Suvechha Sarkar
On a quiet winter night in February 1986, Joan Carol Donlon Peterson Bent, a loving mother and a dedicated woman, went missing. It shook the community of Watervliet, New York, and left her loved ones grappling for answers. Her disappearance soon turned into a homicide investigation when she was found murdered days later. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Betrayed: Bent on Betrayal’ focuses on the investigation of the harrowing crime and the shocking truth that unfolded. It also features crucial interviews with officials and her loved ones recounting the circumstances surrounding the murder, leading up to the conviction of the killer.
Joan Bent’s Remains Were Uncovered in the Trunk of Her Car
Born on November 29, 1938, in Albany County of Cohoes, New York, Joan Carol Donlon arrived as a beacon of light in the lives of her parents, Edmund and Eva Ksenich Donlon. She grew up in a loving household alongside her sister, Eugene Donlon, and received the unwavering support of her parents. Joan had always been a kind and hard-working person. In adulthood, she married Dennis B. W. Peterson, Jr., and welcomed her daughters, Laurie Davaren and Deborah DeRusso, into the world. However, when she realized her marriage wasn’t working out, she ended up getting a divorce. Eventually, Joan moved on and met her second husband, Donald Harold Bent. The duo shared their vows in 1982, bringing her step-daughter, Dawn Bent, into her life. Professionally, Joan served as a housekeeping manager at a motor lodge.
Joan was loved not only by her neighbors but also by her employees as a caring boss. She also bought her own home after her divorce and lived there happily with Donald for three years. However, Joan’s life came to a sudden halt when she went missing on February 16, 1986. After dropping her co-worker at her home at 4:26 pm, she returned home because Donald was making a pot roast at their Albany County home in Watervliet, New York. However, when Joan did not return, around 10:40 pm, Donald began calling people to ask about her whereabouts. The following day, he filed a missing persons report. He claimed that Joan returned around 4:30 pm on February 16, and the couple had a lovely pot roast dinner, following which she baked some cookies.
Donald further alleged that Joan left home again around 6:30 pm, saying she was returning to work to do some payroll. He claimed it was the last time he saw her. Despite conducting an intensive search, officials found no leads. Her car had also been missing. However, on February 22, 1986, a worker at a local motel in Menands, New York, found a suspicious vehicle that had been there for 10 days. When officials arrived, they found Joan’s purse and a coded note in the car. They were horrified to discover her deceased and frozen in the trunk. Although forensic experts found dough in her fingernails, it was absent from her stomach. Joan’s stomach contents also included pot roast. The autopsy revealed the cause of her death to be strangulation by ligature.
Major Forensic Evidence Narrowed Down the Killer From a List of Suspects
When the investigation began, detectives first took accounts from Donald. When Joan’s neighbors were questioned, they informed them her car was in the driveway around 5:30 pm. However, it was not there when they returned from their dinner around 9:30 pm. They furthermore added that in recent months, she had been returning late while dressed up. When the note from Joan’s car was decoded, it was confirmed that it was from a lover. When officials spoke with her co-workers, they discovered she had a special friend, Ed Zimmer. One of Joan’s co-workers stated that she did not return to work that day.
However, it was revealed that Joan had recently fired Donna Jackson, a worker who had threatened her. Additionally, investigators found that she and Donald had a strained relationship due to financial issues. The latter had recently proposed adding a kitchen and bathroom to one of their rooms so they could rent it out for more money. The contractor, Richard Foglia, had allegedly made advancements towards her. Officials reportedly discovered that Joan had found out about an affair that Donald had with one of their tenants, Anner Jones. Joan had reportedly kicked her out following the incident. When investigators questioned these suspects, every one of their alibi checked out.
However, a breakthrough came when Ed informed that Joan had allegedly revealed during their Valentine’s Day meetup that she had gone to a lawyer to begin divorce proceedings with Donald. When her husband was asked to take polygraph tests, he passed all three of them. The damning evidence came when the autopsy on March 2, 1986. It revealed that Joan had passed away right after having dinner, judging from the pot roast in her stomach contents. It indicated that she was still at home with Donald when she was killed. The latter was arrested on April 30, 1987, and was charged with second-degree murder.
Donald Bent Had Been Out on Parole Before He Passed Away
The jury trial of Donald Bent for the murder of Joan began in June 1988. The prosecution presented before the court the available evidence, alongside stating how he had strangled his wife when she revealed that she was going to divorce him because he was embezzling money from his employer. They also pointed out the fact that he realized he would be rendered penniless since he was living at Joan’s house and, hence, committed the premeditated murder. On the other hand, Donald continued to maintain his innocence and claimed that the prosecution had a “vendetta” against him. He also claimed, “I have been sodomized by the system.”
The defense argued that excessive media coverage had partially influenced the jury’s objective perception. Donald was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder on June 3, 1988. He was sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment on June 13, 1988. He became eligible for parole on April 27, 2012, but he was denied four times during his hearings. Although Donald had maintained his innocence, his daughter, Dawn Bent, revealed during an interview that he had said, “Yes, I did,” when she had asked him, “Did you do it?” Ultimately, he was released on parole on August 2, 2018, after serving 30 years in prison. However, Donald passed away on January 8, 2020.
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