Shraman Mitra
The residents of Bernardston, Massachusetts, were left shocked when Joyce Aparo’s deceased body was discovered under a highway underpass on August 5, 1987. The police initially suspected kidnapping, but they soon realized that the victim was a resident of Glastonbury, Connecticut, a city almost 65 miles away. Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Perfect Murder: Mother Dear’ chronicles the horrifying slaying and shows how the police investigation soon led quite close to home. Let’s delve into the details surrounding the case and find out more, shall we?
How Did Joyce Aparo Die?
Social worker Joyce Aparo was divorced from her husband, Martin Aparo, and resided with her teenage daughter, Karin, in a condominium in Glastonbury, Connecticut. For Joyce, life was perfect, and people who knew her described her as a generous and helpful individual. Besides, her daughter was a brilliant student as well as an accomplished violin player, and she had great aspirations surrounding her. Shockingly, Joyce was just 47 at the time of her murder, and the news of her untimely death is still quite difficult for people to accept.
When law enforcement officials were informed about a human body lying under a highway overpass in Bernardston, Massachusetts, first responders immediately rushed to the scene. Although it did not take them long to identify the body as Joyce, they were surprised to learn that the victim was about 65 miles away from her Glastonbury residence. At first glance, it looked like the 47-year-old was asphyxiated, and an autopsy soon confirmed that the murderer strangled Joyce to death with a pantyhose. Besides, she was still dressed in a nightgown, indicating that she was killed elsewhere before being dumped in Bernardston.
Who Killed Joyce Aparo?
When news of Joyce’s death reached the ears of her daughter, Karin, the latter seemed utterly devastated. However, neither the victim’s daughter nor other acquaintances had any idea why someone would want to harm Joyce in such a horrible manner. Unfortunately, the initial investigation proved quite challenging with a lack of leads and witnesses. Despite detectives trying their best to canvass the area where the body was discovered and sitting down for several interviews, they could not hone in on a suspect and found themselves back on square one.
Interestingly, the police seemed to receive a breakthrough when Karin handed them a letter from her boyfriend, Dennis Coleman, where he called her his dream girl and claimed that he would “do the deed.” This letter seemed suspicious enough, and detectives immediately began looking into him as a possible suspect. Surprisingly, once the police apprehended Dennis on August 13, 1987, and brought him in for questioning, he cracked and confessed to his role in the murder. However, along with his confession, he claimed that Karin coerced him into killing her mother.
According to 19-year-old Dennis Coleman, Karin had alleged that she was psychologically abused by her mother, who reportedly claimed that a Roman Catholic archbishop was the teen’s birth father. Moreover, the show mentions that she alleged that her mother wanted to keep her away from Dennis and wanted her to date another violinist. Thus, seeing no way out, Karin apparently asked her boyfriend to take care of the problem.
Subsequently, Dennis, blinded by love, took the responsibility on his shoulder and strangled Joyce to death at her Glastonbury home. Besides, investigators also got their hands on another letter, where Karin allegedly wrote that though the act might send them to prison, they would not forget each other. Thus, with a complete confession and circumstantial evidence in their hands, the police arrested Dennis and Karin before charging them with murder. Additionally, Karin and Dennis’ friends, Kira Lintner and Christopher E. Wheatley, were arrested for obstructing the prosecution as detectives accused them of giving false statements to the police.
Where Are Dennis Coleman and Karin Aparo Now?
When produced in court, Dennis Coleman pled guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit murder, which netted him a 34-year prison term in November 1989. On the other hand, while Karin was charged with being an accessory to the murder and conspiracy to commit murder, she pled not guilty in court. Although Dennis testified against Karin at her trial, the victim’s daughter was eventually acquitted of the accessory charge in 1990. Surprisingly, the jury was hung on the conspiracy charge, and the judge declared it a mistrial.
Dennis was reportedly released from prison in 2012, but he and Karin currently prefer to keep their personal lives under wraps. The former’s limited presence on social media makes his current whereabouts unclear. Still, as per reports, Karin moved out of state following her acquittal and began working as a social services director at a South Carolina nursing home. Furthermore, in 2009 it was stated that she had since married and was employed as a nursing home administrator in Missouri.
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