Crime
The woman’s former boyfriend has a lengthy criminal history and is currently in state prison for a separate case.
Joanna Brown of Worcester was found dead in her car last November and allegedly murdered by her former boyfriend. Worcester Police Department
A Worcester County grand jury has indicted a man for the murder of a woman who was found dead in her car last November.
Donovan Foster, 29, is charged with one count of murder, court records show. His arraignment is scheduled for July 17.
Foster allegedly killed Joanna Brown, 30, of Worcester, who was last seen on the morning of Oct. 31, 2025. Brown was reported missing by family members Nov. 2 and found dead inside her car the next afternoon.
In February, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner listed Brown’s cause and manner of death as undetermined and not resulting from injury, the Worcester Telegram and Gazette reported. However, the indictment states that Foster assaulted and beat Brown “with intent to murder her” on or between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
Foster, a former romantic partner of Brown, has a lengthy criminal history and is currently in state prison, the Telegram reported. Around the same time of Brown’s death, he was charged for his involvement in a shooting that happened two months prior.
The shooting allegedly happened after a confrontation between Foster, Brown, and a third woman whose apartment he allegedly shot at. Though Foster struck a parked car, no one was injured, according to the Telegram.
Before that, Foster was sentenced to six to eight years in prison on a home invasion case and later violated his post-release probation multiple times. He received a new sentence of three to four years and was transferred to state prison June 4 after admitting to these violations, the Telegram reported.
Probation officials filed their notice of violation and said Foster’s whereabouts were unknown Nov. 3, the same day Brown’s body was found, according to the Telegram. Foster has been in jail since November and also faces a charge of assaulting a fellow inmate Jan. 17.
Foster’s attorney, Joseph Hennessey, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday night. However, he told the Telegram that Foster “adamantly denies” the charge and that prosecutors haven’t told him the alleged manner of Brown’s homicide.
The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office also did not respond to a request for comment about the specifics of Brown’s manner of death.
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