Episode 6: The Murder of Robert Joyal
Robert Joyal spent the first 9 years of his life in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he spent a lot of time with his family, and enjoyed being outside, playing football, and horseback riding. At 9 years old, Robert and his family relocated to Texas due to a job opportunity, and this is when trouble started to follow Robert. His grades unfortunately started to slip, and he was kicked off the football team- something he really loved to do. This led to some more issues, getting in trouble and misbehaving, so in an attempt to set Robert on a better path, the family relocated once again to Gorham, Maine.
Robert started his senior year of high school in Maine, making friends with a small group of kids, who were not the best influences. Despite this, Robert seemed to want to fix his behavior, re-join the football team, and get his grades up for graduation. Unfortunately, his school did not have a football team, which led to some upset for Robert, but he still kept trying to get his grades up and gain that independence he desired.
One evening in April of 1998, Robert was officially moving out of his house and into an apartment in Portland, just 25 minutes away. His younger brother, Marc, fondly remembers playing basketball with him that night, and being recruited for unpacking duty the next day, which he could not wait for. Unfortunately, that was the last time Marc and his parents would see Robert alive.
That evening, Robert, his girlfriend, and a few more friends went to a 21-and-under club in Portland called the Metropolis, where they partied and celebrated Robert’s new apartment. When an altercation occurred, the group left to go to a local 24-hour Denny’s. It was here that the friends were ambushed by an Asian street gang, who attacked with knives and machetes. In the struggle, while fighting to protect his friends and himself, Robert was stabbed 3 times in the back. At this point, the police were closing in and everyone scattered, leaving Robert alone, bleeding out in the parking lot. He died from his injuries before he could make it to the hospital.
To this day, no eye witness has come forward to claim responsibility or even give an account of what happened. There was an arrest made several weeks after Robert’s murder, but after two years the juvenile was released due to insufficient evidence. Since then, there have been theories and some leads, but nothing has led to a solid answer for Robert and his family. If you know anything in regards to what could have happened to Robert, please contact Maine’s cold case unit.
Image sources:
centralmaine.com - “Two decades later, the sting of Gorham teen’s unsolved slaying endures”
medium.com - “Who Killed Robert Joyal?”