Carl Drew's Blind Justice

Maureen Sparda had planned to testify in favor of Carl Drew during the 1981 trial. However, upon entering the courtroom, Ms. Sparda pleaded the fifth. Ms. Sparda stated she wanted to tell the truth, but she was afraid. Ms. Sparda was asked to leave the courtroom.

In July of 2003, Maureen Sparda signed an affidavit explaining why she was afraid to testify. Robin Murphy had confessed to Ms. Sparda that she, Murphy, alone, killed Karen Marsden. Murphy stated that Karen was dead, and that the police will never find the body.  Maureen Sparda was planning to testify to the truth; however, upon her arrival at the courthouse on March 12, 1981, she was met not only by John Birkness, Carl Drew’s attorney, but also by the trial prosecution. Ms. Sparda was advised if she did not plea the fifth and refuse to testify, they would see to it she would go to prison in place of Carl Drew. Ms. Sparda was advised if she said one word to help Drew, she would take his place.

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"I met Maureen “Sunny” Sparda in the 1970’s. We met and became friends through my stepmother, Carol Drew. In 1972, my wife moved to Fall River, Massachusetts. I was serving my first state sentence. At that time, both Sunny and my stepmother were living in the Sunset Hill housing complex. When I was released, I went to stay with my wife at Sunset Hill. We became close friends with Sunny. Things did not work out between my wife and me. She moved back with her mother; I stayed in Fall River.

Occasionally, I would hang out at Sunny’s place. That is how I met most of her friends. Sometime after Sunny moved out of Sunset Hill is when I met Robin Murphy. From day one, Murphy and I did not get along. She was in love with Sunny. Sunny and I were close friends. For this, Robin hated me.

Just as Murphy liked to play head games with the others, Robin also had a way of manipulating Sunny for her own gain. With that being said, the following thoughts of Maureen “Sunny” Sparda. Thoughts which she shared with me.

Sunny’s impression of Robin Murphy was favorable, in the beginning of their relationship. Things began to change when Sunny saw the way Robin treated people. Robin had her own team of men and women. She commanded them; they never asked questions.

It didn’t take long for Sunny to learn of and experience Murphy’s violent and manipulative attitude. Murphy had convinced all the sex workers under her they had to give her all their earnings from the streets. Murphy said it was so she could keep them “safe.”

Of course, Murphy often demonstrated a level of intelligence far beyond those that worked for her. Karen Marsden was no exception. Murphy knew she could keep them in order by intimidating them with threats of physical violence whenever necessary. It was in late 1979, when two women were found murdered in Fall River. Two women known to work as prostitutes, Doreen Levesque, and Barbara Raposa. It was to Maureen Sunny Sparda that Robin Murphy confessed to killing both women, with the help of Andre Maltais.

This was 2 to 4 weeks before poor Karen went missing. Murphy told Sunny she wanted to talk to the police about both Levesque and Raposa. That’s when Sunny called Detective Paul Carey. Sunny knew Carey was a cop from the streets. Detective Carey agreed to go to Sunny’s apartment and speak with Murphy. Murphy confessed her involvement in both murders to Detective Carey. Despite her confession, they allowed her to walk free. If they had arrested Murphy, Karen Marsden would be alive today.

Sunny remembered February 8, 1980, all too well. She had invited Robin Murphy over for a chicken dinner; Robin never showed. Sunny called all the local bars looking for Murphy, but she was nowhere to be found. Finally, around 10 pm Murphy arrived sweating and out of breath at Sunny apartment. Sunny questioned Murphy as to why she was all wet; it was not raining. Murphy stated she spilled beer on herself and asked if Sunny would let her use her robe and wash her clothes.

Robin ate cold chicken and talked with Sunny. It was at this time, out of the blew, Robin announced Karen Marsden went to Newport and won’t be bothering her and driving her crazy. Sunny didn’t think anything of it until a day or two later. Due to the basis of their relationship, Sunny would usually see or hear from Karen Marsden daily.

The last time Sunny had seen Karen was February 8th. After not hearing from Karen for a few days, Sunny became concerned Karen might have come into harm’s way and that Murphy might be responsible.

Two days later,  Detective Paul Carey told Sunny Karen Marsden had been seen by another officer at “Nick’s Hot Dogs” in Fall River. Sunny relayed the message to Robin who stated, “No, she’s fucking dead.” Sunny said Robin then made a phone call to a woman, T. Deschenes. This woman came to get Robin and they left together. It was about an hour to an hour and a half later when Robin returned to Sunny’s apartment. Robin stated, “Karen is fucking dead and the cop’s will never find her body.”

It was around the time the skull was found Murphy told Sunny, even if the police ever found Karen, they won’t be able to prove it was her. Then Robin made the following statement, “Only you Sunny, and my mother could ever figure out that I killed those three girls. Not even the police can figure it out.

It was sometime after the skull was found Sunny talked to investigators, telling them that Murphy was mentally sick. Sunny explained she felt I, Carl Drew, was innocent and she believed Murphy, along with Carl Davis were deliberately trying to implicate myself, Carl Drew, as the culprit.

In a letter to myself, Carl Drew, dated August 7, 1980, Sunny Sparda stated, “Carl, believe me, I know you didn’t kill any girls. I really believe that and when I am summoned to court, believe me, I’m going to tell them what robin was telling me.” Sparda goes on to say, “I don’t know how good it is going to be, with Carol Fletcher saying she say you, but actually I don’t see how Carol Fletcher’s words are going to be so good when the jury hears she was working for Robin and Carol called Robin in Texas two nights before Robin came back to Massachusetts.  Robin told Carol what to say. They had time to plan what they would say when the time came. Carl, I told Ronald Pina that too, but I guess he wasn’t to interested.”

In a letter dated October 19, 1980, Sunny wrote, “after constantly going over everything in my mind down to the smallest detail, I believe from the bottom of my heart that you are innocent. I lay awake lots of nights remembering the things Robin told me, and the things I heard her say to the Assistant District Attorney.

“Robin tells me you were there. But Carl, I just don’t believe you were. Robin told me herself, her exact words were, “you know something Sunny, Carl Drew wasn’t even there, but payback is a motherfucker and if I have to go to jail, at least I’ll have the pleasure of knowing he’s going too.” I’ll never forget her saying that. Carl, I told Ronald Pina all of this, along with the detectives Lowney and Fitzgerald, and they didn’t care.”

 While in Prison, Murphy said if Sunny was going to stick up for Drew, then Sunny would find herself in “big trouble.” Meaning Murphy would tell the cops Sparda was at the murder scene.

 Maureen “Sunny” Sparda was subpoenaed to be a defense witness the day before my trial started. On Day one of the trial, “Sunny arrived to talk with my attorney, John Birkness. Birkness told Sunny the District Attorney, Ronald Pina, wished to talk to her. He took her into a back room where both the DA Ronald Pina and the ADA David Waxler were waiting. They told Sunny to take a seat. My lawyer, John Birkness, remained in the room with Pina, Waxler and Sunny. Red faced, David Waxler told Sunny, “If you say anything to help Drew, you will take his place.” The prosecution told Sunny they would cut a deal with Carl Davis (one of my co-defendants). Davis would say whatever the prosecution wants him to say. Sunny looked over to my attorney, Birkness, for help, but all he did was shrug his shoulders, allowing Pina and Waxler to have their way, bullying Sunny.

 Maureen “Sunny” Sparda’s direct questioning began with neither the jury nor myself, the defendant, being present. The court informed Sunny as to her privilege against self-incrimination and if she had been advised by an attorney that morning concerning those rights at risk."

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Questions asked to Maureen “Sunny” Sparda by the court:

Q    Did your lawyer advise you of what may happen? What you will open yourself to? Do you understand you will         be cross examined in detail?

A     They scared the death out of me. I just know I am petrified for my life. You won’t let me say anything in front           of the jury.

The witness Sunny Sparda says she wants the jury to hear what she was threatened with. She went on to state:

        “I was threatened that they would use Carl Davis to write a letter saying that I was at the scene of the crime. They scared me so bad with this threat that I cannot say anything except that I respectively decline to answer on the grounds that I might incriminate myself. I want to tell the truth. I want the jury to hear both sides of the story, and I can’t tell the truth because I was threatened by DA Ronald Pina and ADA Waxler.”​

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-Carl Drew