Kriti Mehrotra
NBC’s ‘Dateline: Evil Paid a Visit’ is an episode that explores the harrowing case of Donna Palomba, a then-36-year-old mother of two who genuinely lived through every woman’s worst nightmare. After all, in the early hours of September 11, 1993, she was raped in the Waterbury home she shared with her loving husband, John Palomba, and children, only to be accused of lying once she reported the same. It actually took around 11 years for the officials to unveil the truth and identify her assailant as John “Rocky” Regan. So now, let’s find out all that there’s to know about him, shall we?
Who is John “Rocky” Regan?
John “Rocky” Regan was once considered a powerful family man through and through — devoted to his high school sweetheart and three sons as well as to his church in Waterbury, Connecticut. Hailing from a prominent family, he was even deemed hardworking and amiable, the kind of person who took out time to coach children’s sports teams even though he was often busy working for a roofing company. However, his entire reputation started to crumble apart in the summer of 2004, when a 21-year-old co-worker reported that he had attempted to sexually assault her.
Her report claimed that John, her supervisor, had not only jumped her but also held her down to grope her breasts and shove a hand down her pants until she managed to break free. This allegation led the Chief of Police to have a long-shot hunch that he could also be connected to Donna’s 1993 rape case, only to discover that the Palomba’s knew him as an old family friend. Therefore, when John was arrested and charged with unlawful restraint in connection to the summer case, he voluntarily gave a DNA sample, which was a perfect match to the evidence in Donna’s matter as well.
John was indicted on another count of kidnapping in October 2004, mainly because the statute of limitations for the rape charge here had run out six years prior. He then pleaded not guilty to both counts, further claiming that he and Donna did have sex in 1993 but that it was entirely consensual from all sides. He was granted bail soon after, yet it was accompanied by restraining orders against him on behalf of Donna and his co-worker. Just a year later, John was arrested once again in Saratoga Springs, New York, this time for ambushing and attacking a high school senior.
On Halloween 2005, John waited for and grabbed a 17-year-old runner in her high school parking lot after practice, following which he attempted to shove her into his van. Her struggles and screams were thankfully noisy enough to get the attention of her coaches, who held her attacker down until police arrived. The worst part, though, is that in the subsequent search of his vehicle, officials found hundreds of zoomed-in photos of seemingly unsuspecting young females as they went about their day-to-day lives. There were some pictures of his 21-year-old former co-worker as well, making it appear as if John was a depraved stalker.
Where is John “Rocky” Regan Now?
Once authorities brought all his pending Connecticut and recent New York charges to light — pinpointing the similarities — John “Rocky” Regan was denied bail by The Empire State officials. Hence, he remained in the local county jail until he pleaded guilty to the attempted kidnapping in Saratoga Springs in May 2006, for which he received 12 years in state prison.
In October of the same year, John further pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine to the unlawful restraint and stalking of his co-worker as well as to Donna’s kidnapping, for which he was sentenced to 5, 2, and 15 years, respectively (to be served concurrently with the NY penalty). John was scheduled to be released from behind bars on October 27, 2017, yet New York officials managed to hold him via civil confinement, a legal step used for those still deemed dangerous to society.
In other words, it is a maneuver that keeps some inmates locked up for an extended time even when their original sentence has been served. From what we can tell, John Regan, who is currently incarcerated at the medium-security Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Franklin County, has a new discharge date set in October 2022, but that could also change.
Read More: Where is Donna Palomba Now?
