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

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

The cabbie described it this way. He opened the trunk of his car and loaded Joan's suitcase. She then stated, "Wait a minute, there is another person with me." To me, that sounds like the bearded man connected with Joan at that point. It explains why she was able to engage a cab first before the bearded man could intervene. The cabbie did not comment that she seemed surprised. I go back to the classmate that saw her talking to a man behind a counter. Maybe she had a heads up someone was going to catch up with her.

Joan would not have changed vehicles with someone she didn't know. The bearded man said "I don't think we want this cab." "We" shows familiarity. Joan knew this person. She trusted him to change vehicles. She would not do that with a classmate or casual acquaintance or a ride-share. She already had the cab and had money to pay for it.

When I look at the cabbie's description of the man, I break things into two categories, things you could disguise or alter, and those you could not or not easily change. The stature of the man is the most important part of the description. You could not camouflage Paradiso's was 6'2" and more than 200 pounds. He could not disguise his stature to a man under 6' and approximately 160 pounds. Authorities knew right out of the gate Paradiso was not the offender, but this is the story they pushed beginning in January 1982. The man was white. Middle-aged is subjective, but the cabbie observed the man was older than Joan.

The man was demanding, demonstrated by arguing with the cabbie over the suitcase. Based on what I know happened to Joan, this was likely a ploy. He was controlling or authoritative, he made the decision to change cars.

Based on what happened to Joan, I am sure this man did not want to be identified, or described in a way that would point to him. I feel reasonably certain, the description the cabbie gave of the bearded man was not the usual way this man appeared. If you are going to commit murder, you don't want anyone to be able to point directly to you. I agree there was some level of disguise.

Joan gave an 11-week project before she went home for break. George confirmed that in quotes to the press. Other witnesses also confirmed it. George later told the press Joan went back early to work on a project with classmates, also reported in the press. There is no evidence to support that explanation.

 

[Sweetluv]

Ah, I can see your angle Eve as to why this man WAS of familiarity to Joan!
The coming back early to do a project is sketchy.

 

[Sweetluv]

Hi Eve,
So I have spent some time reading through earlier posts here throughout the years. Thinking of myself, if I was a young female alone at the airport, I would not have gotten a ride with someone I didnt know...and if I did, I would have been convinced they were LE. No way would I have let a male stranger enable me and my luggage into a different vehicle. Assuming this was planned, I would think the luggage he had was to blend in with travelers..but what made it heavy? What was the excuse she gave to the people she was with as to why she was leaving early? What was her demeanor?The bearded man was "late" getting to Joan or he would have directed her to the blue car first....but why did he let then the cabbie handle his heavy suitcase. Could it be he had to provoke an exchange of words to move them out of that cab?

 

[Sweetluv]

Also, to plan and plot to murder a sweet and admired Joan, she must have had some damaging information. This doesn't sound like an amateur killing. They knew to scatter belongings and take what they thought would be evidence or identifiable items. To me, someone with connections and money had to prompt this.

 

[Sweetluv]

Lastly, I'm sorry for rambling on, why did Joan not feel the need to tell anyone she was leaving early..friends/family....
She must have known someone would be meeting her at the airport. If she didnt find out until she landed, who and under what circumstances would she not have found this odd and been so compliant?

 

[Sweetluv]

Sorry, one other thing I forgot to add...I doubt he came across as LE.
This is because he didnt have his own vehicle but needed a "cab" and why would LE be travelling with a suitcase?
So who in Joan's circle would not look out of place traveling, needing a ride, and meeting her there?

 

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

A lot of good questions. Start with what we know with certainty. Changing vehicles sealed Joan's fate. Joan was well-travelled. It was late, she was still dressed up from the cocktail parties she went to before the family took her to the airport. She had her suitcase, a tote bag (that was never recovered) a heavy coat, her purse. She had already engaged a cab and had her suitcase loaded in the trunk. Add those facts to the fact she was an experienced traveler. She had to know the man and respected his authority to change vehicles.

Changing vehicles is the key. We know at that point she disappeared and was murdered. Ultimately, she ended up buried on Chebacco Road in a heavily wooded area. She had a 2" x 4" hole in the right side of her head, the cause of death. She had been stripped of all clothing, none was found in the area, and her belongings were disbursed widely. A gold chain and ring were still on the skeleton, generic jewelry, but identifiable jewelry was missing and never recovered. She was disposed in a black plastic trash bag. Who had that readily available, premeditated? She was discarded in a remote, heavily-wooded area, with two separate layers of cut logs over the grave. The level of decomposition affirmed two separate layers of logs. Someone went back at a later point in time and added more logs on top of the grave. The grave was in a natural basin sometimes flooded with water.

I go back to the news article, a classmate saw Joan talking to a man behind a counter at Logan. Then she goes out to the cab line and engages a Town Taxi. Next, the bearded man caught up with her. He had a heavy suitcase. Was it a prop to blend in or was he travelling? My inclination is that Joan was planning to go back to her dorm. I don't think she planned to have someone meet her at Logan. That doesn't make sense. If someone was meeting her, he would have his own car or at least have already engaged transportation. It makes more sense to me, the man was travelling. The man she spoke to behind the counter may have given her a heads up someone was going to catch up with her. She wasn't surprised when the man appeared.

It might have raised concern if the man came up to her and immediately requested to change vehicles. Or maybe, when Joan announced a person was with her, the cabbie grabbed the bag before the man could stop him. Causing a fuss gave a "good" reason to take another car.

We know what happened to Joan after changing vehicles; she disappeared and was murdered. The bearded man got her into that car. This was not random, but premeditated.

There were several statements about Joan's demeanor. She was upbeat and positive, her normal self, enthused how well school was going. Nothing to suggest she was concerned or worried. We know four people knew her changed travel plans with certainty; George, Eleanor, Anne, and Joan. None of the calls in or out on the home phone reflect notifying someone else. George's private line was not reported or checked. That bothered me when I got to those records, your daughter is missing and you don't provide one of the phone lines into the house?

This was no amateur killing. Those involved knew investigative techniques, removing identifiers, created confusion with disbursed items. Her body was disposed out in the sticks. At least one of the offenders had to know the area. It was not far from where Andrew Palombo lived. The Hamilton Police Chief confirmed Palombo knew the area. Remember, we're talking about more than one person involved, the driver of the blue car.

Joan's circle was made up of contemporaries. The man described by the eyewitness was older. The family lived in a small town in NJ. There were several families that were close, all the children were around the same age and grew up together. Joan probably told some of those people at the cocktail parties that night that she was headed back to school. I don't know what reason she gave, but I am sure it was something plausible. No one noted anything out of the ordinary. I can't fathom any of those people having anything to do with something so horrific. Nor would they have had the time to pull this off.

 

[Sweetluv]

Hi Eve,
So without saying any names, do you think you know who the bearded man was? Joan had to know him, trust him, and not be suspicious of him....yet, he was not at all what he seemed and helped lead Joan to her demise.

 

[Sweetluv]

This person had to know who they could arrange a murder plot with...having the funds and knowledge on when and where to carry it out...
And what prompted the murder plot to occur when it did? If Joan seemed upbeat and not out of character...it doesnt sound like she was bothered by anything..

 

[Sweetluv]

Do you know if the cabbie is still alive? It would be interesting to know if he recalls anything else or remembers any other details.

 

[Sweetluv]

What about the College...professor or school official? Did someone there ask her to return....did she uncover something?

 

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

Let me start by emphasizing the story the authorities pushed, and still do, was a fraud from the beginning.

Agreed. The offender had to know where and when, had to have the connections, funds, and comfort level to pull it off. Dirty cops were pretty prevalent in 1980s Boston, so who could solicit a bad actor in the system? I believe it was dirty cops the offender engaged. That's an added layer of security, from the offender's point of view. The cops could control the information and direction or misdirection of the investigation. When questioned themselves, there is a tendency to circle the wagons to cover up malfeasance.

There are things in life that trigger memories. There were a couple of things in the family that could push things to the surface for Joan. I think Joan had a strong moral compass that may have accelerated the offender's concern of exposure. The transition of travelling made for a very opportune time to plan nefarious acts.

It was three days before a classmate called Eleanor to see if Joan was still at home; she had not returned to class. So that offered some additional, very critical time, to cover tracks, and disburse items. This murder was well thought out.

I did find the cabbie's name in a Boston and area search, but believe he is deceased.

Classmates, professors, and staff were all questioned. One professor was put through the ringer. It was related to another theory that was put out there, the Zodiac murders. There is no connection with that professor or the Zodiac crimes. Some people still believe it, but it was a distraction that contributed to the chaos and sensation surrounding her case.

To answer your question if I know or suspect who it is, I keep a spread sheet. I have an extensive time line, who knew what and when. Over the years of digging into this, I have filled in a lot of gaps and missing pieces. I have my concerns. A couple of names tick a lot of boxes. At this point, I don't have verifiable evidence to cross them off the list.

 

[Sweetluv]

Hello Eve,
About to read...Mommys A Mole....
Following!

 

[eve carson]

Hi Sweetluv,

An abuse advocate suggested I write all of the experiences I had encountered to try and make sense of it all. As I started recovering documents, it filled in pieces. I got clarity out of a lot of chaos. Things started to fall into a logical place. Knowledge is very empowering, but in this circumstance, it also became a very big concern.

There were still some missing pieces that I had not yet recovered. When those came into view, the mystery around Joan became much less baffling.

In a nutshell, Robert Bond, the state's star witness made allegations the state promoted. After working with two officers, Carmen Tammaro and Andrew Palombo, Bond accused Paradiso of murdering Joan on his boat and dumping her in Boston Harbor. The allegations are verifiably false: Paradiso's boat, the alleged crime scene, did not exist when Joan disappeared. Her remains surfaced more than 30 miles from the alleged crime scene, buried in a remote wooded area in Hamilton, MA.

Bond's allegations involved two cases, Joan and Marie Iannuzzi. It would be foolish, stupid, to believe Bond was telling the truth in the entangled case. I reviewed that thoroughly and found exculpatory evidence supporting Paradiso's innocence in that crime even though the prosecutor gained a conviction. The case was dirty.

Authorities and the Websters continued to promote a false story. Even during the sentencing hearing for the bankruptcy case that affirmed the boat was gone when Paradiso filed for bankruptcy in August 1981, the prosecutor's arguments alleged Paradiso was responsible for Joan's murder. Her remains still had not surfaced during the 1985 trial.

The big red flag for me is the fabricated allegations Bond made with Tammaro and Palombo that included the correct manner of Joan's death with correct details. That is information only known to the killer or someone who knew what truly happened.

Tim Burke published the same scenario, Paradiso murdered Joan on his boat, in 2008. It followed the narrative at the time, but with a few adjustments for facts such as Joan's location, muddied the water, so to speak. George and Eleanor Webster supported Burke's book, even contributing to it. Burke dedicated a book riddled with lies and distortions to the parents of a murder victim.

The truthful answer to Joan's murder was shielded by Tim Burke, Carmen Tammaro, Andrew Palombo, and George Webster.

 

[Toots1]

Eve,
So, if I understand correctly, Joan's gold signet ring was never found.
You mentioned it had her initials...I'm assuming "JW".
By chance did Joan ever go by "Jo", and that could have been on the signet ring?

 

[eve carson]

Hi Toots 1,

Joan, her siblings, and George Webster all wore gold signet rings with their initials, all the time. The initials on Joan's ring were JLW. Joan's middle name was Lucinda.

Joan went by Joni most of the time, but a family nickname for her was Dib.

The signet ring, an identifiable piece of jewelry, was never found. Neither was the identifiable gold charm bracelet. Generic jewelry anyone might have was recovered still on Joan's skeletal remains.

 

[Bagpus]

Hi Toots 1,

Joan, her siblings, and George Webster all wore gold signet rings with their initials, all the time. The initials on Joan's ring were JLW. Joan's middle name was Lucinda.

Joan went by Joni most of the time, but a family nickname for her was Dib.

The signet ring, an identifiable piece of jewelry, was never found. Neither was the identifiable gold charm bracelet. Generic jewelry anyone might have was recovered still on Joan's skeletal remains.

Who do you think did it and why?

 

[Sweetluv]

Hi Eve,
Do you know if Burke, Tammaro, and Palombo are deceased?
If I'm not being too intrusive, do you stay in contact with any of Joan's family or friends.. and if so, have you ever had an in depth convo about Joan's murder and what their opinions are?

 

[jgfitzge]

Hi Eve,
Do you know if Burke, Tammaro, and Palombo are deceased?
If I'm not being too intrusive, do you stay in contact with any of Joan's family or friends.. and if so, have you ever had an in depth convo about Joan's murder and what their opinions are?

I know Burke is still alive. A few years ago He published a book that Eve references. Even pops up in news articles occasionally, I read he defends a lot of individuals in law-enforcement recently for the MSP overtime scandal. I believe Trooper Palumbo passed away as well, I believe it was a motorcycle accident. I am not sure about Tammaro.

 

[eve carson]

Hi Bagpus, Sweetluv, and Jgfitzge,

Jgfitzge is correct. Tim Burke is still practicing law today. When he left the Suffolk County DAO in 1985, he received a very plum contract to represent the MSP. Not a bad way to start his private practice. It's not surprising to see his name with cases involving law enforcement.

Andrew Palombo died in a motorcycle accident on July 4, 1998. Toward the end of 1997, the Palombo told someone connected to the Paradiso investigations that things were falling apart. He never explained what he meant, or the person didn't give him the opportunity. At that time, all of the corruption around the mob and Whitey Bulger was coming to the surface. Tim Burke claimed he met Palombo for the first time working on matters related to Bulger. I don't know if that was Palombo's concern, but a lot of officials in Boston were. His accident seemed a little unusual to me. He was just accelerating after a stop light. The accident was not high speed and did not involve another vehicle. He was riding his motorcycle up a hill and around a curve. He hit a grease patch and slammed into the guardrail.

Carmen Tammaro is still living. He is currently head of security for a business complex in Boston.

I've communicated with the Websters regarding the discrepancies in source documents. I won't elaborate at this time about their responses or reactions. I'll save that for another post. George and Eleanor are both deceased now, but I communicated regularly before they died. I am still in contact with other family members. I have also contacted some of Joan's friends. Actually, several friends have reached out to me. Their communications have been positive and supportive.

Four people promoted a false story about Joan's murder: Tim Burke, Andrew Palombo, Carmen Tammaro, and George Webster. I focus heavily on those four to understand why they did that.

Four people knew where and when Joan would be at Logan with certainty: George, Eleanor, Anne, and Joan Webster. Everything in source documents indicate this was a premeditated crime. Understanding that, the offender had to know where Joan would be and plan accordingly.

Only one person made the arrangements that put Joan in that spot at that time: George Webster.