BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
HILLSDALE, N.J.—The rape and murder of 7-year-old Joan Angela D’Alessandro of Hillsdale nearly 50 years ago—a case that still haunts North Jersey residents—is going to be taken up in a book in May from a nationally famous criminal profiler.
It’s also the focus of a documentary that just began filming.
The book, said Rosemarie D’Alessandro—Joan’s mother and head of Joan’s Joy, a memorial foundation begun in 1998 to help protect children via promoting child safety programs and laws—is being written by retired FBI special agent and criminal profiler John Douglas and co-author Mark Olshaker and will appear simultaneously in the United States and in the United Kingdom.
D’Alessandro said Joan’s killing is one of four examined in the book, published by HarperCollins.
D’Alessandro said Douglas will detail the criminal mind of Joseph McGowan, who was found guilty of the 1973 rape and murder of Joan, who lived across the street from him. He attacked her after she arrived at his house to deliver Girl Scout cookies.
The book will also be available on audio, D’Alessandro said.
McGowan must remain behind bars at least until 2039 before being eligible for release. He was first denied parole in 1993.
He was denied parole a second time in 2009 after serving 36 years, A letter campaign backed by tens of thousands of people opposed his release.
Given that McGowan is 73, he is likely to die behind bars.
Douglas, who retired from the FBI in 1996, has written textbooks on criminal profiling and gained international recognition as an author of books based on his experience analyzing and tracking serial killers.
He has served as the model for numerous criminal profilers in series including “Criminal Minds” and “Mindhunter,” a current Netflix series.
‘Disarming’ killers
D’Alessandro said the chapter on Joan’s murder runs more than 100 pages and thoroughly probes the killer’s mind.
She said the authors told her “How it’s done plus why it’s done equals who did it” and that she learned Douglas “has a way of disarming them [killers] that gets them to tell him things that we might not ever know.”
D’Alessandro said she has previewed the chapter on her daughter’s murder and added details and anecdotes to provide context to the narrative.
She said Douglas interviewed McGowan for hours and “he gets you into the mind of the killer. It’s very interesting, intriguing, and gruesome to find out what’s there. It made me understand about evil much more. I never thought evil could be so evil, and it’s made me more focused on prevention and preventing this from happening in the future.”
D’Alessandro said the book finds parallels to the killing of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey in 1996 in Boulder, Colo., a case that remains unsolved.
She said the book revealed to her “what really happened to Joan…the order of things and details I didn’t know.”
She noted that in conversations with Douglas she provided new information, especially on the days after Joan disappeared, when her body was discovered and leading up to her funeral.
She said she often learns things now or is told by someone who knew Joan or lived nearby some anecdote or story that recalls a new detail from the period when Joan was killed.
She said she wished people would “open up more” when something bad happens or even before something bad happens.
“It’s like there were a lot of things that I did not know because people were just not telling me things when this happened,” she said.
Documentary ongoing
In addition to the book, a filmmaker interviewed D’Alessandro for nearly four hours in early February for a full-length documentary.
D’Alessandro said her interview will be condensed for the film and that she expects additional filming to continue another six months—with the possibility that a short or long version of the documentary will be submitted at Sundance Film Festival.
With both of these efforts to remember Joan’s life and death, D’Alessandro continues working with Joan’s Joy, a not-for-profit foundation she began, and continues to operate with her two sons, Michael and John, and many dedicated volunteers.
The foundation promotes child safety by programs and supporting legislation that helps or advocates for neglected and abused children. This includes helping victims of crime by way of consultation, awareness, public outreach, and prevention initiatives.
Joan’s Law OK’d by Clinton
Two important changes made possible by D’Alessandro’s advocacy efforts include Joan’s Law—signed first in New Jersey, and then nationwide in 1997 by President Bill Clinton, which mandates life in prison for anyone convicted of murdering a child during the commission of a sex crime.
The family and supporters also advocated for the Justice for Victims Law, which eliminated the statute of limitations in New Jersey for victims to sue convicted killers if they come into wealth while incarcerated.
“Remember Joan today so tomorrow’s children will be safe,” said D’Alessandro, noting how grateful she was that Joan’s story is being told by a book and film to a national and maybe even international audience.
“I’m thankful for everything being done to remember Joan’s case and that others can learn from her death. There’s a lot of work that we’re going to do and be doing in the future,” she said.