoenomore.org), Donna Palomba is recognized nationwide as a powerful voice for survivors of sexual assault. Since first telling her story on a 2007 episode of Dateline NBC, Donna has become a sought-after public speaker and media resource, logging appearances on local and national television and radio shows, including NBC’s Today and Biography’s I Survived. She is the driving force behind Jane Doe No More’s mission to improve the way society responds to victims of sexual assault.
Donna successfully lobbied for legislative changes that protect the rights of sexual assault survivors and was instrumental in the creation of Duty Trumps Doubt, a training video used by law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. Through her national nonprofit Jane Doe No More, Donna established Raising Awareness through Personal Experience (RAPE), a groundbreaking outreach program that trains sexual assault survivors to touch the community as motivational speakers and mentors.
Donna Palomba was named Woman of the Year by the Business Women’s Forum and Working Woman of the Year by the Connecticut Department of Labor, Westfarms Mall, and L’Oreal Paris. She has received awards and accolades from local bar associations, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Chamber of Commerce, and Toastmasters, to name a few. She is a current and founding board member of reset Social Enterprise Trust and a member of Naugatuck Valley Community College Regional Advisory Council. She has served on the board of directors of Special Olympics Connecticut, the United Way, and the Non-Profit Assistance Initiative.
Donna enjoyed a childhood centered on family and faith. Here she is with her sister, Maria, in 1961.
John and Donna met during their college years in the late 1970s.
Donna’s husband, John Palomba, was raised in a large, close-knit family. In this photograph from 1965, the family celebrates the election of Fred Palomba, John’s father, as mayor of Waterbury.
Donna and John were married at Blessed Sacrament Church in Waterbury, Connecticut, on October 10, 1981.
From the moment they were married, Donna and John viewed marriage as a sacred commitment for life.
Raising a family came easy for Donna. Here she is with weeks-old Sarah in 1985.
John
and Donna with baby Sarah, two weeks old, October 1985.
Sarah, Donna, and new addition to the family, Johnny, on August 16, 1988.
John and Donna valued their time together at the family beach house in Clinton, Connecticut (1989).
Before Donna was viciously attacked, life was good. Donna and John loved taking the children on family excursions, such as the Bronx Zoo.
For a family rooted in faith, Sarah’s First Communion in 1993 marked a glorious time.
Throughout her entire ordeal, Donna kept the family unit strong and together.
Confiding in family was important to Donna (with her grandfather, Nonno).
Donna’s parents, Mary and Louis Cappella, pictured here with Donna, John, and the children in 1995, stood behind her throughout every battle.
The Palomba home in Waterbury, Connecticut—once filled with wonderful memories—became a crime scene on September 11, 1993.
Donna’s attacker could have walked through this second floor hallway leading to the master bedroom inside the house where Donna was assaulted.
The staircase to the second floor.
The front door showed no signs of forced entry.
John, Sarah, Johnny, and Donna on vacation in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, in August 2000 as Donna fought to redeem her reputation while discovering a lump in her chest.
Getting famed Dr. Henry Lee involved in her case against the City of Waterbury changed everything for Donna.
Rocky Regan was an important part of John and Donna Palomba’s lives—they shared many memories together. Here, Rocky ran with John in a town road race.
As John “Rocky” Regan faced the iron fist of justice back home, Johnny, Donna, and Sarah spent some time together in Paris (November 2005). It was a welcome break for Donna.
John and Rocky attended parties together and remained close, ever since growing up in the same neighborhood.
Rocky attended John and Donna’s wedding and remained friends all those years—including the years after Donna’s attack.
Rocky Regan after being booked in 2004.
Rocky visited John and Donna at the beach house in Clinton during a vacation with family and friends years after Donna was sexually assaulted. (Rocky is on the far right, shirtless, holding a beer bottle.)
Redemption was hers when Donna, flanked by Chief Neal O’Leary, a cop instrumental in solving Donna’s case, and Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell, talked about her case evoking a change in Connecticut law.
John “Rocky” Regan’s secrets were finally out after he pleaded guilty to several charges stemming from the vicious, evil sexual crimes he had committed. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE THE SARATOGIAN.
Donna met lots of people throughout her years of speaking out against sexual assault, including celebrities such as Mariska Hargitay (above) and US Senator Joe Lieberman (below, Chief Neil O’Leary to his right), who fully support Donna’s Jane Doe No More initiative.
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN.
No one can break the connection Donna Palomba and Lindsey Ferguson, Regan’s last known victim, share—yet both are able to smile and move on with their lives today.