They had children and were going through a divorce
By David Abel and Milton J. Valencia
Globe Staff / September 14, 2010
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As authorities investigated the deaths of a couple from Athol yesterday, neighbors and relatives said there had been tension for some time between Eric and Joanne Johnson, whose bodies were found in separate places during the weekend.
“Her death is being treated as suspicious,’’ Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel said in a phone interview, adding that it appeared his death was a suicide.
“We really don’t know what we have,’’ Scheibel said.
She said there was no suicide note, and no stab or gunshot wound. She said an autopsy today should provide more information about the causes of their deaths.
Authorities were alerted to the death of 33-year-old Eric D. Johnson about 9:45 a.m. Sunday.
A fisherman discovered his body in the Connecticut River near the French King Bridge, which is on Route 2 at the border of Gill and Erving, in Western Massachusetts. Nearby, authorities found a sport utility vehicle that was registered to Johnson’s wife, 42-year-old Joanne.
As police approached the driveway to the couple’s home, authorities received a 911 call about a woman — later identified as Joanne — found dead inside.
The call had come from a family member who had visited the home, Scheibel said. The couple’s two sons, ages 8 and 22 months, were with a relative at the time of the deaths, Scheibel said.
On a Facebook page set up in Joanne Johnson’s memory, friends described her as a “fiery redhead, head-banger, pool shark, everyone’s friend, big smile, Van Halen fanatic, best friend a friend could have, [and] the most wonderful mother ever.’’
She was remembered as a hard-working mother full of life. Less could be learned about Eric Johnson. The two apparently married shortly after she became pregnant with their first child in 2002 and split about two years ago.
“She was a hard-working and very conscientious person,’’ said Brian Haskins of Athol, whose son had previously been married to Johnson. “She was an excellent mother to her children and was so good at pool that she once competed in a national championship in Las Vegas.’’
She spent seven of the past 10 years working in the sales department at Starrett Co. in Athol, which manufactures tools.
“She was a wonderful person, a great workmate,’’ said Doug Starrett, the company’s chief executive officer. “This is really a devastating event . . . She was a great asset to the company, a terrific personality, and a very upbeat person with a can-do attitude. She’ll be sorely missed here.’’
“This is an incident very difficult for us to fathom. . . . Most people originally thought that this couldn’t happen in Athol,’’ he said.
This appears to be the first homicide in the town this year, and the first in at least several years, police said.
A neighbor, Marion Griffith, said the Johnsons were going through a “very bitter divorce.’’
David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com; Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.
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