What Happened to Donna Palomba? Dateline Covers Her Story
‘Dateline NBC’ is covering Donna Palomba’s story on Jan. 21, 2022. But what happened to Palomba, and where is assailant John Regan now?
Warning: This story includes main points of physical and sexual violence.
On Jan. 21, Dateline NBC returns with a harrowing special detailing Donna Palomba’s story. Between unique interviews with Donna, her husband, her neighbor, and a fellow sufferer of the same assailant, investigators get to the ground of what happened to Palomba. But if we all know who the assailant is, why is it nonetheless relevant?
Article continues underneath commercial
Well, Palomba’s story isn't just in regards to the assailant that attacked her in her house, but additionally the corruption of the police force at the time. Palomba and her husband driven forward to get justice, and after over 10 years, John Regan’s identity because the culprit was once exposed. So what exactly happened, and the place is Regan now?
Article continues underneath advertisement
Donna Palomba’s story is tense in more tactics than one.
Palomba main points the events of her attack from Sept. 11, 1993. For her, this date has carried terror for a very long time. When her husband used to be away for the primary time right through their 12-year marriage, a masked intruder entered her house early within the morning when her two youngsters were drowsing.
“Before I could do anything, the intruder jumped me. A battle ensued. I fought and screamed. He briefly covered my mouth. I bit his gloved hand. He wrenched my arm at the back of my again and warned that if I didn’t cooperate, I would get harm. He took great precaution to disguise his identity by means of disguising his voice and putting a pillowcase over my head.”
Article continues underneath advertisement
But thanks to Palomba’s survival instincts, after the intruder bodily and sexually assaulted her, he let her live. She ran to her neighbor’s, and in spite of the intruder’s threats towards calling the police, she called anyway. The police instantly took up the case, and DNA proof was accrued on the health center in what is referred to now as a “rape kit.”
Article continues underneath advertisement
A couple of weeks down the road, the police called Palomba into the station. However, instead of asking questions in regards to the incident to to find the assailant, they interrogated Palomba to see if she was lying, forcing her to relive the trauma. Even nowadays, that is unfortunately some of the many reasons girls are hesitant to come forward about sexual assault.
This interrogation led Palomba and her husband to seek prison council, which led to a botched inner investigation of the police station. Years later, Palomba gained a lawsuit against the officials involved, but her purpose wasn’t cash. “I sought after the negligence stated,” she writes, “an apology given and alter to happen.” But she never were given that apology.
Then, in 2004, a an identical assault came about in opposition to a 21-year-old, and the police were in a position to chase down and contain the suspect. The suspect’s name was John Regan. He was once an established buddy of Palomba’s husband, and his DNA matched Palomba’s rape kit.
Article continues under advertisement
So the place is John Regan now? Well, he’s exactly where he will have to be.
Despite the transparent evidence connecting Regan to Palomba and incriminating him within the 2004 attack, he pleaded no longer in charge to several accounts and was launched on $350,000 bail. But as many true crime aficionados know, when cops can’t prevent an assailant, it sort of feels like nothing will. As Palomba and the guy survivor lived in fear, Regan attacked but some other young lady, this time a 17-year-old high school student whose track coaches witnessed and stopped the attack.
This time, Regan was once arrested with out bail, and whilst awaiting trial, unsuccessfully attempted to grasp himself. After that, he pleaded responsible to kidnapping and used to be sentenced to 12 years in New York and 15 years in Connecticut, concurrently serving both sentences in a New York prison. However, his time for freedom due to just right habits arrived in 2017, as soon as again including terror to the lives of his victims.
For now, he’s being held longer than his New York sentence due to a regulation that permits him to stay confined if he’s still potentially dangerous to society. So now, Regan is on the Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Franklin County, with a liberate date set for October 2022, although anything may happen earlier than then.
Tune into Dateline on 9 p.m. EST on NBC to be told extra about Palomba and her story.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfrLWiwIyhmKmolaOypXnTqGSdp56jrm68wKWmppqR