NJ Joyce Coleman, 28, Long Valley, 27 Feb 1970

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

Most likely the answer is closer to home…
March 1990View attachment 637321

Wow I missed that article. That changes everything.

I thought it was odd that the burglar stole only firearms, but now it looks like other random things also... Who steals a hair dryer?

This article states that Joyce put the house up for sale because they were having financial problems; that's contradictory to what Wayne told police, which was that they put the house up for sale that day because he received a job transfer to either Georgia or Massachusetts. I also thought it was strange that they put the house up for sale before they even knew where they were going.

Also contradictory... It was a burglary, but the burglar was angry at her and it was personal.. apparently, he knew her and his way around the house... But they couldn't narrow it down to any acquaintances.

I did think that leaving the cyanide well within reach of a child was highly irresponsible, possibly criminal; I never saw any accessible ant poisons around the house when I was little. (Then again, even when me and my siblings were 3 years old, my parents never had to tell us not to drink the Clorox. We simply had no urge to do it because... It wasn't food. If we climbed onto a shelf, we'd raid the cookie jar. We wouldn't try to eat anything.)

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

There were other articles I found while looking into the couple that I thought were odd (regarding Wayne), but I didn't post because 1) they were unrelated to the murder, 2) they could be viewed as prejudicial, and 3) the list of linked articles in the original post was long enough already. (There were some records on Ancestry that worked into a timeline of events... Not sure if those are acceptable sources.) Here's a rundown of what I found in the articles... I can post them later on this evening (if necessary), but just know that Newspapers.com was my source for everything:

1) Wayne didn't transfer to Georgia or Massachusetts; instead of the trucking company, he worked in the service department for a Ford dealership in Williamsburg, VA. Compare that to what StarrChance's article said... In February, he was married and selling his house because of an upcoming job transfer. 6 months later, he has a completely different job, different state than he'd originally stated, and he's remarried.
2) Her was arrested on a gun charge (unregistered) while in Virginia, and the article stated that he had 2 felony convictions in NJ.
3) Those felony convictions were non-violent - motor vehicle larceny, although it was much bigger than that. He was one of several arrested for taking part in a statewide car theft ring. This was in the 1960s, before they were married.
4) Worth noting that the woman he married after Joyce was from Neptune, although they were married in Virginia.

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

I see what you are saying with the last paragraphs. When I first read about the child dying a couple years later, I thought that a bit concerning. However, it could be just an unfortunate coincidence. I do not see an issue with a father requesting payment on an insurance policy. If the policy had been taken out weeks or 1-2 months prior to the death, that may raise some eyebrows.

I asked earlier about an established time of death. I was wondering about WCs arrival home, call to the police and what time he actually left work. I see that the article is stating 11:30-1:00 am. The trip from Newark area to that address would seemingly take 45-60 minutes depending upon the exact location in Newark etc. If he left at 12:30 am, that puts him home around 1:15. If the earlier article of 1:45 am for police contact is accurate, that would give 30 minutes to commit the crime and clean himself up. Of course he may have left work earlier than 12:30 since his shift ended at 12:00 apparently.

It feels like the perpetrator may have been familiar with the husbands work schedule and I still wonder more and more if this was not the work of a local. Someone who had done this before ( as the previous poster stated, in various unconnected locations) , who knew about the guns and was evil enough that he would murder a pregnant woman to avoid getting caught ( which does not explain the anger displayed and described by John Douglas). When looking at the aerials from 1984 in the Woelki case, this area was remote. I just don't know about someone "passing through" even today, there is no where to pass through to ( even more so in 1970).

Quick note, by "passing through", I just meant he wasn't local. Maybe visiting someone. Obviously its too far from the interstate.

 

[rob525]

There were other articles I found while looking into the couple that I thought were odd (regarding Wayne), but I didn't post because 1) they were unrelated to the murder, 2) they could be viewed as prejudicial, and 3) the list of linked articles in the original post was long enough already. (There were some records on Ancestry that worked into a timeline of events... Not sure if those are acceptable sources.) Here's a rundown of what I found in the articles... I can post them later on this evening (if necessary), but just know that Newspapers.com was my source for everything:

1) Wayne didn't transfer to Georgia or Massachusetts; instead of the trucking company, he worked in the service department for a Ford dealership in Williamsburg, VA. Compare that to what StarrChance's article said... In February, he was married and selling his house because of an upcoming job transfer. 6 months later, he has a completely different job, different state than he'd originally stated, and he's remarried.
2) Her was arrested on a gun charge (unregistered) while in Virginia, and the article stated that he had 2 felony convictions in NJ.
3) Those felony convictions were non-violent - motor vehicle larceny, although it was much bigger than that. He was one of several arrested for taking part in a statewide car theft ring. This was in the 1960s, before they were married.
4) Worth noting that the woman he married after Joyce was from Neptune, although they were married in Virginia.

So, by February-ish 1972 WC had been married and divorced twice ( not including his marriage to JC) ? That does seem odd. 6 months until he remarried does seem a bit soon.

I wonder if he ever collected on JC's life insurance?

Is it odd that a convicted felon would report stolen guns to the police? Not sure what the felon in possession of firearms laws were like in NJ in1970. Also, I wonder if he was totally free and clear of his criminal activity at the time. Could that be tied into this.

Suppose his shift ended at 12:00 and he left immediately. He takes, at that time of night, 45 minutes to get home ( not the hour that he claimed). That puts him home at 12:45 and leaves one hour to commit the crime and clean himself up.

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

So, by February-ish 1972 WC had been married and divorced twice ( not including his marriage to JC) ? That does seem odd. 6 months until he remarried does seem a bit soon.

I wonder if he ever collected on JC's life insurance?

Is it odd that a convicted felon would report stolen guns to the police? Not sure what the felon in possession of firearms laws were like in NJ in1970. Also, I wonder if he was totally free and clear of his criminal activity at the time. Could that be tied into this.

Suppose his shift ended at 12:00 and he left immediately. He takes, at that time of night, 45 minutes to get home ( not the hour that he claimed). That puts him home at 12:45 and leaves one hour to commit the crime and clean himself up.

You'd be surprised. My grandparents' neighbor reported stolen weed to the police. She even showed them where she had it hidden. True story.

He wouldn't have been in the clear. Unless he applied for expungement (which is time and money... Not sure what the rules are). If he was in the clear, the Virginia police would never have found out.

Here's a timeline:

Jan 1962: WC marries Wife #1 in NY
Nov 1966: WC marries JC in NJ
23 Oct 1968: Son born
27 Feb 1970: JC murdered
20 Aug 1970: WC marries Wife #3 in VA
26 Mar 1972: Wife #3 moves back to NJ
28 Aug 1972: Son dies
24 Nov 1972: WC divorces Wife #3 in VA (WC alleges "desertion")
31 Aug 1973: WC marries Wife #4 in VA
31 Aug 2000: WC marries Wife #5 in VA

 

[Chris M]

Sounds like that Joyce Coleman may have known this man. He would be dead or very old currently.

 

[rob525]

You'd be surprised. My grandparents' neighbor reported stolen weed to the police. She even showed them where she had it hidden. True story.

He wouldn't have been in the clear. Unless he applied for expungement (which is time and money... Not sure what the rules are). If he was in the clear, the Virginia police would never have found out.

Here's a timeline:

Jan 1962: WC marries Wife #1 in NY
Nov 1966: WC marries JC in NJ
23 Oct 1968: Son born
27 Feb 1970: JC murdered
20 Aug 1970: WC marries Wife #3 in VA
26 Mar 1972: Wife #3 moves back to NJ
28 Aug 1972: Son dies
24 Nov 1972: WC divorces Wife #3 in VA (WC alleges "desertion")
31 Aug 1973: WC marries Wife #4 in VA
31 Aug 2000: WC marries Wife #5 in VA

Ok. I did not realize that he married before JC. I n just over three years he is married two more times and a son dies. Maybe wife number four didn't want kids?
When I mentioned being clear of criminal activity, I meant that I wonder if he was still actively participating in said activity or was it a thing of the past. Perhaps this is tied to criminal associates that he still kept contact with.