Reader, can you think of three truly depraved, remorseless, barbaric murderers? Now, name their victims...
True crime can be a genre with the power to change the course of an investigation, bring awareness to crimes long forgotten, and most importantly, keep the legacy and memory of victims alive.
However, too often, we get sucked into the salacious details of these crimes. We become nearly hypnotized by the depravity of the killers, that the victims become footnotes in these stories.
Runaway Joe, the latest audio offering from the award-winning RTÉ Documentary On One team, is not that type of podcast.
Instead, the team at Documentary On One takes every available opportunity to remind listeners that this podcast is not about its alleged murderer Joseph Maloney, but about his former wife and victim, June Maloney.
The couple were married in their twenties. June was a hard-working, young mother and nurse. That is until she was poisoned at her son's fifth birthday party, nearly 60 years ago.
Her husband was charged with her murder but managed to evade justice, twice on two separate continents. Despite being one of the oldest open cases on the FBI’s books, it has not been examined in decades.
Well, until now.
If you’re new to the realm of true crime or have podcast commitment issues, then read on as I unpack episode two of Runaway Joe. However, if you’ve been sold by my truly compelling intro - just hit play.
And remember, this is a live investigation, so I’m just going to leave this note here:
If you have any information or knowledge of Michael O’Shea/Joe Maloney, please send it through to documentaries@rte.ie
MEET JUNE
Journalist Pavel Barter kept a photograph of June on his wall while making the podcast. He described her as the heart of the series, the driving force behind catching Joe Maloney. In episode two, the creators work to create a full picture of the life and legacy of this woman, beyond the horrific circumstances of her premature death.
Born in 1940 to humble beginnings in Rural Upstate New York, June was described as shy but "hugely caring and compassionate". A thin, red-haired, freckle-faced cheerleader who was also active in the National Honour Society and the Glee Club.
Her former classmates and friends gave exclusive interviews to the podcast. They described June’s desire to be a nurse, her participation in the Future Nurses Club in High School and her visits to local clinics and hospitals.
Despite being poor, she was a hard worker and secured a scholarship to the nursing school of Genessee Hospital in Rochester. She knew what she wanted, but following her vocation would also lead her into the world of Joseph Maloney.
Those who knew her described as shy but hugely caring and compassionate - and from her teenage years she’d mapped out the life ahead of her. But all that would change when she met Joseph Maloney
- Journalist Pavel Barter
MEET JOE
Born in 1935, Joseph Maloney was the first born son of Irish emigrants. If he is still alive he would be 88 years old. His home life seemed relatively peaceful. He had loving parents who walked arm in arm to Sunday mass, they worked hard to send him to private school (which he would eventually be expelled from). His father worked hard as a night watchman in a psychiatric facility - I’d make a mental note of that if I were you.
Joe’s childhood best friend Neal Grover Dunkleberg features heavily in this episode, and he has a lot of background information on the inner workings of Joseph Maloney.
He was born with a "shock of red hair" and grew up to be tall and very bright. Neal said he liked to annoy people and start fights, so much so he garnered the nickname "Crazy Joe" - Neal Grover Dunkleberg
JOE'S LIES
Things often escalate with age, and Joe’s "peculiarities" were no different. His love of adventure soon turned into compulsive lying. He fantasised about having an older brother and became obsessed with the military. When Joe graduated from high school in 1953 his friend Neal joined the US Air Force and moved to the UK. Joe failed the psychological evaluation tests for the Army. instead, he joined the National Guard.
He drifted between jobs, including a stint at his father’s workplace, the Rochester State Hospital. But soon he got bored, and things escalated… He reactivated a decommissioned Civil War cannon and woke up half the city. On another occasion, he was arrested for strolling down the street… with a Thompson submachine gun. He told the officers he wanted to take it home to figure out how it worked.
Eventually, Joe moved in with Neal when he returned to the US and got a job in construction. Because he really liked explosives. I don’t think I need to spell out where the red flags are here.
But his lies continued to escalate. A former girlfriend described being introduced to Joe’s parents and finding a wall filled with fake diplomas in his bedroom.
Neal described Joe as a "walking case study" and even wrote a paper on him for an Abnormal psychology class. "Yes, I think a sociopath is a good description. A psychopath in some ways, but it didn’t come out readily. You had to know him a while – a bit – get to know him and find out some of the things he engaged in before you recognised him as a bit of a weirdo." Joe wasn’t mad that he wrote about him, according to Neal, he liked the attention.
Despite growing up on the other side of the Atlantic, Joe never lost touch with his Irish roots and throughout his life would return to visit relatives.
He was so connected to his roots that he used an Irish accent to talk his way into medical school. He told officials at the University of Rochester that he was a medical student from Dublin who had come to America to tend to his ailing mother, but wanted to continue his studies.
Neal had attended the University, so Joe grilled him for information to meticulously plot his deception.
By the time the University realised he was a fraud, it was too late. "Before he discarded his disguise, he took something - or rather someone - with him."
I don’t know anybody who really knows Joe. I don’t know if that person exists. He was more than a chameleon. He was a man of many faces -Joseph Picciotti, former lab partner of Joe Maloney
WHEN JOE MET JUNE
During his stint as a "student doctor" Joe hung round the nurse’s residents hall, complete with white coat and stethoscope.
It was here he met June. And while she quickly deduced he was not a doctor, she liked him and the couple soon began dating.
But the thing is Joe Maloney seemed relatively harmless, he was an expert at his craft. June’s childhood friend Marsha Curry told the podcast that Joe seemed outgoing, personable and good looking.
"When he would come to the dorm to pick June up, everybody knew him and he knew most of the students," she says. "He was that kind of a person. You can probably see how she fell for him."
He was not your stereotypical monster.
June was 21 when she married a 26 year old Joe. Their first born, Joey was born a year later in 1962. She quickly graduated and rose to become a head nurse. The family moved into an upmarket area in Rural Upstate New York. Everything seemed perfect….from the outside at least.
Joe Maloney was a financial disaster, a womanizer and a liar. It is important to note that at this point in our story domestic violence and coercive control become prominent themes, so listeners should take care.
His behaviours became increasingly strange, a friend of June’s described Joe purchasing a decommissioned ambulance that he nicknames his "meat wagon" and frequently talking about death.
June moved out of the family home on multiple occasions, but Joe continued to badger her until she returned. After four years of marriage their second child, a girl named Patricia or Patty Ann was born.
Joe became increasingly desperate. He would physically threaten his wife, and even injure himself to garner sympathy from her.
"I think he was playing a game. He played a lot of those. Stabbing himself with a screwdriver sounds just like something he’d do to get the attention, get the comfort from the surrounding folks, especially his wife." - Neal Dunkleberg
FINAL ESCAPE
In 1967, while Joe was visiting relatives in Ireland, June put her plan into action. She moved out of the family home and into a two-bedroom apartment with her children.
Wanda Brooks was a teenage newlywed when she met her new neighbour, June Maloney. Despite the difference in age and circumstance, they became fast friends.
"We started talking and just became friends. More like an older sister, you know sister-type thing. She was just a really nice lady. And oh, she adored her kids."
During this time, things seemed to fall into place for June. She met a new man, Lee Diclimente, and according to Wanda, she was happy… but Joe was not.
News reports show that on March 11, 1967, Joe tried to stab his estranged wife. He slashed through the convertible top of her car while she was still inside. A complaint was made and swiftly withdrawn.
But that did not temper his rage, shortly after the stabbing incident, a second complaint was made. This time Joe was accused of assaulting June’s boyfriend. Once again, the complaint was dropped.
I know at one point, during the time, June must have called the police and they came. They went to the wrong apartment building. They went to the apartment building across next door instead of checking where the call came from. They just left. - Wanda Brooks
METHYL ALCOHOL
Shortly after June moved out, Joe went to see his friend Neal. Neal worked for a pharmaceutical company and was a "hobby scientist" complete with a collection of chemicals in his basement, some of which were poisonous.
He asked his friend for one thing - Methyl alcohol. A colourless, deadly substance that Joe claimed he wanted to keep a dog from messing around in his trash.
Neal did not give him the poison.
By now, you likely know that Joe Maloney does not take no for an answer. He returned a few days later when Neal was out. I’ll let you hit play to hear the rest, but I think you know things do not end well.
"He wanted to poison that dog. I gave him something that smelled nasty to keep the dog away. I didn’t give him any poison. I always wondered what he was likely to do with poison - Neal Grover Dunkleberg
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
In May 1967, June agreed to spend her son's fifth birthday with her former husband. Joey was about to turn five, so the family gathered at Joe’s home.
June invited friends and family, including her parents and brother Dale. Although Dale has since died, the podcast managed to secure the statement he gave to police about the events that unfolded that night.
Shortly after June arrived at the gathering, she had vodka and orange juice made by Joe. After dinner, they had a small argument about the car.
Before she left, Joe made her a second beverage, a Manhattan cocktail, which she complained was too strong.
June left at 6 pm with her son, she was feeling tired and drowsy. By the time she met Wanda at the apartment, June felt sick.
"She said, 'Wanda, I only had two’. I said, ‘Two drinks?’ I said, ‘You’re acting kind of funny’. ‘I know,’ she says. ‘I don’t know what’s wrong’."
Dale was so concerned he followed his sister home after the party. By the time he arrived, Joe was already there.
I think you can probably guess our story is about to take a sharp turn from which there is no return….
The coming days would set in train a course of events which would change the lives of many people who had been at Joey’s 5th birthday party – as well as the lives of some who hadn’t - Journalist Pavel Barter
If you’ve been affected by any of the themes in this series, please reach out to rte.ie/helplines where you will find contacts for a variety of support networks around abuse and domestic violence.
New episodes of Runaway Joe are available every Friday, wherever you get your podcasts - catch up here.
If you have any information or knowledge of Michael O'Shea/Joe Maloney, please send it through to documentaries@rte.ie
