MA MA - Joan Webster, 25, Logan Airport, Boston, 28 Nov 1981

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

No, I think everyone in the family guarded family secrets. I think they feared what the repercussions would be. Joan was the one with a backbone. If the letter I found many years later relates to motive, which I believe it does, I would have been the logical person Joan would have confided in. Even if the letter was not part of the whole picture, it was a catalyst to look into Joan's case. The letter combined with the Webster support of Tim Burke publishing a false book about Joan's murder sent up red flares for me.

There is no question certain topics came up during the Thanksgiving break. I was pregnant. Ordinarily, that would be very happy news for a family, but it can trigger buried recollections for some. I was in the first trimester, so Thanksgiving would not be the first time it came up. Thanksgiving break did provide a window of opportunity. The family was together. Travel plans would have provided a means to deflect from probing the family.

The letter would have shattered the Webster image if true even though it came many years later. I learned the hard way the Webster methods of image management. I believe the letter reflected a problem that already existed.

 

[Sweetluv]

Checking in

 

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

When I first told people that the authorities and the Websters claimed that Joan was murdered on a boat, and still do, it almost sounded too incredulous to fathom. There is an abundance of evidence that the boat, the alleged crime scene did not exist when Joan disappeared. The boat had been sunk four months before she disappeared. One would think that was something that could be verified. Instead, the authorities and the Websters ran with the claim made by a jailhouse snitch.

I recently made an FOIA request of the current custodian. Initially, they did not respond, so I appealed it through the Superintendent of Records. The response I received was pretty stunning. Hubris has no bounds when the state can't defend the Tim Burke allegations that the custodian lent credibility publicly.

A further appeal has been submitted. To date, the custodian has not complied with the order. What they provided in response to records regarding the boat, the alleged crime scene, was a single document. It was a boat registration signed by Candace Weyant, the titled owner of the boat. Weyant was Paradiso's girlfriend.

The custodian's records did not include a second registration that Burke submitted to the federal court for the bankruptcy case that addressed the boat. Burke provided the above registration, but also provided a second registration that was allegedly signed by Paradiso. According to testimony during case CR 85-010-S, this was an invalid registration. It was fake. It had a handwritten number matching the machine stamped number on the registration signed by Weyant.

To suggest Burke's allegations are in any way legitimate based on a boat registration in their files is absurd. I provided numerous verifiable documents to the custodian that the boat did not exist. Their records were grossly deficient in relevant records including the snitch's written allegations, the MSP interview with Bond, and case records from CR 85-010-S.

In 1991, Suffolk County, Tim Burke's office, was exposed for secret and duplicate files. In other words, they hid exculpatory evidence in cases from 1980-1988. In recovering records, I discovered this is exactly what happened in the allegations against Paradiso. The current custodian has circled the wagons and are obstructing justice.

 

[Sweetluv]

Hi Eve,
Do you think there will ever be a new look by LE into this case? Or, do you fear LE thinks it's (better left alone)?
Joan needs justice..her life was brutally taken too soon!

 

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

I highly doubt a book by LE. It was stunning that Burke wrote his boo, with the cooperation of the Websters I might add. There is so much in his book that is false and/or distorted based on source documents. I can only assume, he believed no one could get to records to dispute his assertions. The current authorities are shielding malfeasance.

 

[eve carson]

After I found the letter, my life turned upside down and inside out. I reached out to another member (by marriage) of the Webster family. I shared the contents of the letter. The reaction I got was not what I had expected. He expressed a similar concern about a family member but could never get answers. He based concerns on behaviors, similar behaviors I was observing. Unfortunately, there was nothing to substantiate or corroborate the concerns.

Someone heard a recent podcast I did about Joan's case. She was married to a blood relative of Joan's, a close relationship. She is now divorced. Her experience was similar to mine and verifiable. She reached out to me and thanked me for exposing this family. There are now three people related to the Webster family by marriage that have sounded the alarm about the Websters.

Her ex, a close blood relative of Joan's, is a convicted sex offender who is registered. She provided me the link to the registry. I am still getting more details. One thing that concerned me is how her ex's family reacted. The offender's mother, a close blood relative of Joan's, dismissed it, an enabler. The woman who contacted me also reported the mother. Soon after the daughter-in-law reported the mother, the mother divorced the offender's father and moved away.

This is a very close family connection. This offender was not the subject of the letter I found, and the incident was after Joan's murder. However, it shows a serious pattern of behavior in the Webster family and how the family deals with things that cast a shadow on their image.

I did not know this woman before she contacted me. She told me that when George and Eleanor visited, George told them that Paradiso murdered Joan on his boat. Not true. I have had a lot of people contact me over the years with a lot of theories. I check things out. This one is absolutely verified and concerning. She validated what my own experience has been and what the Websters try to discredit.

 

[eve carson]

The current custodian has not complied with an order from the Superintendent for records. To date, the DAO has only provided a boat registration for the alleged crime scene. It was signed by the titled ownwe, Paradiso's girlfriend, Candace Weyant. Tim Burke's office provided two registrations to the federal court during the bankruptcy case. One of them was invalid with handwritten numbers instead of machine stamped. Supposedly that registration was signed by Paradiso. The custodian's records do not support what Burke submitted. Records show that Palombo was the officer that obtained the registrations. This is a very good example of fabricated evidence Burke and Palombo used to further their narrative.

The recent contact supports concerns I brought forward. I did not come forward with a "she said" allegation. I had a written document, corroborating evidence in writing, contemporaneous evidence who I contacted. witnesses that authenticated the letter and who wrote it, and a case number for the police report I filed. The incoming I have had to withstand for years is beyond description. Now I am faced with where do I go with new and verifiable evidence? This does start to tie the pieces together. Any thoughts?

 

[eve carson]

Tomorrow marks the 41st anniversary of Joan's disappearance. Please take a moment to say a prayer for her. Not only was she brutally murdered, she was devalued even further by people with a different agenda.

The current custodian has still not complied with the order to respond to my FOIA request. The Superintendent of Records requested a date for their compliance. I will wait and see. But it leaves me in a difficult quandary. I have new verifiable evidence, but no confidence in the custodian to bring it forward to them. I will not back down.

When I started to look at the investigation itself, I looked under the right rock, and it stinks to high heaven.

 

[Sweetluv]

Thinking of Joan today.....Nov 28, 1981!
Eve, your in my thoughts too!

 

[deadfoot13]

Holding Joan in my thoughts today, as well as Eve. It's not an anniversary that anyone should have to recognize, and I admire your continued advocacy on Joan's behalf.

 

[eve carson]

I am chipping away. Joan's case is featured as the case of the month on Defrosting Cold Cases. Please visit the site and read the reviewer's comments. Visibility is what will get results in Joan's case. Please share the site. As I mentioned last week, someone very critical to this whole puzzle heard one of my interviews and reached out to me with verified information.

Simple, Safe & Secret by Eve Carson - Defrosting Cold Cases

Eve Carson wrote a very informative book about the unsolved 1981 murder of Joan Lucinda Webster. Highly recommended reading!

defrostingcoldcases.com

 

[eve carson]

Interview with John Stamp on Thats Criminal Podcast.

‎That’s Criminal with John Stamp on Apple Podcasts

I am chipping away.

 

[eve carson]

The recent news about the intelligence community working with companies to control information and perceptions hit a familiar note for me. When I started digging into Joan's case, I researched every angle and everyone. No stone unturned.

First, the intelligence community collaborating with corporations is nothing new. The CIA, George and Eleanor's former employer, worked covertly with ITT, George's then employer, to impact the elections in Chile. It had a horrible outcome. The telecommunications division of ITT, George's division, was concerned about losing the Chitelco subsidiary in Chile. The interference the CIA executed through ITT resulted in Augusto Pinochet taking power in the 1970s. The actions resulted in the Senate Church Hearings, oversight of the CIA, and an investigation into ITT. George Webster was the Director of the Defense Group for the telecommunications division.

I bring this to light to give a more complete picture of the Websters. The Websters had that mindset, creating perceptions. They knew the inner workings of the intelligence community and the control they had. There was even an internal ITT memo to use the media to spread propaganda.

The FBI was very involved in Joan's investigation. It was surprising at first that the current custodian did not have critical FBI records in their files. I understand that now to be a mechanism to shield information. This was the very tactic Suffolk County DAO, Tim Burke's office, was exposed for, hiding exculpatory or relevant information.

Many of the FBI reports dealt with the boat, the alleged crime scene. FBI lab results debunked any connection between Joan and the boat or Paradiso. There was one report that really exposed the ruse claiming that a successful prosecution in the bankruptcy case would facilitate the resolve of Marie Iannuzzi and Joan Webster cases. A central component of the bankruptcy case was the boat. The boat had nothing to do with Marie Iannuzzi. As it turned out, Judge Selya affirmed that the boat did not exist when Joan disappeared. The boat had nothing to do with Joan's case either. The records confirmed that George Webster was in contact with the DOJ office prosecuting that case.

 

[Toots1]

Eve, any new communication from Scotland regarding this case?

 

[eve carson]

Hi Toots1,

Over the years, I have had all kinds of contacts regarding this case. The most recent contact back in November was a very significant piece of the puzzle.

At one point, I was contacted by an investigative reporter from Scotland to see if there was any connection between Joan's case and matters being investigated in the UK. There is no identifiable relationship.

There is a lot of recovered evidence now to shine the light on the investigation itself. The people involved in Joan's case can be identified for spreading false information. They lied. That's my focus. That's where the answers are.

 

[Sweetluv]

Checking in

 

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

The custodian has continued to stonewall and failed to comply with the Superintendent of Records' order to respond to an FOIA request. It is clear the custodian is obstructing justice. I provided their office with many records relevant in Joan's case including FBI reports and certified court records. Those records showed serious discrepancies with the state's story and exposed methods they used. The custodian apparently cannot support with verified evidence the scenario that Tim Burke and the Websters promoted.

The new information I learned in November and verified was a piece of the puzzle I did not expect. But a lot of things make more sense with that information. Every piece adds to the full picture. I definitely looked under the right rock and it stinks to high heaven.

The current custodian is hostile and disregarding evidence they could obtain independently. I have no confidence to bring additional information forward to that office. That does not mean I will meekly back down. It simply makes me more determined.

A current case in MA emphasizes a point that is ignored in Joan's case. Ana Walshe is a missing mother. The husband has been arrested for "misleading" authorities. It seems some in MA can figure out that when individual close to the victim, misrepresent, lie, or are secretive withholding information, it becomes obvious that person ends up on the suspect list. Source records make it very clear that is exactly how the Websters behaved.

 

[Sweetluv]

Eve,
I'm always interested in reading your post. You are diligent and very vocal about letting the truth be told. I do hope and pray that there will be justice for Joan. You are a voice for victims and I admire your hard work and dedication! It's because of you that Joan's murder in 1981 is still being told in 2023...it's keeping her memory alive and uncovering a cover up.

 

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

Thank you for your kind words. The more I have learned about what happened from source documents, the greater my love and admiration for Joan. I hope her memory will continue to touch everyone who learns her story.

I am paying close attention to a case that is starting tomorrow. Alex Murdaugh goes to trial for the murder of his wife and son. The theory I have heard is that Murdaugh murdered them to try and conceal some dark secrets in the family. Certainly, Murdaugh's world started to fall apart, and dark secrets did come to the surface. I will wait to see if the evidence supports the prosecution's assertions.

The reason this case interests me is because of certain similarities I see with the Websters. Both were prominent families in their communities. Both were well-educated and intelligent people. Both had knowledge of investigative techniques. Both had connections and influence. Both promoted stories that increasingly did not make sense or debunked by known facts. Most important of all, both had some serious secrets in the family.

When I raised a concern with the current custodian that the composite had some resemblance to the lead officer, Andrew Palombo, they sent the eyewitness report that did provide evidence that Palombo was not the bearded man seen with Joan at Logan. The man was much smaller in stature than Palombo. They seemed very ready t dispel that concern.

Trying to get information that supports the boat has been a much different story. And, as is often the case, when they cannot support the allegations with facts, they strike out to discredit anyone bringing it out. The latest response I got from the custodian was that this was a needless waste of time and resources. Just imagine what it feels like to know the people responsible for justice in Joan's case, a member of my family, have no value for her or any intention of resolving her murder. I have supported my questions with facts and actual records.

This case needs to be set right. Not only for Joan, but for some very vulnerable victims harmed by this travesty. This has taken a lot of prayers, perseverance, and tears. I am much stronger for it.

 

[eve carson]

Right now, I am trying to focus on the alleged crime scene, the boat. Either the current custodian has verified evidence or witness statements or they do not. ADA John Dawley suggested that Robert Bond was the only witness on record that made the claim Paradiso murdered Joan on the boat. The custodian did not have the Bond written statement or the transcript of Bond's interview with the MSP. They did have evidence that these documents were sealed in the Marie Iannuzzi pretrial hearing. Those documents revealed serious discrepancies with the boat theory that is still maintained. Bond's allegations are provably false.

The only document the current custodian provided about the boat is the boat registration signed by the titled owner Candace Weyant, Paradiso's girlfriend. The current custodian didn't have a second boat registration that Tim Burke provided to the Federal District Court of RI that handled the bankruptcy fraud case including the boat. I provided the custodian with the evidence list from that trial and witness testimony of the fake registration Burke submitted to the court. The registrar testified why that registration was not valid. Judge Bruce Selya affirmed in that case that the boat was long gone when Paradiso filed for bankruptcy in August 1981, months before Joan disappeared. The current custodian did not have the records from this case and did not even seem to know about it.

This is very simple. If the boat did not exist at the time Joan disappeared, the murder did not happen as the authorities and the Websters claim. I am hovering right over the target and the resistance is stunning. It really makes me cry that Joan was so devalued. It didn't stop with her murder.

Questions always turn to motive. It would certainly be different for each individual who was a part of this travesty. It is also difficult to get inside someone's head that is capable of such horrors. The one thing for certain is that Joan's killer/s were emotionally detached. The family going after a scapegoat when they were in possession of exculpatory evidence favoring Paradiso is certainly evidence of their disconnect. If the allegations in the letter I found related to motive and they were recently reinforced by another person related to the family, then it does indicate a very disturbing secret in the family that they would want to conceal. The only person/s who benefited from all of this were people involved in Joan's murder and the cover up.