Short film coming to Westwood depicts mother's fight to keep her child's killer in jail

On April 19, 1973, Rosemarie D’Alessandro’s life was changed forever.

On Holy Thursday, her 7-year-old daughter, Joan, walked just a few houses down the street to deliver Girl Scout Cookies to their neighbor, Joseph McGowan. Joan was a talented ballet dancer, had a knack for the piano and loved dogs. She had a bright smile and was a caring child.

Three days later, on Easter Sunday, Joan’s body was found at Harriman State Park in New York. McGowan had sexually abused and killed her.

McGowan would be sentenced to life in prison, but according to the laws at the time, he would be eligible for parole after 14 years. For nearly 50 years, D’Alessandro would have to fight to keep him in prison, starting with a months-long campaign against him in 1993, when he first appeared before an appellate court.

The campaign expanded into a grassroots movement for child safety. In 1998, D’Alessandro started the Joan Angela D’Alessandro Memorial Foundation, also known as Joan's Joy, to help enact policy change that would protect children and prevent families from having to experience the traumatic appeals process that she faced with McGowan.

“Daughter of Mine,” a short film by Vanessa Martino, depicts D’Alessandro's advocacy for child safety and her fight to keep McGowan in prison. It will be screened at 2 p.m. June 29 at the Westwood Elks Hall. The event is free and will feature a Q & A with Rosemarie and the filmmaker following the showing, along with refreshments.

“This is where we could bring awareness to child safety,” D’Alessandro said. “Bring awareness to the subjects of abuse, bring awareness to social justice, change — how people can change laws, how you have to fight to keep a killer in — don't think it's just going to work, in many cases, it’s not.”

As shown in the documentary, D’Alessandro became a symbol for families nationwide facing trauma from parole hearings involving their children's murderers. In 1997, New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman signed Joan’s Law, which dictated that any person who murders a child under 14 in conjunction with a sexual offense is not eligible for parole and will be in prison forever. In 1998, Bill Clinton signed a federal version of Joan’s Law.

However, these laws are not retroactive, which meant that D’Alessandro continuously had to campaign against McGowan until his death in 2021. If not for his death, D’Alessandro would have needed to fight his next appeal for parole, which would have been in 2025.

As the film details, D’Alessandro's advocacy for child safety and her work as a speaker against McGowan was rife with challenges. At the time, she lacked the support of her relatives and was dealing with illness.

“There are times you feel so alone,” D’Alessandro said. “And you are alone.”

But D’Alessandro has always been a fighter, and pressed on because she felt an obligation to use her talents — most prominently, her leadership skills — to help Joan, to aid other families facing similar issues, and to protect future children.

“I've learned that to change things, you just can't stay in your own box,” D’Alessandro said. “You really have to go forward. And sometimes you're gonna get really hurt. Sometimes you're gonna get surprises, sometimes you're gonna be betrayed. Sometimes you're gonna be almost, as you'll see in the documentary, I could have been really hurt, really, really hurt physically. And those are things I never expected, but that’s what did happen.”

New Jersey’s Joan’s Law was updated in 2017 by Gov. Chris Christie, who expanded it to include murders of all minors under age 18. D’Alessandro and the Joan’s Joy Foundation are working to expand the federal law to mirror the 2017 New Jersey Law. Additionally, the foundation has advocated for the passage of the Justice for Victims’ Law in 2000 and a version of Joan’s Law in New York, which Rosemarie is also working to expand to include all minors under 18.

Today, the Joan’s Joy Foundation continues its work to protect children in a myriad of different ways. Its Fun, Education, and Safety program supports underprivileged children by providing them with positive experiences such as trips to Radio City Music Hall and Six Flags Great Adventure.

It has also developed anti-bullying programs in Hillsdale public schools and works with Never Alone Again, an organization that supports victims of domestic abuse.

The foundation has hosted events such as the annual Joan’s Joy Child Safety Fun Fest. The event occurs in the Joan D’Alessandro White Butterfly Sculpture and Garden and typically includes speakers that educate about human trafficking and child safety, as well as entertainment. This year’s Child Safety Fun Fest will be held on Sept. 28.

Donations to the foundation can be made on their gofundme page .

D’Alessandro continues to advocate for the rights of children and victims. She speaks publicly about child safety and helps counsel people facing tragic loss. She has also written a book, "The Message of Light Amid Letters of Darkness," in which she shares the story of her life of advocacy as well as the chilling letters written by Joan's killer.

“I just want the documentary to go around the world, just like the book,” D’Alessandro said. “Because Joan has message for every single person in this world, and the message is, you need to have compassion, but you need to also be a fighter.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Short film coming to Westwood depicts mother's fight to keep her child's killer in jail