Jane Doe No More (49 page)

Alcohol addiction became a factor driving Regan’s defense now as he and his legal team headed into the Connecticut charges. Attorney Jones spoke of a client who was addicted to “drinking a fifth of liquor a day.” Jones called alcohol “the devil” that did “damage to John Regan.”

What was interesting about the revelation that Regan was a chronic alcoholic was that on the day he tried abducting Lindsey, Regan had not been charged with DUI; he was as sober as a snake.

“He was not drunk,” Chief Moore told reporters.

In addition, Regan had refused a field sobriety test at the scene where he was arrested in Saratoga, saying he wouldn’t take it “unless my attorney is present.” Later that evening, at the Saratoga Police Department, Regan passed a breath-screening test.

Here again was Regan shirking any responsibility for his crimes. Now it was alcohol driving him to commit such cowardly acts against women. And, inexplicably, he had many people fooled. Scores of letters of support for Regan from friends and family flooded into the Saratoga County Probation Department from Jones’s Troy, New York, office.

Rocky Regan, although accused of and charged with some of the most vile crimes imaginable and an admitted kidnapper, was, according to those who knew him in Waterbury, a “gentle man” and a “very present and involved dad.” Regan’s wife chimed in, saying that she had “loved him since” she was a “young girl.” She said Regan had never “acted or tried to act in an inappropriate manner.” The “happiest day of” her “life” was the day she married John Regan in 1981 (the same year he had allegedly tried to force a woman to give him oral sex).

Next his wife wrote about her husband’s “heavy drinking” and how it had destroyed their lives. But she had stuck with him then, just as she was doing now. Finally, Regan’s wife concluded that her husband was a “loving, caring human being who has done a lot of good on this planet.” She asked that he be “forgiven” for “his faults.”

Each of the letters hit on this same “gentle giant” theme, with a routine ending that focused on Regan’s supposed alcohol problem and the treatment he needed for it.

Denial was rampant back home in Waterbury. It was as if the demon inside John Regan, urging him to commit these egregious, heinous, and violent crimes against women, was not something any of his friends or family could fathom or face.

Some family members blamed the media, saying Regan did not have a voice anymore, but that “the media’s characterization of him does not do justice to the man that he is . . .” It was “the system,” wrote one man related to Regan, that had “silenced John’s voice . . .”

It appeared that nobody could make the connection between Regan being a serial offender and the same person they had known. It was a fact that his DNA had matched one victim and he had been caught in the act of another potentially serious crime. But nobody wanted to see it. Instead he was “a wonderful son” and a great “coach.” He had a “lifelong love” for his wife. Some said they’d have no trouble leaving Regan with their teenage daughters. He was not “capable of
any
crime.”

Not one letter mentioned the victims of his crimes.

If one were to read these letters, not knowing the crimes to which Regan had pleaded guilty, or of which he had been accused, one might think the man was being considered for canonization instead of incarceration.

CHAPTER
THIRTY
-
SEVEN

Showtime

Dateline
producer Sue Simpson called
Waterbury Observer
publisher John Murray to inquire about that lengthy story he had written. Simpson first contacted Murray back in December 2005, showing an interest in doing a story about John Regan. Basically, NBC was wanted to produce a full-length, hour-long
Dateline
on John Regan, with the narrative thrust of the show focused on Donna’s story. Obviously, the potential to interview a survivor like Donna—i.e., Rachael—and get her exclusive story on camera was something NBC knew could bring in big ratings.

Simpson told Murray she had read the
Observer
stories online and was wondering if Murray could put her in touch with Rachael.

John Murray said he’d make a call.

During the conversation Donna had with Murray, she agreed to meet Simpson at the
Observer
offices in downtown Waterbury to discuss the possibility of appearing on
Dateline.
Donna was still on the fence about fully identifying herself on the show. Was it the right thing to do? The episode could not air until Regan’s court proceedings in Connecticut were fully adjudicated. Donna needed to be certain that NBC would wait until the entire case was closed—it would have to be a prerequisite. Donna also stipulated several requirements of the meeting in a letter of agreement she asked Simpson and NBC to sign beforehand.

Susan Simpson, a representative from
Dateline NBC,
will be meeting with the victim of the 1993 rape case in Waterbury, Connecticut. The victim’s name will be referred to as “Jane Doe.” Jane has agreed to meet with Ms. Simpson for the purposes of exploring a potential segment to be featured on
Dateline NBC
sometime in the future. By signing this agreement, Ms. Simpson understands that anything Jane Doe says for the purposes of this initial meeting is totally off the record. None of what Jane Doe says shall be used in whole or in part by Susan Simpson,
Dateline NBC,
or any other media outlet without prior written consent by Jane Doe.

Simpson’s signature on this agreement gave Donna a sense of security.

So they met.

Not once during that meeting, which lasted several hours, did Donna tell Simpson her real name. Simpson never knew—that is, until Simpson recognized Donna’s photograph in a full-page
Observer
ad for Donna’s business.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Donna told Simpson she needed more time to think about it.

By now, Donna had conceived of what she called the “Jane Doe No More” initiative. She was in the early stages of creating and developing a website dedicated to her story, including her goal to change the way law enforcement responded to sexual assault crime scenes, among other things, along with launching an online destination for victims of sexual assault who have been hiding behind a curtain of anonymity or too scared to come forward. Donna figured if she stepped out from behind the curtain and became Jane Doe
no more,
introducing herself to the world as Donna Palomba, it would serve as an example to victims afraid of reporting rape and sexual assault.

Coming out to a national audience on
Dateline
certainly felt appealing. A marketer by profession, Donna knew that with NBC she could get the most bang for her interview. The problem she faced now was the adjudication of her case against John Regan. The SA was imploring Donna to step back and wait. John Murray used the word “muzzled” when referring to how the SAO had advised Donna regarding appearing on
Dateline,
adding how “unwise” it would be “to talk about her case before Regan went to trial.”

My desire to come forward and make change was growing stronger. I could no longer keep my two worlds apart and they were beginning to collide. Once I make up my mind to do something, I like to get going. I used this time—between the
Dateline
interviews and Regan’s cases being fully adjudicated, to do a lot of heavy lifting in creating the not-for-profit Jane Doe No More, Inc., and the website, working with my attorney to file articles of incorporation, building the team, recruiting board members, and building content for the website.

Donna and Sue Simpson stayed in touch, but the last thing Donna wanted to do was give Regan any more ammunition than he had already. Near the end of the summer, on August 31, 2006, as talks between Donna and
Dateline
remained in limbo, Regan’s Connecticut charges heated back up. With his case in New York complete, prosecutors there were eager to release any evidence they could offer Connecticut to help prosecute him in Waterbury. Regan was facing three separate charges: 1981 (the woman he tried to force to give him oral sex inside his truck); 1993 (Donna’s alleged assault); and 2004 (the stalking and assault case brought by his coworker). As the summer came to an end, there was some talk that Regan would appear in Waterbury court to plead guilty to the 1981 case. But that case bogged down as negotiations centered on bundling the three cases together, with Regan pleading to all three to avoid three separate trials. September came to a close and a pretrial date was set for October 19.

SA Connelly had explained to Donna that Regan’s attorneys were hoping to nail down a fifteen- to twenty-year plea bargain, if pleading was the route they chose. Twelve years, the SA confirmed, was “unacceptable,” if his attorneys thought they could begin at fifteen and slide the twelve by, much like they had in New York. Even twenty years for the three cases was light. But twenty plus the twelve (if the SAO could negotiate consecutive sentences) from New York, and Regan was looking at being an old man when—and if—he was ever released from prison.

On Wednesday evening, October 18, Regan was transported from New York to Waterbury and held inside the WPD’s in-house jail. Word was that he would be brought into court the next day and served any new warrants to make it official.