On January 22nd, 2001, in the small town of Wells, Vermont, fifty-four-year-old Joan Hunter was found dead in the trailer she shared with her son on Endless Brook Road. Her death was caused by a shotgun wound and was officially ruled a homicide by investigators.
Joan lived with her adult son, Eugene Hunter. Shortly after the incident, Eugene faced charges of second-degree murder in connection with his mother’s death. Later that same night, he allegedly drove through Rutland and fired a 9 mm handgun through the windshield of his mother’s pickup truck, injuring another man, Fred Miles, who was treated and released from the hospital.
Family members, including Joan’s daughter Heather Hunter, reported that Eugene had exhibited significant mental health issues in the period leading up to the shooting. He displayed paranoid behaviors, such as believing he was being pursued by Mafia hitmen, withdrawing to his room, avoiding going outside, and searching the house for intruders. He reportedly engaged in concerning activities like shooting guns and sharpening knives, and slept with a pistol under his pillow.
Eugene was diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder. In December 2004, forensic psychiatrists determined he was mentally incompetent to stand trial. A judge ordered him to remain indefinitely at the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury for treatment, with periodic reviews required before any potential release.
By 2009, after years of treatment with antipsychotic medication, a psychiatrist (who had previously examined him) found that Eugene’s schizophrenia had abated sufficiently for him to be deemed competent to stand trial and to participate in his own defense. He demonstrated a rational understanding of the charges, court procedures, and the roles of those involved. However, the same evaluation suggested he may have been legally insane at the time of the shooting due to acute psychotic delusions.
Court proceedings focused on competency hearings and potential insanity defenses. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would likely face ongoing hospitalization and monitoring rather than traditional incarceration. Public records from the time indicate the case involved debates over his mental state both at the time of the offense and for trial purposes. Details beyond these psychiatric and legal developments remain limited in available reporting.
Despite the charges against Eugene Hunter and the extensive investigative efforts, Vermont State Police continue to list Joan Hunter’s homicide as an unsolved case as of 2026. No arrests have resulted in a conviction for the murder itself in public records, and the case remains open.
Crime Immemorial 