Victim predicted husband's violence
By BRIAN MELLEY
SPRINGFIELD Nearly a year before Victoria M. Sleeper was found slain in her bedroom yesterday morning, she penned a plea for a restraining order forecasting more violence by her estranged husband.
“He has a history of being violent and abusive both verbally and physically. I'm afraid he will become even more so as I have filed for divorce today,” Sleeper wrote Sept. 13, 1992.
Days before the divorce was expected to be settled in Probate Court, Joseph W. Sleeper, 42, of 140 Hampden St., Chicopee, pleaded innocent in District court to murder, violating a restraining order, and house-breaking and was held without right to bail.
Sleeper surrendered to state police early yesterday morning and told them he killed his wife, police said.
District Attorney William M. Bennett said Victoria Sleeper, 41, of 95 Paulk Terrace, who claimed in divorce papers that her husband was guilty of cruel and abusive treatment, was stabbed several times. He said Sleeper either ambushed his wife when she returned from a vacation on Cape Cod or had broken into the house after she arrived home.
City police Capt. Paula C. Meara said Sleeper's body was discovered beneath her bed. A bloody hunting knife believed to have been used in the killing was recovered by police at Bay Street and Roosevelt Avenue.
Springfield police Capt. Elmer J. McMahon said jealousy may be a motive, but Bennett and others did not have enough information to verify the speculation.
Nearly a year-and-a-half after the couple separated, following 20 years of marriage, the Sleepers were expected
in court to settle their divorce, according to Efrem Gordon, Victoria Sleeper's lawyer.
“From the way he sounded, it seemed a very amicable settlement was on the way,” Gordon said. “He seemed very anxious to please, very conciliatory. Something must have set the guy off.”
Victoria Sleeper's father, Richard L. Munsell of Feeding Hills, said his son-in-law was having difficulty with the pending divorce, and Munsell tried to discuss it with him.
“I haven't seen him. I wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with him because it's a hard thing,” Munsell said. “It was hard for him to take.”
No speculation
Munsell would not comment on the reasons for the divorce or any speculation as to why Joseph Sleeper may have killed his daughter.
“It's between them. That's where we tried to leave it,” he said. “With the grandchildren, we wanted to be on terms with the mother and father.”
At Fitness First, an Agawam health club where Victoria Sleeper had been in charge of swimming programs, employees, clients and friends were shocked by the news of her death.
“She was one of those rare people who was caring and compassionate,” said Paula Welker, co-owner of the club. “You just never believe it could happen like this,” she said.
Victoria, known to friends as “Vicki,” had worked at the health club since it opened. Yesterday senior citizens and children in her swimming classes were distraught to learn of her death.
“It's just been devastating to everybody,” said Kurt Welker, Paula's husband and co-owner of the club.
“She was like our sister. It could happen to your family.”
Married 21 years
The couple, who married June 19, 1972, had two children, Joseph, 20, and Jason J., 18, both of whom lived with their mother. Munsell said the sons were staying in a trailer in Misquamicut, R.I., at the time of the killing.
On March 23, 1992, the couple separated, and six months later Victoria applied for and was granted a restraining order. The order was to expire Sept. 22, two days after the Sleepers were due in court.
Munsell said Joseph Sleeper visited his daughter occasionally after the restraining order was issued.
“She never took it that seriously,” Munsell said. “Everybody warned her to be more strict.”
Sleeper was ordered to stay away from his wife's home and from Fitness First at 60 North Westfield St. He was also barred from Salvatore's Restaurant, 1333 Boston Road, where she worked part-time as a waitress.
Bennett defended restraining orders as a preventive measure.
“The restraining order in this case was in effect almost a year,” he said. “I'm sure thousands have been issued over the last several years that didn't result in a tragedy. They are effective in hundreds and hundreds of cases, but you never hear about those cases.”
Joseph Sleeper had been a maintenance supervisor at Partyka Resource Management, overseeing repairs to its truck fleet on New Ludlow Road in South Hadley. A supervisor described him as a hard worker.
Sleeper transferred the Paulk Terrace home to his wife three days after their separation last year. In Probate Court records, she complained that in addition to falling 10 weeks behind in $75 per-week child support payments, Joseph Sleeper had lapsed in paying the $23,000 home equity credit line.
He appeared Aug. 17 in Hampden Probate Court for being in contempt of court and agreed to make all payments by Sept. 20.
Kevin Claffey, William Freebairn, Arthur Zalkan and Ted LaBorde and Martin Lauer contributed to this story.
Courtesy of Springfield Union-News 9/8/93
