Joanna Simpson // 543

Summary

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Going West: True Crime

Episode 543 – Joanna Simpson
Air Date: October 3, 2025
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman

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Episode Overview

In this harrowing episode, Daphne and Heath delve into the chilling case of Joanna Simpson, a much-loved English woman whose life was brutally cut short by her estranged husband, Robert Brown, in 2010. The episode details not just the murder, but the years of psychological abuse, legal battles, and the shocking failures of the justice system that followed. As always, the hosts balance detailed storytelling with empathy and candid commentary, providing important context about domestic violence and coercive control.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Joanna Simpson’s Early Life and Achievements

[03:22-08:47]

• Joanna was born in Yorkshire, England in 1964, into an affluent, loving family.
• Her family moved to the Isle of Man after her father sold his successful business.
• Joanna enjoyed a privileged upbringing but was also described as self-motivated and vibrant.
• She later attended the University of Bath for business, moved to Ascot, and operated a flourishing bed & breakfast.

Daphne: “She was always up for a new and exciting experience... It truly seemed like Joanna had it all.” [06:38]

2. A Fateful Meeting with Robert Brown

[08:47-13:11]

• Joanna and Robert met on a British Airways flight in 1998.
• Robert, a pilot from Scotland, swept Joanna into a whirlwind romance.
• Early warnings: Joanna’s parents found Robert “rude and even arrogant,” but Joanna was smitten.

Heath: “Let's dive more into this guy, this massive piece of shite.” [08:47]

3. A Rapidly Moving Relationship and Early Red Flags

[11:02-16:46]

• The couple moved in together, got engaged after six months, and married soon after.
• Joanna’s parents remain wary, prompting a prenuptial agreement; Robert agreed but was unhappy.
• Robert’s negative traits became evident on their honeymoon—he became rude and snappy.

Daphne: “Right then during the honeymoon, Robert’s charming facade already started to fade, almost like a mask came off.” [15:13]

4. Toxic Marriage and Escalating Abuse

[17:01-25:17]

• The marriage quickly deteriorated: Robert was absent, emotionally distant, and falsely accused Joanna of affairs.
• Emotional and verbal abuse escalated to dangerous levels:
  • Robert confessed dark and violent thoughts to Joanna, including fantasies of killing her and their children with an axe.
  • He exhibited suicidal ideation, threatening to crash planes he piloted.

Daphne: “Imagine your spouse telling you that… what a terrifying moment to be in.” [22:12]

Heath: “You’re obviously made the right decision, you know, going towards this divorce filing because this guy’s a psycho.” [22:37]

• The abuse became physical: Robert choked Joanna and threatened her with a knife in front of their children.

5. The Divorce and Robert’s Obsession

[26:38-29:54]

• Joanna pursued divorce, further angering Robert, especially over his efforts to void the prenup due to her inheritance (over $25 million).
• Robert stalked and spied on Joanna using trackers and tampered with her home’s surveillance system.
• Despite the abuse, divorce proceedings dragged on for years, with Robert refusing to move on—even as he started a relationship with a new partner.

6. Halloween 2010: The Murder of Joanna Simpson

The Fatal Day

[35:05-47:01]

• On October 31, 2010, Robert dropped off the children at Joanna’s house for a custody exchange, but instead of leaving, he entered and an argument ensued.
• He murdered Joanna with a claw hammer—premeditating the crime by placing the murder weapon in his daughter’s backpack, bludgeoning her at least 14 times.
• Both children were in the home, heard the attack, and witnessed Robert carrying Joanna’s body.
• Robert forced the children into his car (containing their mother’s body), dropped them at his girlfriend’s (who was pregnant), and drove to Windsor Great Park. He buried Joanna in a garden box in a pre-dug grave.

Heath: “Robert then proceeded to strike Joanna several times in the head with the claw hammer until she was no longer moving.” [46:24]

Daphne: “The fact that the weapon that murdered her mother was in her own backpack is so sick.” [46:47]

7. The Aftermath: Investigation, Trial, and Outrage

[37:03-55:56]

The 999 Call

• The following morning, Robert called emergency services in a bizarre, cagey manner, admitting a “serious domestic incident” but refusing details.

Robert Brown (actual call):
"Well, I've spoken to my lawyer and he said not to say anything." [38:23]

• Police found blood at Joanna’s home; Robert remained evasive under police questioning.
• After being shown crime scene photos, he finally confessed to killing Joanna and led investigators to her grave.

The Trial: Manipulation and “Diminished Responsibility”

• Robert attempted to minimize his crime at every stage, initially claiming he only “pushed” Joanna and denying premeditation.
• At trial, he was diagnosed with a “stress-related adjustment disorder” and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, not murder, on grounds of diminished responsibility.
• He received only 26 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 13 years.

Daphne: “But like, as if someone like him who has some sort of mental illness that would cause him to act like this should be free sooner…” [53:59]
Heath: “As you can imagine, Joanna’s family, friends and the community as a whole were disturbed by this verdict. And her family called the lack of murder conviction a, quote, miscarriage of justice.” [54:16]

• In 2023 Robert was up for parole but, thanks to advocacy from Joanna’s family, he was denied; nonetheless, he could be released by 2035.

8. Impact and Legacy: The Joanna Simpson Foundation

[55:56-57:06]

• Joanna’s mother and best friend established The Joanna Simpson Foundation to support children affected by domestic abuse and homicide in her memory.

Daphne (reading foundation’s statement):
“Joe had strong moral values and believed it important that all children should have a safe, safe, secure and loving environment. The Joanna Simpson Foundation has been set up in her memory and our work is based on her beliefs, values and the love of her children.” [55:56]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Robert’s behavior:

  Heath: "Let's dive more into this guy, this massive piece of shite." [08:47]
  Daphne: "Imagine your spouse telling you that, the insanity." [22:12]

• Re: Legal failures:

  Daphne: “Justice system, what are you doing?” [53:59]

• Regarding the burden on the children:

  Daphne: “…the weapon that murdered her mother was in her own backpack is so sick.” [46:47]

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Important Timestamps

• 03:22 – Introduction to Joanna’s childhood and family background.
• 08:47 – Joanna meets Robert Brown; whirlwind romance.
• 13:34 – Rushed engagement and marriage; early red flags emerge.
• 15:13 – Robert’s behavior darkens during the honeymoon.
• 22:12 – Robert admits violent fantasies and suicidal ideations.
• 24:56 – First physical attack: Robert threatens Joanna with a knife.
• 26:38 – Divorce proceedings and stalking behavior.
• 35:05 – Halloween 2010: details of the murder and events leading up to it.
• 37:03 – Robert’s cryptic 999 call to emergency services (audio played).
• 46:24 – Robert’s confession and the discovery of Joanna’s body; details of the brutal crime.
• 51:11 – Court proceedings: Robert’s plea, the “diminished responsibility” defense.
• 54:16 – Family and community reactions to the verdict and sentencing.
• 55:56 – Creation of The Joanna Simpson Foundation.

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Language & Tone

• The episode maintains a conversational, passionate, and empathetic tone.
• Daphne and Heath don’t shy away from strong language or calling out injustice (“massive piece of shite,” “psycho”).
• They intersperse moments of levity (banter about British place names and customs) but always return to the gravity of the case.

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Conclusion

This episode is a powerful exploration of a devastating and preventable tragedy. Daphne and Heath expose the insidiousness of coercive control and the systemic failures that too often allow dangerous individuals to evade true justice. Listeners are reminded of the real-world impact these crimes have on families and communities, and the podcast encourages advocacy, vigilance, and support for charities like The Joanna Simpson Foundation.

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For direct action or further information:

• Visit The Joanna Simpson Foundation.

For bonus content:

• Find Going West on Patreon or Apple Podcasts for their upcoming Halloween "True Horror Stories" episode.

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Transcript

[Narrator/Ad Announcer]

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[Heath]

What is going on? True crime fans, I'm your host, Teeth.

[Daphne]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[Heath]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Hello everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in today. Nobody recommended this case that I at least came across in our email. But this story is frickin nuts. Yes, it does take place in England, but we decided to do our usual like spooky Story October episode over on our bonus series for our second monthly episode. We usually save international cases for our bonus series, but we love doing that Spooky Story episode for October just to get excited for Halloween.

[Heath]

Yeah. So we just kind of switched them out.

[Daphne]

Yeah, because we, we had already researched this one and we're like, oh shit. But we want to do the other episode. So we thought we would bring it over to Going west so it didn't go to waste because wow, it is just horrific and utterly baffling. Like, I know your mouths will drop many times.

[Heath]

Oh yeah, we got a big old piece of shit in today's episode that we're going to talk about.

[Daphne]

I feel like you haven't said that in a minute.

[Heath]

I haven't. You know, I haven't really been on the pie train lately.

[Daphne]

Okay.

[Heath]

I don't know. I don't know. Well, all right guys. This is episode 543 of going west. So let's get into it.

[Robert Brown]

SA.

[Daphne]

On Halloween 2010, the quiet English village of Ascot was shaken when a bloody scene was found in the charming home of a local 46 year old bed and breakfast owner. At first the scene raised questions of a home invasion gone wrong. But upon finding her body in a garden box and receiving a strange call into emergency services, a far darker scheme unravel. This is the murder of Joanna Simpson. Joanna Simpson was born in 1964 to loving parents Diana Parks and Chris Simpson in Yorkshire, England. When Joanna was young, she attended a small all girls school near her family home called the York College for Girls. Now growing up, Joanna's father Chris owned a successful building firm which afforded the Simpson family an affluent lifestyle. And sometime in the early 1970s when Joanna was still a young child, her father Chris sold off his highly prosperous business and made a hefty profit as a result. This would sell, set up Joanna really for life. But she was also incredibly self motivated as we'll get into now. With this came big changes because upon selling the company, Chris, his wife Diana and young daughter Joanna made the 160 mile or about 260ish kilometer move from York to Laxi on the Isle of Man. So this beautiful island surrounded by the Irish Sea was now home. And there Joanna attended the Buchan School, which is a very small, adorable school because for those who don't know the Isle of Man, it's small, it's not like super tiny. Like in 1970 the population was around 55,000, now it's 84,000. But yeah, this little school had just about 150 to 200 students. But eventually Joanna pivoted and attended a grammar school, so elementary school in the esteemed city of Oxford, which is quite far from the Isle of Man. This is not commutable, like I'm talking a five hour ferry because the Isle of Man is pretty isolated and then a few hours drive down. So I wonder if her family maybe only lived on the Isle of Man for a time and then returned to the mainland. Though as we will get into, when Joanna was an adult they lived on the Isle of Man still. So unfortunately I cannot confirm how this Oxford school thing worked.

[Heath]

Yeah, it seems like a lot of travel just to get to school.

[Daphne]

That would be like, like I'm saying it's like that's not, it would not be a thing. So it doesn't really matter to the whole story, but just wanted to mention that. But at any rate, in her late teens, Joanna as a young adult moved to the historic and Charming city of Bath.

[Heath]

I thought, I thought it was Bath.

[Daphne]

Well, I mean it is, but they say it like Bath.

[Heath]

Isn't that where we're going sometime soon?

[Daphne]

We are going to Bath. Yes, you should know how say it.

[Heath]

Both.

[Daphne]

All right, so she went there, this is in southwest England, so that she could attend the University of Bath where she decided to focus her studies on business. And then after earning her business degree at the University of Bath or Bath, she relocated to England's town of Ascot. So just outside of London, actually about an hour and a half away from where she had been living, where she would prove to put her hard earned business degree to good use. Because in Ascot, Joanna opened up a fabulous five star bed and breakfast on the outskirts of stunning great Windsor park, which became incredibly fruitful for her. I mean this woman was smart, clearly well educated, and she was also a woman just full of joy, with a taste for adventure. She loved traveling. She was always up for a new and exciting experience. Countless home videos of Joanna proved just how vibrant her spirit was. She was always dancing and laughing. It truly seemed like Joanna had it all. She was widely loved, she had career, success. And it seemed things could only really go up for her. Then in the mid-1990s, Joanna married a man who is actually not named in any of our sources because this marriage was super short lived. And after a couple years or so, they split ways amicably and divorced. But then shortly afterwards, when Joanna was In her early 30s, newly single and ready to get back out there, a friend of hers suggested that they take a girls trip to South Africa. Of course, like I said, Joanna was always up for an adventure. So she excitedly agreed to the vacation. But time would tell that this highly anticipated trip would lead Joanna to meeting a new man. And what first felt like serendipity would prove to be a grave disaster.

[Heath]

So in mid-1998, Joanna and her friend boarded a British Airways flight from London's Heathrow Airport to South Africa. On the plane, Joanna wound up chatting with the pilot, a Scottish born 747 captain named Robert Brown. And he's who we are going to be talking about today. Now Robert was handsome, he was accomplished and very charming. And after chatting on the long 10 hour flight, Joanna was just smitten. After enjoying a vacation with her friend in South Africa. So excited about having just met this pilot, she soon returned home to England and began a whirlwind romance with Robert Brown. Now let's dive more into this guy, this massive piece of shite. Now Robert was born in Edinburgh Scotland in 1964. So he was the same age as Joanna was. He hailed from a humble background as his father worked in a shipyard and his mother worked at a bank. But since childhood, Robert had dreamed of becoming a pilot. An avid runner, he had been the UK trail running champion many times over. So he was definitely a dedicated, hard working guy. And by the time he met Joanna, he was making a good living as a commercial pilot. Early on in the relationship, Joanna took Robert to her family's home in the Isle of Man to meet her parents. And even to them it was evident that Joanna was enchanted by Robert. However, her parents weren't so sure about their daughter's new boyfriend. After the initial meeting, Joanna's parents found Robert to be rude and even arrogant. Her parents seemingly kept their opinions amongst each other, though, seeing how happy Joanna seemed, wondering if maybe there was something that they just weren't seeing or perhaps she'd even eventually see what they saw and the relationship would just run its course. But little did her parents know at the time that there was a far darker side to Robert, one that none of them, especially not Joanna, could see yet until it was too late.

[Daphne]

Well, their budding relationship proved to move fast because just a couple months into meeting, In September of 1998, Robert and Joanna moved in together. And by the way, at this point they're both 34 years old. Now, Joanna had previously purchased a home in Ascot, since that's of course where her business was, which she worked hard to renovate from its original kind of ramshackle state into a beautiful home. And I'll just tell you, her house was so beautiful. I don't know what the style is called. It reminds me of the architecture in the original Black Christmas.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean, the only thing I can really think to say is that it's just very typical English countryside beauty.

[Daphne]

It's like a creamy, like it has the pointed roof or the pointed gables and like the creamy.

[Heath]

It's a creamy house.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Okay. And then as the world, the wood paneling, you know, every other panel. I cannot describe this.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean, I guess in the United States you'd probably call it something like Victorian maybe, but because it's, because it's in England, it feels different. I don't know.

[Daphne]

I love you, but I don't think that's Victorian.

[Heath]

All right, maybe I'm just dumb as fuck.

[Daphne]

Somebody go comment and tell us it's a gorgeous. I mean, it's very charming, right?

[Heath]

Go take a look at the pictures.

[Daphne]

Beautiful, beautiful house is good, you know I mean, God, I didn't describe it better than you. So Robert, of course, gave up his own place and moved in with Joanna. Because why wouldn't you want to live on this beautiful sprawling property and her massive house? And then, only a few months after they began living together in December 1998, Robert had a routine flight that landed him in Hong Kong over the Christmas holiday. So Joanna joined him. And it was there, in Hong Kong, on Christmas Day, that Robert proposed. So within six months, they had met, moved in together, and gotten engaged. And for some people, that works. But this seemed. Wait, sorry, were you gonna say something?

[Heath]

No, I was just gonna say. Yeah, it feels. Well, you're about to say, but it feels like this happened all so quickly, for sure.

[Daphne]

And honestly, in this situation, it would prove to be a problem because, as we said, her parents were not a fan of him. So it's like, clearly there's something that Joanna has not been exposed to. And the swiftness of this. This relationship turned engagement, turned marriage would prove to be a problem for that exact reason.

[Heath]

Yeah. And Robert was not, you know, he was. He was not waiting for anything because they got married only six weeks later in February of 1999.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And it was at his insistence, actually. He was saying, hey, let's get married soon. Only six weeks after the engagement. Again, works for some people, but it kind of felt like a trap here. Right. So the wedding took place on Saturday, February 13, 1999. Of course, the day before Valentine's Day, right there in Ascot. The guest count was quite small, only about 20 people. Just their very. Or their very closest family and friends. Joanna's father, Chris, gave a speech during the intimate wedding dinner saying, quote, rob, you're a very lucky man. We also think that Joanna is a very happy girl. Notice he didn't say lucky girl.

[Heath]

Yeah, exactly.

[Daphne]

I don't know Rob terribly well, but my impression of him is that he is clever, honest, compassionate, loving, and a really nice person, which is very nice. And it seemed like he did believe some of it, but he mostly, again, just wanted to support Joanna and her relationship.

[Heath]

Yeah. Most parents are not going to come out and say, hey, your fiance is a piece of shit.

[Daphne]

Which we should normalize.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

I mean, call it out.

[Heath]

Yeah, call it out when you see it.

[Daphne]

But since they didn't really know him that well by this point, they really just hoped that all these things were true. Like, if amazing Joanna loved him, they felt like they must be missing something pretty great. Like you said, Heath. But I'll tell you right now, their Initial impression was correct, unfortunately. But anyway, since Joanna came from money, not only from having a successful family behind her, but having a successful business of her own, her father Chris, encouraged Joanna push for a prenup. And actually, Robert agreed to it. But apparently it didn't sit very well with him. After the wedding, Joanna and Robert honeymooned in Cape Town, South Africa. Likely an ode to the route that they met on less than a year before. And right then during the honeymoon, Robert's charming facade already started to fade, almost like a mask came off. Joanna noticed that Robert was snappy and rude with hotel and restaurant staff, which totally unnerved her. Remember, Joanna is a kind, funny gal. She may come from money, but he was acting much snootier than she was.

[Heath]

Yeah, he was acting like an asshole.

[Daphne]

Yeah, absolutely. And as the honeymoon continued, sadly, Robert's behavior didn't improve. I mean, the change in him was so jarring that during the honeymoon, Joanna called her mom for advice. And this is how we know how sudden his change in demeanor really was, because she confided in her mom, who of course was probably horrified to hear this, especially considering that they had literally just gotten married. So now they're tied together. But also because she already knew this about Robert, and she so badly did not want to be right about his rudeness and his arrogance.

[Heath]

I mean, no parent would ever want to be right about something like that.

[Daphne]

Well, while Joanna was expressing these concerns, she was vocally questioning if she had made the right decision, realizing that she married a man she hardly knew well.

[Heath]

When Joanna and Robert returned home to England, the reality of normal life began to sink in. You know, the honeymoon phase was literally over. Robert was gone constantly. Of course, it was part of his job as a pilot whose regular routes were between England, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. So he worked very long hours traveling across the world on a regular basis. But even when he was home, Robert was far from the present husband that she expected. He was reserved and mostly kept to himself, which was a staunch difference from his vivacious and very joyful wife. And it became very clear to outsiders that Joanna was much more at ease when Robert just wasn't around. But she was determined to make her marriage work, especially after her first marriage hadn't worked. Their home sat in an area known as Millionaires Row in Ascot, located by the vibrant sprawling fields of Windsor Great Park.

[Daphne]

And that's going to come up again in this episode, so we will post photos of it. I mean, it's just like, picture a stunning large English garden with fields and trimmed hedges and it's so pretty.

[Heath]

Yeah. So obviously the location was ideal since it was close to the bed and breakfast that Joanna operated and only about a 25 minute drive to Heathrow Airport where Robert regularly flew out from. And even with their troubles, Joanna wanted to have a family. But she didn't know if she wanted to have one with Robert anymore. So in the spring of 1999, a few months into their marriage, when 35 year old Joanna found herself pregnant, she suddenly felt even more trapped than she was before. Just being married to Robert. She knew that she was in an unhappy marriage. But the arrival of their firstborn, Alex, in December of 1999 brought her so much joy and she just continued to hope that things would get better. And about a year and a half later, Joanna was once again ecstatic when she gave birth to their second child, Katie in May of 2001. Regardless of the problems in the marriage, Joanna put her attention on raising her kids with love and care. But Robert, however, seemed to only be getting worse. And future events would unfortunately confirm her early regrets.

[Daphne]

The early 2000s kept Joanna extremely busy, obviously since Robert was constantly away working, she her hands full as the primary caregiver for their two young children. In addition to still running her successful bed and breakfast business. Robert was becoming more and more unhinged and Joanna just basically dodged him whenever she could. But when he was home, it wasn't a happy household. Robert started to accuse Joanna of having an affair, which was a false claim that had no backing, like it seemed to be built from self esteem issues and distance or perhaps projection, because I'll tell you right now, by the way, his colleagues later claimed that Robert himself was being unfaithful and many accused him of having affairs with women that he worked with at the airline. But the false allegations that he made against her became so aggressive that she made a decision she'd been putting off for years. And In January of 2007, after nearly eight years of a toxic, unhappy marriage, Joanna had finally had enough. She ended up going to see a solicitor ready to file for divorce from Robert. Now, the prenuptial agreement that was put into place back when they got married in 1999 proved to be a looming hindrance in the proceedings because Robert was adamant about about having the prenup voided because aside from the successful bed and breakfast that Joanna operated, like I said, she was kind of set up for life because of her dad selling the business when she was a kid. So she had a large inheritance, upwards of $25 million. And Robert seemingly felt entitled to her fortune, even though he had a well paid job of his own. He was pushing off a divorce as long as possible because he didn't want to lose everything that he had. The money, the security, like, I mean.

[Heath]

What a douchebag like you, you already have such a successful career being a pilot, like a commercial pilot. Why are you going after her money? Like, you are definitely not entitled to that. Especially, I guess, you know, probably in his mind, he's like, well, we have kids together and we've been together for, you know, eight years at this point.

[Daphne]

Or whatever, so make sure to support the kids with it. But you don't need it.

[Heath]

Yeah, you don't need it. You got a buddy.

[Daphne]

Go be a pilot. Exactly. Well, only about a month after Joanna had spoken to that solicitor, Robert landed in Hong Kong after yet another long haul flight. And while there, Robert confided in Joanna about a series of dark thoughts that he had been having lately, which were deeply troubling.

[Heath]

Oh, I mean, very troubling.

[Daphne]

Yeah. He said that he was having thoughts about harming her and the kids. Specifically ideations of killing her and their two children with an axe. Like, imagine your spouse telling you that, the insanity. And also what a terrifying moment to be in. You're alone with him and he's telling you to your face that he wants to kill you and your kids with an axe.

[Heath]

That's just. I mean, it's like she's obviously made the right decision, you know, going towards this divorce filing because this guy's a psycho.

[Daphne]

But it also makes it even scarier for her going towards the divorce because he's basically saying, like, he's so upset by it that he wants to be violent with her and their kids. So that it's just like, how do you even feel comfortable moving forward in either direction after hearing that?

[Heath]

And that's not the only fucked up thing that he tells her.

[Daphne]

Yeah. As if it couldn't get more disturbing, he told Joanna that he was having suicidal thoughts, which included crashing one of the airplanes that he regularly flew.

[Heath]

Like, oh, my God, that is my worst fucking fear.

[Daphne]

I know.

[Heath]

Come to life.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So Joanna is terrified. And it seemed like over time, Robert was using these coercive control tactics to dictate what Joanna could and could not do. Like, you know, these, these are threats. He's saying, if you leave me, I'll crash a plane. Sorry. If you're on a plane right now, you're totally safe, girl.

[Heath]

Yeah, you're good.

[Daphne]

Or I'll kill our Children like, this is really going to the darkest place.

[Heath]

You can go one day to the next. His behaviors were unpredictable, and Joanna was at the receiving end of all of these tirades. He would verbally abuse her, doing whatever he could to put her down. And not only was Joanna affected, but colleagues and staff on the airline began to notice Robert's emotional instability.

[Daphne]

Not what you want to see in a pilot.

[Heath]

Yeah, like fire this guy immediately. And to be clear, like, Robert was emotionally abusing and manipulating his wife. But he had not caused direct physical harm before, as far as you know, she reported. But that all changed in the summer of 2007. That July, six months after visiting the solicitor, Joanna was out with their two kids, arriving home at about 10pm that night, she put the kids to sleep, and when she walked into the kitchen after tucking them in, Robert was overcome with rage. He reduced her being out late to the conclusion that she was once again having some sort of affair, even though she had been out with their kids. So I don't know where he's getting this.

[Daphne]

It's delusion.

[Heath]

And thus an argument blew up and Robert grabbed a knife from the knife block nearby. He quickly put his wife in a chokehold and threatened a large knife against her chest. So, of course, Joanna was petrified that he would hurt her or even kill her, and then possibly hurt the kids.

[Daphne]

Especially because they're in the house, it's only the four of them in the house, so she, if she's being hurt by him, she can't protect them.

[Heath]

And then on top of that, knowing that he had been having these suicidal ideations, she worried that he wouldn't care who he took down because he'd then just take his own life afterwards. But somehow, luckily, Johanna managed to calm him down from this explosive episode that he was having. She told him that if he killed her, he would go to prison and even if he took his life, the kids would become orphans. And clearly her words had some effect on him because he released her from his grip and he dropped the knife. However, not before threatening her, that if she tried to leave, she was forbidden from taking the kids away from him.

[Daphne]

Yeah, that's not how this works.

[Heath]

And also that if she told anybody about what happened that night, that it would be the worst for her. But of course, after being put in a chokehold with a knife, the last thing Joanna wanted was to stay with him. She now knew just how dangerous he was. So she moved forward with the divorce anyway, wanting nothing but to get herself and her children away from him. But Again, the financial situation and the prenup would make the process a lengthy one.

[Daphne]

Part of the pre divorce agreements were that Robert was to move out and stay away from the family home for a set amount of time. Originally six months, and then it was later further extended. Obviously, Joanna was terrified of her estranged husband, and for good reason, especially because time and time again, it was evident that Robert was not following court ordered instructions to stay away from her house. So she had previously set up a bunch of different surveillance cameras around her home for security reasons, obviously, and those caught him on her property. But even scarier wiring on these surveillance cameras around Joanna's home, because this is 2007, so they're not wireless like a lot of them are today, they were discovered to have been physically severed. Now, of course, it was highly suspected that Robert himself had cut those cables. And it was also revealed via credit card transactions that Robert had bought equipment to spy on and stalk Joanna, including putting a tracker on her car. But despite all of this, there were some positive signs that progression was being made. I mean, all Joanna wanted was peace. And when Robert began a relationship with one of his colleagues, a British Airways flight attendant, it seemed like he may finally be moving on. So this was really good news for her. Like, oh, he has a new woman in his life. Maybe he'll forget about me. He'll let me off the hook for divorcing him, even though she's totally allowed to do that. But by 2010, it had been three years since the divorce proceedings began, and things had still not been completed. But an official court hearing for the finalization of the divorce was on the horizon. Finally, the hearing was set for November of 2010. So, you know, suddenly in 2010, this real chance at freedom was fast approaching. And throughout all this time, by the way, Robert did have shared custody of the kids. And he and Joanna would do regular trade offs back and forth, making it work the best they could. When Robert would return the kids back to Joanna, he reportedly stayed in his car while the kids got out. But out of fear, Joanna tried to make sure that a friend was present during each handoff because she was always terrified that he might do something. But having a friend there seemed to keep the situations at bay, at least for a little while. But one autumn afternoon, Joanna was at the house by herself when one of these handoffs was happening. And things would turn deadly fast. One of my favorite things about fall is all this seasonal food. You know, we've got our pumpkin stuff, our fun Halloween candy. We get to experiment with all these cozy new recipes even yesterday. Heath, you can attest. I ordered a bunch of Halloween candy on Instacart, including caramel apple candy corn, by the way.

[Heath]

Oh yes you did.

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[Heath]

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[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Heath]

October 31, 2010 of course, it was Halloween day and it was a chilly autumn day in Ascot and Robert had just spent a week with the kids. So he made his way to Joanna's house for the regular drop off. He kept pushing back the return time for that day though, and finally he agreed to drop them off at 4pm now, as always, Joanna was thrilled to be reunited with her beloved kids. And that afternoon she had prepared their favorite meal. A dinner of chicken curry and a home baked chocolate cake for dessert.

[Daphne]

Gorgeous.

[Heath]

Yeah, especially on Halloween night. That's pretty awesome.

[Daphne]

I wonder because I've talked to people about this who are from England and how like you know, my brother in law's English and he said that he didn't celebrate Halloween as a kid at all. So I wonder if they did because the fact that she has this like nice dinner planned out, I wonder if they were trick or treating or if that was just like not a thing.

[Heath]

Yeah, it's kind of weird. I do remember talking to him about that as well and him just saying like, yeah, it's not really a popular thing in England.

[Daphne]

If you're from England. Drop a comment.

[Heath]

Yes, please let us know. Well, when Robert arrived at Joanna's with their kids, Alex and Katie exited the car and went inside the home. But instead of just driving away like he usually did, Robert got out of his vehicle and walked to the front door. Robert and Joanna had a discussion there and Robert later claimed that they were talking about something regarding the children's school before an argument broke out. And it would later be revealed that an unfathomable series of events occurred that night inside Joanna's home that would change the family forever. But first, the next morning at around 8:30am on November 1, 2010, Robert Brown picked up the phone and made what is now considered an infamous 999 call. And here is that clip for you guys.

[Police Dispatcher]

Hello, Thames Valley, please.

[Robert Brown]

Hello, I'd like to make an appointment to come in regarding an incident that occurred yesterday.

[Police Dispatcher]

Okay, can I ask what the incident was?

[Robert Brown]

Of a domestic issue.

[Police Dispatcher]

Right. Okay. So you wanted to make an appointment to speak to someone about it. Okay, let me take some details from you. The reason I'm asking for that Friday to make the appointment is because it is a domestic in our policy.

[Robert Brown]

I mean, it's a serious domestic if you want.

[Police Dispatcher]

Yeah. Okay. Usually with our domestic policies what we do is we advise that we losses to 10 within the hour. But if you want to make an appointment instead of that, I can still do that with you. Our policy for domestic incidents is usually for an officer to attend within the hour to discuss this.

[Robert Brown]

Yeah.

[Police Dispatcher]

Okay, but if you. If you're not able to do that, I could still make an appointment with you.

[Robert Brown]

I mean, I'd rather come up to the police station as I've got four children here and I. I wouldn't want to.

[Police Dispatcher]

That's fine.

[Robert Brown]

To worry them any further.

[Police Dispatcher]

Okay.

[Robert Brown]

I mean, I will. I won't, you know.

[Police Dispatcher]

Yeah. Okay. Let me take some details from you. Okay. Then I will. I will go on to our diary. We'll book an appointment with you. Can you just explain to me what. What the situation is?

[Robert Brown]

Well, I've spoken to my lawyer and he said not to say anything.

[Police Dispatcher]

So tell us why he said that.

[Robert Brown]

The incidents of a serious nature.

[Police Dispatcher]

Right. When you say serious. Because I need to highlight this to the officer of how serious it is and there's only light of me passing it to the officer. Can I ask what it is? How serious?

[Robert Brown]

I really don't want to say anything, actually.

[Police Dispatcher]

Can I ask why? I mean, this is confidential. This between me. You.

[Robert Brown]

Well, because it's. Well, it's. I mean it's extremely serious nature. And then.

[Police Dispatcher]

I assume it's regarding. With your ex partner.

[Robert Brown]

Yes.

[Police Dispatcher]

Okay. And the instance occurred recently?

[Robert Brown]

Yes, yes, last night.

[Police Dispatcher]

Right. And you're both okay, are you. You're not. None of you are harmed at all, are you?

[Robert Brown]

Well, we have one. One person is.

[Police Dispatcher]

Right. Okay. If that person seeked any medical attention, do you know, do they need it?

[Robert Brown]

No.

[Police Dispatcher]

No. And you've got children involved as well?

[Robert Brown]

Yes.

[Police Dispatcher]

Okay. But they're with you at the moment and they're safe?

[Robert Brown]

They're there with me and they're safe.

[Police Dispatcher]

Okay.

[Robert Brown]

My girlfriend's looking after them.

[Police Dispatcher]

So they live with your girl. Is it your girlfriend that's in this situation?

[Robert Brown]

My ex wife.

[Police Dispatcher]

Okay, that's fine. So they're all okay. But you want to come and discuss this? Right. When you say serious. Okay. And I'm only going by assumption. I'm assuming it's something that you have seeked because you're worried about the consequences. Okay. Right. Let me take some details from you. Can I start with your name?

[Robert Brown]

My name is Robert Brown.

[Police Dispatcher]

And an address for you, please, Robert.

[Robert Brown]

It's Springfield North Street. The postcode is FL4.4TE.

[Police Dispatcher]

Thank you. And what number are you? Is it called Springfield?

[Robert Brown]

The house is called Springfield.

[Police Dispatcher]

Lovely. Okay, let me find that on North Street. Okay. And this incident happened yesterday, did you say?

[Robert Brown]

Yes, it did, when I was dropping off the children.

[Police Dispatcher]

Okay. And can I take her name again? It's just for our information, her name.

[Robert Brown]

My ex wife is Joanna Brown.

[Police Dispatcher]

If I'm able to get an appointment for you today, would that be okay for you?

[Robert Brown]

Absolutely.

[Police Dispatcher]

Yeah. Okay.

[Heath]

So obviously this is a really strange call. Robert is clearly concealing important details and being very careful with his words.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And she's trying to get something out of him and trying to figure out what he's even called. It's like you. You called in, and she's just trying to get details for the call that he is making. And you can tell she's like, you know, she's. She's asking certain questions to try to understand is somebody heard? Is everybody okay? Okay, so your wife's okay, like, or your ex wife is okay because he's not filling in the blanks for her. It's so weird.

[Heath]

Yeah, he's just kind of hinting at things. Well, shortly after this bizarre and very cryptic phone call was made by Robert to police, Some of Joanna's friends received calls from Katie and Alex's school because neither of the children showed up to school that day. This was, of course, immediately concerning because Joanna never missed a school drop off. Now, it was confirmed that the children were safe and unharmed, but major fears regarding Joanna's whereabouts and safety were beginning to rise because no one could get ahold of her. But clearly on that call, Robert was hiding something. So the dispatcher flagged the call, wondering if his wife had been injured. So police made their way to Joanna's home in Ascot for a welfare check. And when there was no answer at her door, police forced their way in, discovering blood inside the home. To their horror, the house was eerily quiet. It didn't appear that anybody was home. But not only was there a trail of blood inside the home, but there was blood evidence outside the home as well. But still, there was no sign of Joanna.

[Daphne]

Meanwhile, as instructed by the 999 operator, Robert made his way to Maidenhead police station to speak further on this mysterious incident. And he was immediately interviewed. But his demeanor remained like it had been just very calm and reserved. He wasn't saying much at all. Once again, he mentioned that he was legally advised not to say anything by his lawyer. And he repeatedly gave investigators the same answers to almost all of their questions, which was always no comment. But, like, he came to them, so they're not even really understanding why he's there in the first place if he's not gonna talk, you know, it's so weird. So, yeah, investigators were very frustrated and confused. Robert had just called in, claiming he wanted to discuss a dispute. And now at the station, he was refusing to talk. And of course, coupled with the fact that Joanna was missing, there was blood in her house, it was obvious that Robert had done something terrible to Joanna. So he was arrested on suspicion of murdering 46 year old Joanna Simpson. Which, by the way, small thing. It is so weird to me that her last name is Simpson and his last name is Brown.

[Heath]

I actually did not even think about that. But, yeah, that's pretty weird.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So technically, after she got married, she could have been Joanna Simpson Brown.

[Heath]

Weird.

[Daphne]

Yeah. But anyway, over the next few days, Robert was interviewed nearly 10 times. And when he did start talking a little bit, he played the victim. He mentioned the impending divorce, the prenup, and mentioned his dissatisfaction with their future finances as a result of the prenup. And while he still was not admitting to harming Joanna, investigators felt that he likely had done something to her and figured that the upcoming divorce and the ramifications of the prenup could have been a motive to kill. Three days into her disappearance, on Nov. 3, investigators showed Robert photos that they had taken from inside Joanna's home, just hoping to, you know, get him to say something.

[Heath]

Yeah, maybe jog his memory a little bit.

[Daphne]

And in the photos were obvious trails of blood. And this is when Robert actually did crack. The first thing he said was, I lost control and pushed her, which he told them ultimately caused her death. So he is admitting I pushed her and she died as a result of that. And then he told investigators that he tried to hide her in a box from the garden center and buried her in Windsor Great Park.

[Heath]

Now, after this confession, Robert then took police to a secluded spot at Windsor Great park near Joanna's home, where a grisly discovery was made. While Robert admitted to killing Joanna, his story was not entirely true. The reality of October 31, 2010, was following an argument at the front door of Joanna's home, Robert made his way into the house, and the verbal dispute turned physical. Behind a closed door, Robert secretly retrieved a claw hammer from his daughter Katie's school bag, one that he himself had slipped in earlier without her knowledge. Robert then proceeded to strike Joanna several times in the head with the claw hammer until she was no longer moving.

[Daphne]

So he really put it lightly when he told investigators that he pushed her and that that caused her death when he bludgeoned her with a hammer.

[Heath]

Yeah, he's trying to cover up how brutal this crime was and just the fact that this was so premeditated, like the fact that he put A claw hammer in his young daughter's backpack so that he could use it on Joanna when he got there.

[Daphne]

That's also so messed up to know that his daughter has to live with that. Not that she's culpable. It's not her fault. She had no idea, obviously. But the fact that like the, the weapon that murdered her mother was in her own backpack is so sick.

[Heath]

It is very sick. Well, in another disturbing twist, both children were present in the home when this happened. Although they were in another room, hiding in terror. And horrifically, they heard the entirety of the attack.

[Daphne]

Like, Robert is a monster.

[Heath]

Yeah, such a monster. Their young daughter, Katie, even later described hearing what sounded like bang, bang, bang. Now, after Joanna was dead, Robert emerged into the hallway of Joanna's home with her lifeless and bloodied body. While transporting her from the house to the car, the kids actually saw her limp leg dangling while Robert carried her out.

[Daphne]

Yeah, like as if it couldn't get any worse. It's about to.

[Heath]

He then loaded her into the trunk of his car where there was already plastic lining laid out like he had fully planned this. As we mentioned, this was totally premeditated. The kids, who were only 11 and 9 years old, were terrified. And when Robert returned inside, he instructed the children to get into the car where their dead mother was. While the kids cried in fear and asked if he would be taking their mom to the hospital, Robert remained silent.

[Daphne]

That is so sad.

[Heath]

Terrifying. He then drove Katie and Alex to his girlfriend's house, who was, by the way, pregnant with his child. And after dropping the kids off, he went into the garage where he collected materials like duct tape and a pair of overalls, then got back into his car. He proceeded to drive away with Joanna's body to Windsor Great park, where it was ultimately found. Robert turned off his cell phone so that he could be untraceable and drove to a remote wooded area within that park. But one thing was utterly clear. He had been to this very spot many times. Because when he arrived to the familiar and uninhabited area in Great Windsor park, he returned to a pre dug hole that he had previously prepared. And under the dirt was a large plastic garden box that he had placed there weeks prior. Again, all evidence that the killing was completely premeditated. He dragged the body of his dead wife from the car and lined the garden box with plastic to avoid any leaking. He then placed equipment like duct tape and that overall body suit, amongst other incriminating material inside the box along with Joanna's body before covering the site with dirt to make the earth look undisturbed.

[Daphne]

Truly insane. Well, Joanna's post mortem examination confirmed that she had been viciously attacked with a claw hammer with extreme force. Like Robert beat Joanna with a hammer at least 14 times in the head. So although her death was somewhat quick, yet obviously incredibly brutal, Joanna was not lacking defensive wounds because markings on her arm and hands prove that she did not go down without a fight. Robert Brown remained in police custody until his trial began in May of 2011. So about seven months later and in court, despite having confessed and there being all this evidence and also there being literal witnesses, the kids. Robert, of course, denied murdering Joanna, but ultimately pled guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility. And basically what that means is a psychiatrist diagnosed Robert with a stress related adjustment disorder, which the defense, of course, tried to use as an excuse for his actions. Though although they found his mental health or his mental state impaired, they did not find it impaired enough to the level of insanity. So this is essentially saying you are mentally ill. And we're acknowledging that that could have disrupted your, you know, state of mind when the crime occurred. So because of that, we're lessening your sentence.

[Heath]

Yeah, it's. So essentially they're saying, like, you're half mentally ill.

[Daphne]

Yes, exactly. Half insane. Yeah. But remember, multiple people and Joanna's life knew the horrors that she had endured at the hands of Robert. This wasn't like, oh, I just. Something crazy happened that day to me.

[Heath]

Like, yeah, they knew he was a dick.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And that he was emotionally and even physically abusive to her. She had been repressive, reporting this for years to them. So during testimonies from Joanna's loved ones, the court heard of the harrowing knife pulling incident in the kitchen years before her death, which, of course, Robert denied ever happening. Instead, he just tried to paint Joanna in a negative light during the trial, claiming that she was a rich, spoiled brat who used the prenup as grounds to destroy his life, all while making himself the victim, which is something this guy clearly loved to do. But it's just insane to me that he's calling her a spoiled brat and trying to ruin his life by taking her money away from him.

[Heath]

Yeah, like you're the little bitch that was complaining that you weren't going to get your wife's inheritance.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Which. Why would you be entitled to that? You're literally an abusive ex of hers. Like, just because you share kids and we're married does not mean she owes you anything. In fact, I think you owe her a lot. But it was Clear that Robert had committed this act and furthermore that he had intricately planned it. The prosecution showed evidence of him purchasing that garden box, coffin, and other materials before she went missing. They also highlighted the hole that he himself dug up weeks prior as well. But he had an excuse for this. This excuse is. Is freaking nuts.

[Heath]

It's so dumb, actually.

[DSW Advertiser]

So he said.

[Daphne]

No, it's really dumb. He said his excuse for digging a giant person sized hole in a public park was that he. He basically said his reasoning for burying the garden box in the dirt before she was killed was to make a grave for the divorce papers.

[Heath]

Yeah, okay.

[Daphne]

He told the court that he wanted to, quote, bury the sham of his marriage. Come on.

[Heath]

Yeah, Nobody is gonna buy that. Well, the many ridiculous lies that Robert told in court are truly disgusting. And despite all of this evidence, a shocking verdict was read that was almost impossible to believe. Robert Brown was convicted of manslaughter, but not guilty of murder. And again, the reason for this is because of his mental evaluation. The diminished responsibility from his psych eval literally got him less time.

[Daphne]

But like, as if someone like him who has some sort of mental illness that would cause him to act like this should be free sooner, like, okay, maybe 26 years, and then straight to a mental hospital instead. Like, how is unsupervised freedom the answer?

[Heath]

And it just, it shouldn't be. Well, as you can imagine, Joanna's family, friends and the community as a whole were disturbed by this verdict. And her family called the lack of murder conviction a, quote, miscarriage of justice. Which is exactly what it was.

[Daphne]

You're damn right.

[Heath]

Robert was sentenced to only 26 years in prison, meaning that he'd be out of prison in his early 70s. But there is yet another unbelievable twist in the story. The terms of his parole state that he was eligible for release halfway through his sentencing. So only 13 years after his conviction, which of course has already passed by this time. So understandably, Joanna's entire family was outraged by this, including Robert and Joanna's own children, who were terrified of their father and afraid that he would kill again.

[Daphne]

I think that says a lot because sometimes in cases like this, we see kids supporting the parent.

[Heath]

Yeah, we talked about Barry Morphew actually.

[Daphne]

Yes, exactly. Yeah, so sometimes they support them or they forgive them, but that is not the case here. And maybe because they actually witness it, so they know exactly what happened.

[Heath]

Yeah, they saw the extent of how evil their father really was. But in 2023, thankfully, possibly due to the unwavering campaigning and determination for justice by Joanna's loved ones. Robert was denied parole as of this recording in 2025. Robert Brown rightfully remains in prison. But horrifically, in about a decade from now, he will be free.

[Daphne]

Makes me sick. Well, Joanna's resilient mother, Diana Parks and her best friend Hetty Barkworth Nanton created the Joanna Simpson foundation, which really honors Joanna. Actually. Their mission statement is transforming the care, support and protection of children affected by domestic abuse and homicide. And here is kind of their dedication on their website. It reads, quote, joe had strong moral values and believed it important that all children should have a safe, safe, secure and loving environment. The Joanna Simpson foundation has been set up in her memory and our work is based on her beliefs, values and the love of her children. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going well.

[Heath]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. What a tragic story. Just the fact that there are so many cases like this of domestic violence and stalking. What a terrifying situation that she was put in.

[Daphne]

No, truly. And it's so sad knowing that she had entered this marriage, that she was, I mean she was so happy with Robert in the beginning and she had no idea who he really was and what he was capable of. And she did everything she could do. She reported him. She was getting a divorce. They were just about to finalize it and this still happened. It is just so devastating. So thank you guys so much for tuning into this one and accepting an outside the box case. You know, outside the US case.

[Heath]

Accepting a case that we don't typically.

[Daphne]

Do, but it's fun to cross the pond sometimes. You know I said this earlier in the beginning of this episode that we're going to do like a fun, spooky Halloween episode. It's not going to be a true crime case. It's more of like near miss True Horror Stories. We do that every October. If you want to hear that when it comes out, check out our patreon patreon.com goingwest podcast. You can also check out our Apple podcast subscription. That's the exact same thing. Yeah, if you're an Apple user, that's probably the easiest way to go. So check it out in our 130 podcasts plus episodes over there.

[Heath]

Alright guys, so for everybody out there.

[Daphne]

In the world, don't be a stranger. SA.

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[Police Dispatcher]

There.

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[Daphne]

I need a coffee.

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