CT Salesman Investigated In Unsolved Bish Murder
eartha...@yahoo.com
Nov 13, 2005 11:35 pm US/Eastern
CT Salesman Investigated In Unsolved Bish Murder
(AP) When a Connecticut salesman was charged with trying to kidnap a
New York teenager from her school parking lot Halloween night, police
believed it was a random, isolated abduction attempt.
Two weeks later, the man whose work van contained a tarp and a noose
that night in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is being investigated in at least
three states for unsolved sex and murder cases.
Investigators are looking at crimes dating back as far as 1988 to see
if there's a connection to 49-year-old John Regan, a married father of
three now facing his second kidnapping charge in just over a year.
"We'll know a lot more about John Regan in the months to come, but from
what we understand, he led a very interesting double life," Waterbury
Police Superintendent Neil O'Leary said. "He led a life as a father, a
devoted father, devoted to his kids, frequently seen at their sporting
events. A nice house in a nice neighborhood, a very respected and
well-liked wife. And you know, obviously there was a total dark side to
John Regan."
Defense attorney Stewart Jones said the sweeping investigations only
encourage false accusations.
"Obviously, he's an easy target for the police," Jones said. "I don't
think they're going to turn up anything."
Detectives are reviewing Regan's business trips to Sturbridge, Mass.,
to see whether he was in nearby Warren when 16-year-old lifeguard Molly
Bish disappeared on June 27, 2000.
"I'm glad they're looking at him," said Molly's father, John Bish, who
discussed Regan's case with investigators. "I'm glad they're taking
things seriously."
Across upstate New York, state troopers are reviewing abduction cases.
"We owe it to the people who are missing to make sure it's fully
investigated," said James A. Murphy III, the district attorney in
Saratoga County.
O'Leary also wants to revisit the unsolved murders of Mildred Alvarado
and Karen Everett, two prostitutes found strangled in Harwinton in 1988
and 1989. Both women worked the streets less than a mile from Regan's
home, O'Leary said.
Police charged Regan last year in connection with a 1993 attack, in
which a Waterbury woman awoke to find a masked man in her bedroom.
According to court documents, the man gagged her, put a pillowcase over
her head and raped her.
Investigators believe the attacker knew his victim because he disguised
his voice and face. But the case languished and the victim won a
lawsuit against the city for mishandling the investigation.
In 2004, police received a complaint from one of Regan's employees, who
accused him of pulling her onto his lap, forcing her onto her back and
trying to have sex with her. That investigation revealed that Regan
knew the 1993 victim. He provided a DNA sample that, according to
police records, matched the cold case.
Because the statute of limitations on rape had expired, Regan was
charged with kidnapping. Last November, he pleaded not guilty in both
cases and posted $350,000 bail.
Regan, who sold and installed roofing, is a member of one of the city's
most prominent families. His father is a well-known dentist. His
brother is a Washington D.C. attorney. A local elementary school bears
his grandfather's name.
Regan's wife and brother did not return messages for comment. His
father was out of town.
Regan came to authorities' attention again a few weeks ago, just days
before his Saratoga arrest, when a Walgreens photo clerk reported that
Regan had submitted pictures of unsuspecting women.
The pictures, taken on the same roll as his son's soccer game, show
mostly blonds in their late teens and early 20s. Some are walking. One
is standing by a school bus stop. Another is scratching her back,
slightly lifting her shirt.
Regan's former employee was also photographed, police said, leading to
charges of stalking and violating his bail conditions. By then,
however, Regan was in Saratoga Springs.
He was arrested Oct. 31 after a 17-year-old senior at Saratoga Springs
High School said Regan tried to pull her into his van after track
practice. Authorities found blue tarp, a nylon rope tied into a noose,
a metal rake and a bottle of liquor in the van.
"He meets the stereotypical profile of a serial rapist," O'Leary said.
Investigators have not said what they make of the items seized from the
van. Jones, Regan's attorney, said they were tools of Regan's trade and
said reporters have overreacted.
"It's grandstanding about lives being imperiled, wild monumental
nonsense," Jones said.
Back in Waterbury, police searched Regan's computer. Before leaving for
Saratoga, Regan visited a newspaper Web site there, police said. The
young runner was mentioned twice, leading investigators to believe she
may have been targeted.
O'Leary said he'll ask Wisconsin investigators to revisit their cases
because Regan's company, ABC Supply, is based there.
"We're going to reach into every community where we know he's been and
say, 'Look, this is who he is, this is what we know about him, this is
what he's been arrested for,"' O'Leary said. "'And if you have any
unsolved cases that could fit into this profile, we strongly urge you
to take a strong look at him."'
eartha...@yahoo.com
http://www.waterburyobserver.com/worxcms_published/news_54.shtml
BUSTED!
11/07/2005
By John Murray
The Waterbury Observer
For the past year friends and family of John Regan stood by his side
after he was arrested for allegedly raping the wife of one of his best
friends. The charge was so outrageously off the wall, and despicable,
that many people in the community refused to believe he had committed
the crime.
His DNA was found on the victim, but maybe, some justified, they had
consensual sex together. There was no way John Regan could have
slithered so low as to sexually assault his buddy's wife, the reasoning
went, that was too far off the charts.
That the arrest came 11 years after the attack made the charge even
more surreal to Regan's family and friends. The statue of limitations
for sexual assault ran out after five years, but Regan was still
charged with kidnapping. His loyal supporters believed an upcoming
trial would vindicate him.
Denial is a powerful force, but the farce is over. John Regan not only
attacked and raped the wife of one of his best friends, police now
believe he may have been a serial rapist, and police have even darker
suspicions that he may have murdered some of his victims.
A terrifying incident on Halloween night destroyed John Regan's mask of
innocence, and revealed the monster that lurked beneath.
As darkness descended upon Halloween, a month before his kidnapping
trial in Waterbury was to begin, Regan was arrested in Saratoga
Springs, N.Y. and charged with trying to abduct a 17 year old high
school girl from the school parking lot.
Waterbury Police Chief, Neil O'Leary, who broke the case last year by
connecting dots separated by an 11 year span, talked to the Observer
the day after the latest arrest. He said Regan had removed the back
seat of his van in Saratoga Springs, laid down a blue tarp, and had
pre-knotted ropes waiting to secure his victim.
In addition, sources have confirmed that the ropes were tied in a noose
and Regan had a shovel in the van with him. It is not unreasonable to
conclude that John Regan was intent on raping, killing and burying his
young 17 year old victim
O'Leary, who immediately dispatched three Waterbury detectives to
Saratoga Springs, said Regan had been in New York for two weeks working
at a relative's construction project. O'Leary said Regan had probably
stalked the girl because of the way he had positioned his van for the
attack. The sliding door was positioned right next to the driver's
door. When the student, a cross country star on one of the premiere
teams in the country, went to open her door after practice, Regan is
accused of opening the sliding door of his van, grabbing her by the
waist, covering her mouth, and attempting to drag her into the van.
"She bit, screamed, yelled and kicked him," O'Leary said. "He yelled at
her to stop. Thank God she got away."
Regan was confronted by two teachers and is accused of jumping back in
his van and fleeing the scene. A coach and parent pursued the van in
their cars. They called the police on cell phones and the van was
stopped minutes later and Regan was arrested.
"It is horrific what happened to that child," O'Leary said. "Thankfully
she was not physically hurt. But the fact that this happened
strengthens the case back here in Waterbury."
O'Leary said that the Waterbury police had received a tip about Regan
several weeks ago which sparked a new police investigation. A photo
technician at a local lab was processing film and he noticed all the
images were of women who were unaware that they were being
photographed. He saw that the film was sent in by John Regan and
recognized that the customer had been charged with kidnapping and
assaulting women in greater Waterbury. Security personnel for the store
contacted the Waterbury police department.
The women had been photographed as they jogged and worked out along a
several mile stretch of a bicycle path through the woods in Cheshire.
In most of the images of the women, sources confirmed, they were
wearing shorts and tight fitting athletic attire.
Other images on the rolls of film were of a former co-worker that Regan
was accused of assaulting last summer. Police have said that the woman
was unaware that Regan had been stalking her.
After Regan was arrested in New York, the Waterbury Police Department
got a warrant to search his house on Euclid Avenue and removed
additional photographic images. Waterbury police have charged Regan
with stalking, and in the near future he will be arraigned back in
Connecticut.
But two days after Regan was captured in Saratoga Springs, he attempted
to hang himself with a bed sheet. He was cut down within minutes,
surviving an attempt to avoid the consequences of his actions, such as
coming face to face with his wife, children, and the friends and family
who had supported him this past year.
Regan has been denied bail and is being held in a psychiatric hospital
in New York state.
"This guy is a dangerous man. Period." O'Leary said. "He was stalking
school kids. I hope the New York courts continue to hold him on no
bail. It is a detriment to society to let him out. He is sick and
dangerous."
On another note, O'Leary said this latest incident should bury any
doubt anyone was harboring about Regan's innocence in the sexual
assault case 12 years ago. "I always believed the woman was sexually
assaulted," O'Leary said. "We have a perfect DNA match that says it was
John Regan who did it. This should end the rumors forever."
This latest twist in the most bizarre and complicated case of Neil
O'Leary's career needs a recap. The Observer has written two major
stories on the case and COLD CASE was originally published last
November.
eartha...@yahoo.com
Attempted kidnapping suspect tries suicide
Photos of women found in Regan's camera
WNYT-TV
Accused, would-be kidnapper John Regan is being treated in Saratoga
Hospital's intensive care unit. Police say the Connecticut man tried to
kill himself Thursday morning at the Saratoga County Jail. Regan's
apparent suicide attempt came on his 49th birthday.
"He took a bed sheet, wrapped it around his neck and tied it to the top
part of the framework of the bed, lowered himself down into a sitting
position and he passed out," Saratoga County Sheriff James Bowen said.
Regan, the man accused of trying to abduct a 17-year-old Saratoga
Springs cross country star, was alone for only a short time when he
tried to hang himself.
"The officer went through at 10:50. In nine minutes when he came back
through they found him with the sheet wrapped around his neck and
passed out," Bowen said.
The sheriff says Regan is in stable condition.
His apparent suicide attempt came as police zero in on evidence seized
from his Waterbury, Conn. home and from his blue Ford minivan.
A reliable law enforcement force source tells NewsChannel 13 the camera
found in Regan's van contained photos of women apparently taken in
Saratoga Springs, and apparently taken by Regan in the hours before the
kidnapping attempt.
Saratoga Springs police and the Saratoga County District Attorney Jim
Murphy won't confirm that.
"The state police and Saratoga PD have conducted an investigation
relative to his whereabouts and movements, but I don't want to comment
on specifics of that," Murphy said.
NewsChannel 13 also learned Regan has an alleged history of taking
candid photos of unsuspecting women. A law enforcement source says a
clerk at a Walgreen's store in Waterbury saw recent news reports of
Regan's arrest and contacted police to tell them Regan would often come
into the store to have photos of women developed.
The manager of the store said told NewsChannel 13 by phone that he's
not allowed to comment.
Police in Connecticut say some of the photos on Regan's camera are
helping them with another unsolved case there.
mary, phd.
coverage....this guy could be good for many, many rapes and murders.
mary, phd.
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1131953712.9...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
tiny dancer
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1131954116.2...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Who know's how many victims this guy has had. That poor woman 12 years ago,
not being believed. This was one lucky girl, good for her, fighting so
hard. This guy is an animal.
I thought they'd had a suspect in the Molly Bish murder? Did the mother
ever make a composite sketch of the guy she saw when she dropped molly off
that day?
td
>
Sherman
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1131953712.9...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Thanks so much for posting this. I Google'd the news with his name and it
seems there is a whole lot of interest in this guy around New England and
even to Wisconsin, where his employer is located. Several mysterious
disappearances come to mind like those of the missing women from northern NH
and Vermont who vanished from roadsides.
Creepy guy. Creepy tools of his "trade" inside his van. Ready made torture
and disposal chamber. Shudder...
Sherman.
JonesieCat
"Sherman" <Sher...@adelphia.com> wrote in message
news:6IydnbcD9PZ...@adelphia.com...
Ohhh, I forgot about those women, espec the one who left college, loaded up
her car, and then skidded off the road when she was well into her trip. No
one even knew where she was headed. The schoolbus driver passed her and then
went back to help her, and she was gone that fast. And those other ones too,
like you say. Wonder if this guy's the one?
JC
eartha...@yahoo.com
Regan being investigated in Bish case
Updated: 11/14/2005 11:32 PM
By: Ryan Peterson
The investigation into 49-year-old John Regan, following his arrest for
the attempted abduction of a Saratoga Springs High School student, is
breathing new life into the unsolved murder case of 16-year-old Molly
Bish in Massachusetts.
Molly's father John Bish said, "Just the parallels that seem to exist.
The victim was a 17-year-old girl who's an athlete, blond hair, she was
at a school parking lot. It was heart stopping."
Bish disappeared on June 27, 2000, shortly after her mother dropped her
off for her first day as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in her hometown of
Warren, Massachusetts.
The case launched the biggest and most costly search in the Bay State's
history. Three years later, Molly's remains were discovered on a
hillside five-miles from where she was last seen.
Bish said, "Although we hope that this is the big break. I don't relish
the idea of my family having to hear what happened to Molly or even
have them go through a trial. Although we'll do that, we're prepared to
do that."
A Connecticut man accused of trying to kidnap a Saratoga Springs
student is now being investigated in the unsolved murder of Molly Bish.
It's John Regan's work in construction that has authorities looking
into the possibility that he could have been involved with a school
project in Bish's hometown at the time she disappeared.
Bish said, "At the time of Molly's disappearance, our high school was
being rebuilt and a junior high school was being built. We're wondering
whether he might have been involved in that."
Bish said his family will never fully recover from the loss of Molly.
But he hopes the day they finally know what happened to her and who's
responsible, will bring some much needed closure.
For more information on the search for Molly's killer, please visit the
Molly Bish Foundation website.
Abduction suspect is eyed in Bish case
No evidence yet ties N.Y. arrest to killing
By Raja Mishra,
Boston Globe
November 14, 2005
When police in upstate New York searched the van of a salesman arrested
recently after allegedly trying to abduct a teenage girl, they sensed
they might be getting a glimpse at tools of a horrifying trade: Inside
were a noose, a tarp, and a bottle of liquor.
They contacted several New England police departments handling unsolved
teen abductions, including Massachusetts State Police, who continue to
investigate the fate of Molly Bish, the 16-year-old who disappeared
from a pond in Central Massachusetts more than five years ago. Her
remains were found in Palmer in 2003.
''When we hear about these types of events anywhere, it's sort of a
heart-stopper for us," said John Bish, Molly Bish's father, reached at
home in Warren last night. ''This incident was especially
heart-stopping because of how close he was to our area."
A Worcester grand jury continues to meet on the Bish case, still
seeking answers about her killer.
Massachusetts State Police investigators have discussed Regan with
authorities in Connecticut, though his involvement in Bish's
disappearance remains purely hypothetical, said authorities.
Investigators are examining Regan's business trips to Sturbridge, near
where Molly Bish was last seen. But thus far they have found nothing
linking the cases.
''Quite honestly, we don't have any evidence at this time that would
link her to Mr. Regan," said Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte,
who is leading the grand jury investigation. ''We're still checking out
various things, but we don't have any solid information or evidence."
Regan was arrested on Oct. 31 after a 17-year-old student at Saratoga
Springs High School in upstate New York said he tried to pull her into
his van after track practice. Investigators said his van was filled
with the suspicious equipment.
Regan's lawyer, Stewart Jones, said his client is innocent and the
broadened investigation is unfounded.
''Obviously, he's an easy target for the police," said Jones, saying
the equipment inside the van was for work that his client, a married
father of three, had to do as a roofing salesman. ''I don't think
they're going to turn up anything."
After the alleged abduction attempt on Halloween, investigators looked
into Regan's background, finding what they consider a disturbing
pattern.
''From what we understand, he led a very interesting double life," said
Waterbury Police Superintendent Neil O'Leary. ''He led a life as a
father, a devoted father, devoted to his kids, frequently seen at their
sporting events. A nice house in a nice neighborhood, a very respected
and well-liked wife. And you know, obviously there was a total dark
side to John Regan."
Last year, police investigated a complaint by one of Regan's co-workers
that he had groped her and tried to force her to have sex in a back
room. That investigation, police said, revealed that Regan knew a
Waterbury woman who had been raped in 1993. The rapist had been masked,
but police suspected he knew his victim. Regan's DNA matched a sample
taken from the rape, police said.
Because the statute of limitations on rape had expired, police charged
Regan only with kidnapping. He pleaded not guilty, posting $350,000
bail.
In mid-October, he aroused police suspicion again: A Walgreens photo
clerk reported that he had submitted film containing shots of
unsuspecting girls, mostly blonde teens. Also on the roll, police said,
were photos of the co-worker Regan had allegedly groped, violating his
bail conditions and prompting new stalking charges.
By the time the charges were filed, Regan was in Saratoga Springs.
On Nov. 3, Regan tried to hang himself in jail, where he was being held
without bail in the Saratoga Springs case. He was treated at Saratoga
Hospital, then transferred to a maximum-security psychiatric hospital
in upstate New York.
''He meets the stereotypical profile of a serial rapist," said O'Leary,
who also is investigating Regan's possible involvement in the unsolved
slaying of two prostitutes strangled in Harwinton, Conn., about a mile
from Regan's home, in the late 1980s.
And then there is the Bish case. Waterbury, where Regan lives, is close
to Warren. Regan visited the Sturbridge area for work. And, John Bish
noted, there is a frightening similarity between his daughter and the
girl who escaped the Oct. 31 abduction.
''Molly played sports, was about the same age. It was a very bold act
in a high school parking lot," he said. ''Then there was what we
learned was in the vehicle."
Bish said police told him they also found bindings and photographs of
women inside.
''By the grace of God, this young lady got away," he said. ''What these
people do, it's beyond imagination."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
eartha...@yahoo.com
Police to cast wide net for past crimes
Saturday, November 5, 2005
BY BEN CONERY
Republican-American (Waterbury CT)
WATERBURY -- Authorities formed a task force Friday to determine if
John Regan was involved in sex crimes here and in other states.
Regan, who is accused of trying to abduct a high school girl in
Saratoga Springs, N.Y., remained hospitalized recovering from a suicide
attempt.
Police in New York said the 200-pound Regan grabbed a 17-year-old girl
around the waist on Monday and tried to drag her into his van. The girl
managed to fight free and police arrested Regan shortly after. Police
said they found rope and a camera in his van.
Waterbury Police Superintendent Neil O'Leary also confirmed that state
troopers from Massachusetts were in Waterbury on Friday to investigate
whether Regan was involved in at least one similar case in
Massachusetts.
Regan, 49, faces three separate charges -- kidnapping, unlawful
restraint and stalking -- in Waterbury.
O'Leary said Regan worked for many years as a traveling sales
representative for siding companies. "We know he has traveled
extensively throughout New England and New York," O'Leary said.
The task force will work to trace Regan's travels, O'Leary said.
The task force will also try to determine if Regan could be a suspect
in any unsolved crimes or sexual assaults committed where he has
traveled.
O'Leary said a thorough investigation will require investigators to
track Regan for the last two decades. "We believe he fits the profile
of a serial rapist," O'Leary said.
Waterbury State's Attorney John Connelly, whose office is working with
police in the task force, said investigators will also scour the state
to look for unsolved crimes Regan could be involved with.
Regan, a married father of three children, is from a prominent
Waterbury family. Regan School in Waterbury is named for his
grandfather Frank G. Regan.
He first attracted the attention of Waterbury police last summer, when
a 21-year-old co-worker accused him of trying to force himself sexually
on her. He got on top of her, but she managed to escape, police said.
Police charged Regan in August 2004 with unlawful restraint, which
carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
O'Leary said after that arrest he thought Regan could be involved in a
1993 rape case that became a black mark on the police department. That
case changed the way Waterbury police handled sex assault cases. The
victim sued the department for accusing her of lying about the rape to
mask an affair. She won $190,000 in damages.
O'Leary said he always suspected the culprit attended a stag party the
night of the rape. The stag party was for Regan's cousin. After Regan's
2004 arrest, O'Leary said, he learned Regan had been at the party.
Regan had not been a suspect until then.
Regan submitted to a DNA test, which linked him to the 1993 case,
O'Leary said.
Regan was charged with kidnapping in the 1993 case because the statute
of limitations on rape had run out before his arrest. He faces up to 60
years if convicted.
He was free on bonds totaling $375,000 when he was arrested in New York
Monday night. Regan had been in upstate New York working on houses
belonging to relatives, police said.
Police in Saratoga Springs charged Regan with attempt at second-degree
kidnapping, which carries a maximum prison term of 15 years.
On Thursday, Waterbury police charged Regan with stalking the alleged
victim from his August 2004 arrest. Police said Regan took photographs
of the woman outside her office in Cheshire without her knowledge.
Stalking carries a potential five-year term.
Police learned of the photographs after a photo technician recognized
Regan's name and became unnerved that the film he wanted developed
depicted women seemingly unaware their pictures were being taken.
Police said Regan sat in his van and took pictures of dozens of women.
He is being held without bond in New York.
eartha...@yahoo.com
eartha...@yahoo.com wrote:
> http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=29884&p=0
>
> On Thursday, Waterbury police charged Regan with stalking the alleged
> victim from his August 2004 arrest. Police said Regan took photographs
> of the woman outside her office in Cheshire without her knowledge.
> Stalking carries a potential five-year term.
>
> Police learned of the photographs after a photo technician recognized
> Regan's name and became unnerved that the film he wanted developed
> depicted women seemingly unaware their pictures were being taken.
>
> Police said Regan sat in his van and took pictures of dozens of women.
>
Regan came to authorities' attention again a few weeks ago, just days
before his Saratoga arrest, when a Walgreens photo clerk reported that
Regan had submitted pictures of unsuspecting women.
The pictures, taken on the same roll as his son's soccer game, show
mostly blondes in their late teens and early 20s.
Some are walking. One is standing by a school bus stop. Another is
scratching her back, slightly lifting her shirt.
Regan's former employee also was photographed, police said, leading to
charges of stalking and violating his bail conditions. By then,
however, Regan was in Saratoga Springs.
He was arrested Oct. 31 after a 17-year-old senior at Saratoga Springs
High School said Regan tried to pull her into his van after track
practice.
Authorities found blue tarp, a nylon rope tied into a noose, a metal
rake and a bottle of liquor in the van.
"He meets the stereotypical profile of a serial rapist," O'Leary said.
Investigators have not said what they make of the items seized from the
van. Jones, Regan's attorney, said they were tools of Regan's trade and
said reporters have overreacted.
"It's grandstanding about lives being imperiled, wild monumental
nonsense," Jones said.
Back in Waterbury, police searched Regan's computer. Before leaving for
Saratoga, Regan visited a newspaper website there, police said.
eartha...@yahoo.com
http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15514424&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=17708&rfi=6
Suspect attempts suicide
JIM KINNEY,
The Saratogian
11/04/2005
BALLSTON SPA -- Hours after he tried to hang himself Thursday morning
in his cell at Saratoga County Jail, John F. Regan was conscious, alert
and asking for food and water, Saratoga County Sheriff James D. Bowen
said.
Regan, whose 49th birthday was Thursday, is accused of trying to drag a
17-year-old Saratoga Springs High School senior into his van as she
walked to her car after cross country practice Monday night.
He's free on bail from his home state of Connecticut, where he is
accused of attempted rape and kidnapping in two separate incidents. He
was additionally charged Thursday with stalking a woman in his hometown
who has accused him of trying to rape her in July 2004.
At 10:59 a.m. Thursday, nine minutes after he'd last been checked by a
guard, Regan was found with a bed sheet tied to the top bunk of his bed
and his head through a loop. He had squatted down until the sheet was
taut, Bowen said. He was unconscious when medics rushed him to Saratoga
Hospital.
According to police in Waterbury, Conn., the stalking charge stems from
film and photographs seized Wednesday at Regan's home there and film
found in the 2001 Ford Windstar van Regan was using in the alleged
attempted kidnapping Monday night.
'He was for the past month following around the victim from July 2004
and photographing her without her knowledge,' Waterbury Police Sgt.
Chris Corbett said Thursday by phone.
He said Regan photographed the woman 'anywhere out in public,' such as
trips to the store.
This is the third charge filed against Regan in Waterbury. He is
accused of trying to rape a 21-year-old co-worker -- the woman in the
pictures -- in July 2004. After arresting him on that charge, police
matched Regan's DNA with DNA from a 1993 rape.
In the 1993 case, Regan is <>accused of cutting a phone line, then
sneaking into a woman's bedroom while wearing a mask. He allegedly
bound her, covered her mouth and covered her head with a pillowcase. He
then raped her while her children were in the next room, according to
Waterbury Police.
In the most recent case, there are pictures of other women as well.
Corbett said investigators are working to identify those women. They
are also working with police in a Waterbury suburb, where they believe
some of the pictures were taken.
Stalking is a felony in Connecticut. Corbett said he expects that Regan
will be taken back to Waterbury for another arraignment.
Local law enforcement sources said Regan had undeveloped film with him
Monday night with shots of women on the street in Saratoga Springs.
They believe he'd photographed the women without their knowledge Monday
afternoon, before the alleged kidnapping attempt at 5:30 p.m.
The shots do not include any of the 17-year-old victim in the alleged
kidnapping attempt, sources said.
Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III couldn't comment
on evidence in the case. Neither would city Police Chief Edward Moore,
who said he was not surprised by the new Connecticut charges.
He said the investigation is continuing and he doesn't yet know if
there will be additional charges for Regan in Saratoga Springs.
Regan's defense attorney in this area, E. Stewart Jones of Troy, said
he's seen the photographs.
'There is a completely innocent explanation,' Jones said.
He didn't give that explanation, though, saying instead that it will
take time for the case to unfold.
'People try to paint with a broad brush and characterize things in ways
they are not,' Jones said.
Regan was initially represented by his uncle, Saratoga Springs attorney
John Carusone.
Regan, a married father of three, is from a prominent family. His
father is a dentist, and there is a school in Waterbury named for his
grandfather.
Corbett wouldn't characterize the women in the pictures, nor would he
say how many there are. He said the pictures were all taken from some
distance away.
In Saratoga Springs, police found a tarp and a rope tied in a slipknot
in the van Regan was using. The van belongs to his father, who lives on
Cape Cod. Chief Moore has said that police believe that Regan planned
Monday's attempted kidnapping but didn't know the victim before
spotting her in the parking lot.
Jones said he might have Regan evaluated by an outside psychiatrist. He
also said he's keeping all of his options open, including the
possibility of an insanity plea.
'This (the suicide attempt) was not a rational act,' Jones said. 'It
certainly makes you think.'
Moore reacted to Regan's suicide attempt by saying, 'My only comment
is, 'Hey, I'm glad he's OK.' We want to get to the bottom of this
case.'
Saratoga Springs Schools Superintendent John MacFadden said that if
Regan had died, it would have robbed the victim and the community of a
chance to get closure and confront him in court.
'They want to know why this happened,' MacFadden said.
School officials met Thursday to talk about security, the possibility
of adding video cameras to the parking lot, lighting, police presence
and other issues. They'll have a news conference this afternoon.
snip rest of article
Reporter Kevin Goodwin contributed to this article.
tiny dancer
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1132038983.9...@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Isn't there always.
This is what always gets me, when people say 'they want to know why?' He
wanted to rape and murder her, that's *why*. It isn't any huge secret
explanation. He wanted to kidnap, rape and murder this poor girl who was a
total stranger to him *for fun*. For his own pleasure, because she isn't
anything to him. She isn't a person, human, she's just a thing to use and
get rid of.
td
eartha...@yahoo.com
tiny dancer wrote:
> > Moore reacted to Regan's suicide attempt by saying, 'My only comment
> > is, 'Hey, I'm glad he's OK.' We want to get to the bottom of this
> > case.'
> >
> > Saratoga Springs Schools Superintendent John MacFadden said that if
> > Regan had died, it would have robbed the victim and the community of a
> > chance to get closure and confront him in court.
> >
> > 'They want to know why this happened,' MacFadden said.
>
>
> This is what always gets me, when people say 'they want to know why?' He
> wanted to rape and murder her, that's *why*. It isn't any huge secret
> explanation. He wanted to kidnap, rape and murder this poor girl who was a
> total stranger to him *for fun*. For his own pleasure, because she isn't
> anything to him. She isn't a person, human, she's just a thing to use and
> get rid of.
>
>
> td
I'm only glad his suicide attempt wasn't successful because there's a
slightly
better chance of finding out if he had anything to do with other rapes,
muders,
disappearances. He reminds me of the guy (Evonitz?) in the Lisk/Silva
murders,
who was successful in his suicide before they even got a chance to
interview him.
eartha...@yahoo.com
http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=29834
City police say Regan photographed women
Friday, November 4, 2005
BY BEN CONERY
Republican-American
WATERBURY -- Staked out in his van, John Regan took photographs of
dozens of unsuspecting women, including a 21-year-old former co-worker
he previously tried to assault, according to Waterbury police.
On Thursday, as Regan was recovering from an apparent suicide attempt
in a jail in upstate New York, Waterbury police charged him with
stalking the former co-worker more than a year after he was arrested
and charged with trying to sexually force himself on her.
Regan was free on bond pending a trial in that case and another case
stemming from a 1993 rape when he was arrested Monday in Saratoga
Springs, N.Y., and charged with trying to abduct a 17-year-old girl
from her high school's parking lot.
A judge ordered Regan, a member of a prominent Waterbury family, held
without bond.
But the cases against Regan nearly ended Thursday, his 49th birthday,
when he tried to hang himself in an upstate New York jail cell.
Authorities said a guard was checking Regan every 15 minutes, standard
procedure during the first 72 hours after a prisoner arrives. Regan had
been left alone for nine minutes when a deputy found him hanging by a
bed sheet from the top bunk, according to Saratoga County District
Attorney James A. Murphy III.
Regan remained hospitalized Thursday night under guard in the intensive
care unit. Murphy said Regan was lucid and did not appear to suffer
significant brain damage.
Also on Thursday, Waterbury Police Superintendent Neil O'Leary revealed
the stalking charges are the result of an investigation that began
weeks before Regan was arrested in New York.
A photo technician at a department store became uneasy after developing
film left by Regan several weeks ago. The pictures were of women
seemingly unaware they were being photographed, O'Leary said. The
technician recognized Regan's name from newspaper articles reporting
his earlier arrests, he said.
"We would have probably never known Mr. Regan was involved in this type
of activity if it wasn't for this person's attentiveness," O'Leary
said. He would not identify the store or the technician.
Police seized two rolls of film from the store. Each roll depicts at
least a dozen women, O'Leary said. Images of three women, including the
woman he is charged with trying to assault, appear on both rolls. The
photographs were taken a week apart in September, he said.
O'Leary said police recognized the location of some photographs as the
Farmington Canal Linear Park in Cheshire. Police then enlisted the help
of a Cheshire detective to identify other locations depicted in the
photographs.
One of the buildings the Cheshire detective recognized turned out to be
the office building where Regan's alleged victim works, O'Leary said.
The woman, who used to work with Regan in Waterbury, was shown the
photos and identified herself, O'Leary said. She also helped police
identify two other women, he said.
The investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible against
Regan.
On Thursday, Waterbury police obtained an arrest warrant charging Regan
with first-degree stalking. A condition of his pretrial release from
jail was to stay away from the alleged victim. The stalking charge
carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
Regan, who is married and the father of three children, is the grandson
of Frank G. Regan, a longtime educator in Waterbury for whom Regan
School is named.
Saratoga County District Attorney Murphy said Saratoga city police and
New York State Police are investigating missing persons cases in
upstate New York and western Massachusetts to determine if there are
any links to Regan.
O'Leary said Waterbury police are going to try to track Regan's
movements as far back as they can. He said police want to determine if
Regan could be a suspect in crimes similar to those he has been charged
with.
Kris Baker
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1132041511....@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> I'm only glad his suicide attempt wasn't successful because
> there's a slightly better chance of finding out if he had
Absolutely. I'm still pissed that they executed Ted Bundy
after he *finally* started talking.
Kris
eartha...@yahoo.com
tiny dancer wrote:
>
> Who know's how many victims this guy has had. That poor woman 12 years ago,
> not being believed. This was one lucky girl, good for her, fighting so
> hard. This guy is an animal.
>
20 years.
http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=29926&p=0
DNA trail sought in Regan probe
Sunday, November 6, 2005
BY BEN CONERY
Republican-American
WATERBURY -- DNA could be a powerful tool to determine if John Regan
has been involved in more crimes than the four he is charged with.
But so far, it has not made such a connection.
Regan, 49, was charged Monday with trying to abduct a 17-year-old girl
out of a high school parking lot in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. On Thursday,
Waterbury police charged him with stalking and photographing a
21-year-old woman police said he previously tried to assault.
Waterbury police had arrested Regan in August 2004 and charged him with
trying to sexually force himself onto the 21-year-old woman. After that
arrest, Regan submitted to a DNA test that police said linked him to a
notorious 1993 rape case.
Regan's DNA was sent to state police for testing against a sample taken
from the victim in the 1993 case. Police said it matched.
State police spokesman Sgt. J. Paul Vance said Regan's DNA was also
entered into a state and national DNA database after he was arrested
last year. So far Regan's DNA has not been linked with any other crimes
in Connecticut or elsewhere.
DNA, genetic information stored in almost all of a person's cells, has
become a valuable tool for law enforcement. More reliable than
eyewitnesses, DNA is considered the most irrefutable evidence in
criminal cases.
Aside from identical twins, each person's DNA is different. If a DNA
sample is found at a crime scene or taken from a victim, police can try
to match that sample with a suspect. A match means the DNA almost
certainly came from the suspect.
While Regan's DNA has not been linked with any other crimes,
authorities in New England and New York still believe he may have a
more extensive -- and serious -- criminal past. That's because of the
nature of his arrest last week, combined with the existing allegations
in the three pending Waterbury cases.
Waterbury Police Superintendent Neil O'Leary and Waterbury State's
Attorney John Connelly formed a task force Friday that aims to track
Regan for the past 20 years. Along with O'Leary and Connelly, the task
force includes two assistant state's attorneys, two detectives and a
police lieutenant.
Regan, the married father of three from a prominent Waterbury family,
worked for years as a traveling salesman.
The task force wants to determine if he committed crimes in any of the
places he traveled.
"He fits the profile of, at the very least, a serial rapist," O'Leary
said. "His actions since 1993 are consistent with a stereotypical sex
offender."
O'Leary said he will make Regan's DNA profile available to any law
enforcement agency that requests it.
Massachusetts State Police visited Waterbury police late last week to
investigate whether Regan is linked to at least one case similar to
those he has already been charged with. Police declined to provide any
further information.
Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said last week
that Saratoga city police and New York State Police are investigating
missing persons cases in upstate New York and western Massachusetts to
determine if there are any links to Regan.
Regan remained hospitalized late last week after he tried to hang
himself with a bed sheet in an upstate New York jail cell.
A New York judge ordered him held without bond after his arrest last
Monday. Regan had been free on bonds from his earlier Connecticut
arrests that totaled $350,000 before his New York arrest.
tiny dancer
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1132078179....@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
So I'm guessing the statute of limitations has run out on the '93 case?
>
> State police spokesman Sgt. J. Paul Vance said Regan's DNA was also
> entered into a state and national DNA database after he was arrested
> last year. So far Regan's DNA has not been linked with any other crimes
> in Connecticut or elsewhere.
I'm thinking he's learned 'better to not leave a victim behind' next time.
snipped>
> While Regan's DNA has not been linked with any other crimes,
> authorities in New England and New York still believe he may have a
> more extensive -- and serious -- criminal past. That's because of the
> nature of his arrest last week, combined with the existing allegations
> in the three pending Waterbury cases.
>
> Waterbury Police Superintendent Neil O'Leary and Waterbury State's
> Attorney John Connelly formed a task force Friday that aims to track
> Regan for the past 20 years. Along with O'Leary and Connelly, the task
> force includes two assistant state's attorneys, two detectives and a
> police lieutenant.
>
> Regan, the married father of three from a prominent Waterbury family,
> worked for years as a traveling salesman.
Have you heard what it is he *sold* as a profession?
He reminds me of that guy, what was his name, who brought all the male's
home and buried 'em in his yard? He had a very large home/land in the
country and when his wife was away with the kids he'd haunt the gay bars and
bring home victims.
td
eartha...@yahoo.com
>
>
> Have you heard what it is he *sold* as a profession?
>
> He reminds me of that guy, what was his name, who brought all the male's
> home and buried 'em in his yard? He had a very large home/land in the
> country and when his wife was away with the kids he'd haunt the gay bars and
> bring home victims.
>
>
> td
>
He sold siding. He was let go from a company last year after the
sexual assault on the
co-worker, and now has his own company.
tiny dancer
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1132080920....@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Thanks, he sounds like the 'family loser'. Weren't all the others
*professional* of some sort? Dentist, attorney, etc.
td
>
mary, phd.
> A photo technician at a department store became uneasy after developing
> film left by Regan several weeks ago. The pictures were of women
> seemingly unaware they were being photographed, O'Leary said. The
> technician recognized Regan's name from newspaper articles reporting
> his earlier arrests, he said.
>
> "We would have probably never known Mr. Regan was involved in this type
> of activity if it wasn't for this person's attentiveness," O'Leary
> said. He would not identify the store or the technician.
If this guy had used a digital camera, he'd still be out there.
mary, phd. (who uses SLR anymore?)
PattyC
story line.
I can't wait to hear more.
PattyC
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1132078179....@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
eartha...@yahoo.com
Rape victim hails police persistence
Sunday, November 21, 2004
By Cara Rubinsky
Republican-American
WATERBURY -- It started like any other day.
Her husband was in Colorado for a wedding, the first time in more than
a decade of marriage he had left her home alone. She stayed behind
because a co-worker's wife was expecting a baby.
After visiting the proud new parents in the hospital, she took her two
small children to a concert in Watertown. Like so many other details of
that day in September 1993, she cannot forget the name of the band, Jam
Sandwich.
Exhausted, she returned to her home in Waterbury's Overlook section,
where she tucked in the children and went to bed herself.
A few hours later, footsteps awakened her from a deep sleep. She
thought it might be one of the children, but when she looked up, she
saw a shadowy figure. He pinned her to the bed, tied her hands behind
her back with nylons, slipped a pillowcase over her head and sexually
assaulted her.
"I thought I was going to die that night. I said, 'Dear God, please
absolve me of all my sins,' when he had the gun to my head,'" she
recalled during a recent interview. "From that, my whole life just went
into a spin."
After 20 minutes, the intruder left. The victim worked her way free
from the nylons and tried to dial 911, but the phone lines were cut.
She checked on her children, who were still sleeping. She could not
carry both of them, so she left them in their beds and ran to a
neighbor's house for help.
The rape was just the beginning of her saga. The officers who first
investigated questioned her story, accusing her of lying to cover up an
affair, though they never indicated whom it might have been with or
provided any evidence she was having one. She sued the police and won,
but the victory was bittersweet with the attacker still at large.
All that changed last month, when police arrested the man they believe
assaulted her, an acquaintance of her family's. She hopes the arrest
will put to rest any lingering doubts about the veracity of her story.
"I always held out hope, and I knew there was DNA, and just to hear it
was a match was incredible," she said. "It really takes away all the
gossip and innuendo. It is just a huge weight lifted off my husband and
I. To know who did it is just a huge, huge relief. It's someone that we
never, ever thought of, but obviously DNA doesn't lie."
To protect the victim, the Republican-American is not identifying her.
Suspect John Regan, 47, pleaded innocent last week and is due back in
court Dec. 22.
Police could not charge him with sexual assault because the statute of
limitations ran out six years ago. He was charged with first-degree
kidnapping because he is accused of binding and blindfolding the
victim. He is free on $350,000 bond. His attorney, Hope Seeley,
declined comment.
Regan's name had never before come up in connection with the case.
According to the warrant for his arrest, on the night of the attack, he
was at a stag party the victim's husband would likely have attended had
he been in town. People asked why the victim's husband was not at the
party, so many guests knew he was away.
Regan is not a suspect in any other cases, though he faces charges for
allegedly assaulting a 21-year-old co-worker from ABC Supply Co., the
Waterbury building supply company where he worked. He is no longer
employed there, according to the company's human resources department.
It was after hearing the 21-year-old woman's story that Police Chief
Neil O'Leary connected Regan with the 1993 assault. O'Leary was
familiar with the older case because he was assigned to reinvestigate
after State's Attorney John Connelly determined the responding officers
botched the original investigation.
In September, Regan was charged with unlawful restraint in connection
with the alleged assault on his co-worker. He also pleaded innocent to
that charge. Police asked him for a DNA sample, which he provided.
According to the warrant, the state police lab matched the sample with
DNA taken from the 1993 victim. The attacker apparently tried to
penetrate her but had trouble maintaining an erection. Instead, he used
his finger. But doctors who conducted a rape exam found semen from
which the police lab was able to extract DNA.
The victim said she admired the 21-year-old for having the courage to
report the July incident.
She said she also appreciates the continued support of her family and
of law enforcement officials who believed her account of the rape
despite pressure from colleagues. They included O'Leary, who was
second-in-command of the detective bureau at the time, and Detective
George Lescarde. Both took heat when they testified about problems with
the investigation during the civil trial.
Attorneys for the city argued the officers who first investigated had
many reasons to doubt the victim's story about what happened to her
that night. Her attorney argued she was victimized twice, once by the
rapist and once by officers who did not believe her.
At one point, what officers considered oddities in the case, including
the fact there appeared to have been no forced entry into her home, led
them to bring the victim to the police department, read her her Miranda
rights, and accuse her of lying.
Among other things, they questioned how she could have left her
children sleeping in the house when she did not know for sure the
attacker had left. But with the phone line cut, she said, she had no
choice but to run for help.
In February 2001, a jury awarded the victim $190,000 after it found two
officers negligent for traumatizing her by failing to properly
investigate. Her attorney had asked for $2.5 million, but the jury
found another police officer named in the suit was not at fault.
The victim said she is thankful to her attorney, Maureen Norris, who
argued the civil case, and to Connelly, who believed her and assigned
O'Leary and John "Pudgie" Maia, an inspector in his office, to look
into the case after the original investigation produced no leads.
"I'm just overwhelmed that people continued because it would have been
so easy to put it aside," she said. "They never, ever quit. This is
just incredible that it's come to this conclusion. I just owe them
heartfelt gratitude."
O'Leary said he was impressed with the victim's willingness to press on
despite the resistance she encountered.
"I'm really proud of her, because she felt like she was wronged, and
she had the intestinal fortitude to take on the police department,"
O'Leary said. "She's a remarkable woman. For any woman to go through
what she went through, and to be victimized again, and to stick with
it, is just a testament to her character."
The victim also said she is pleased with what she believes is a new
police attitude toward victims of sexual assault. Her push for change
resulted in the department assigning female officers to conduct the
first interviews with assault victims and providing better references
to counseling and other services.
"The fact that I had so much energy, I had to put it toward something,"
she said. "I just said, 'OK, I did nothing wrong, I was wronged by the
assailant, I was wronged by the police. What can I do about this?' Who
better than me to affect this, to change this."
When she read the department was rewriting its policies and procedures
manual last year, she asked if she could provide input. She said she
was welcomed with open arms and received an apology on behalf of the
department -- something she was not given 11 years ago. Eleven of 12
suggestions she made were incorporated into the manual, with one left
out because it was not feasible. They ranged from treating every victim
with respect, dignity and compassion to assigning specially trained
officers to deal with sexual assault victims.
"It takes courage to come forward, but I can honestly say that I know
that with the new culture of the Waterbury Police Department, what
happened to me will never happen again there, and any woman who comes
forward will be treated with dignity and respect," the victim said.
"The fact that good came out of evil, that's huge. I think it's
important that other people know it's safe to come forward."
tiny dancer
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1132104508.8...@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Now with DNA evidence, there should be NO statute of limitations on rape
IMO. The ease with which he perpetrated this crime suggests it was far from
his first IMO.
td
>
eartha...@yahoo.com
eartha...@yahoo.com wrote:
> http://cbs4boston.com/local/local_story_317155601.html
> Nov 13, 2005 11:35 pm US/Eastern
> CT Salesman Investigated In Unsolved Bish Murder
>
>
> accused him of pulling her onto his lap, forcing her onto her back and
> trying to have sex with her. That investigation revealed that Regan
> knew the 1993 victim. He provided a DNA sample that, according to
> police records, matched the cold case.
>
Here's more on this one:
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:NxvZndrwSXcJ:www.spotlightnews.com/news/article7.php
Murphy said Regan is accused of an attempted kidnapping and sexual
assault that occurred in Waterbury during July last year. He said Regan
drove a 21-year-old co-worker to his father's house under the guise
of checking on the house while his father was away. Once Regan and the
woman were inside the house, Regan restrained the woman and tried to
assault her, Murphy said. The woman escaped and called police.
http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15496398&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=17708&rfi=6
Then, in 2004, Waterbury police received a report of an attempted rape.
Police said that Regan offered to give a 21-year-old co-worker a ride
home in July 2004. On the way, he told her he had to check on his
vacationing father's home. Once he got her inside, he tried to rape
her, police said.
She escaped from him, Waterbury Police Sgt. Chris Corbett said.
According to published reports, the victim was able to contact her
boyfriend, who took her to police.
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:FaJupMQiEsQJ:www.rep-am.com/story.php%3Fid%3D12813