Chapter 1: How did Joe Hunter's experience on Survivor relate to his fight for justice?
You know, honestly, I can't tell Jeff this enough and Survivor in general that it really did save my life. And just going through the trauma of different things with my sister and the real reason why I came on Survivor and they were kind enough to let me play this wonderful game. I'm indebted to them. And so there's no such thing as getting third.
And if you think that's losing, you haven't lived my life.
Well, that is Survivor contestant Joe Hunter, the morning after the season 50 finale of Survivor, talking to CBS Morning's Gayle King. And he's talking about his late sister, Joanna. Joe was a two-time finalist on Survivor.
And as we said in season 50, he talked about coming in third, but he said it really was a win for him in the long run because he brought so much attention to his sister and her death. In 2011, 36-year-old Joanna was found dead in her Vacaville, California home, hanging inside a bedroom closet by a bathrobe sash.
Chapter 2: What circumstances surrounded Joanna Hunter's death?
Now, Joanna's death was ruled a suicide, but Joe and his mother Patricia believed that her husband, who was a church pastor, Mark Lewis, killed her after a history of domestic violence. Mark Lewis has not been charged with any crime relating to the death of Joanna. I'm CBS News correspondent Natalie Morales, and this is Case by Case.
I interviewed Joe Hunter for 48 hours last year for our episode called Joe Hunter's Mission. Well, joining me today is producer Michelle Finucci, who was with me every step of the way. Michelle, you really were the one. who got us all started on this journey with Joe. When you first met him, I remember you texting me and saying how incredible this story is.
That meeting with Joe was probably one of the most memorable meetings I've ever had at 48 Hours. And He told me about his sister's case and the circumstances surrounding it, which sounded extremely suspicious. And his heart and his compassion for his sister really touched me. And I knew it was something we had to look into further.
And Joe's mission throughout has always been to be Joanna's voice. And competing on Survivor was an avenue. It was a way because he knew that it was something that he and Joanna had talked about. They dreamed of competing with each other. And... Of course, when she died, there was no longer the opportunity to do that, but he knew he had to do something.
And what better way to tell her story than on a competition show that he and his sister had absolutely loved and watched together.
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Chapter 3: What evidence did Joe and his family believe pointed to foul play in Joanna's case?
I want to play a little bit about some of Joe's decision to take part in that.
You know, honestly, the vulnerable part for me is I had been going through some really tough times in the moment. And recently, and I was going through, you know, struggling with depression. I was struggling with the sadness of this with Joanna and really giving up. No one was listening to us. No one was believing this.
And my counselor said to do something really spectacular would be to help you manage the situation with Joanna is do something for you and her. And I thought back and I said, she had always mentioned that she actually was a super fan. And, um, I thought, all right, I'll give it a shot.
You were the little brother. What was the age difference? And what do you remember about her as big sis?
Yeah, so there was a four-year gap between us. And anyone that knows, like with a sibling, specifically the older sister, I always tried to be in charge, but she wouldn't let that happen. And she just took care of me. She protected me a lot. And we were the perfect team.
You said she was very protective. Was she protective of...
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Chapter 4: How did Joe's participation in Survivor serve as a platform for his sister's story?
of maybe not wanting to tell a lot about life as well?
Yeah, I think that she learned pretty quickly how fiercely protective I was of her. So she also did a great job of probably shielding me from a lot of things that were hurting her. But she also couldn't lie to me because I knew her so well on a personal level, but also just on a level of deeper connection that I always knew when something was wrong.
Joe is a Sacramento Fire Captain. He is a protector by nature. But it's interesting because Joanna was the older sister, and she was always the one, he said, who was protecting him. But, you know, in this case with Joanna, I think his greatest regret is that he felt he couldn't do more to protect her, to help keep her safe, especially after when she met Mark Lewis. I believe, was she 16?
Around that age, yeah. She was pretty young. But, I mean, from the very beginning, it was a very... intense relationship. And Joe and Patricia said they both feared Joanna was losing herself to Mark. Here's Joe talking about how that relationship started out.
I do know that was her first partner, both physically and emotionally. And she fell in love and she believed him. She believed in the things that he was saying.
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Chapter 5: What were the signs of domestic violence in Joanna's relationship?
And there was an intimate connection. There was also a connection then. Religion was abused and used as a weapon against her. And all of those things led to him really being able to cocoon her and him in an isolated environment and protect her from those people that really had our best interests at heart. So that made it very difficult for Joanna because that was her first real relationship.
And me being four years younger, I couldn't advise her on those things because I hadn't myself experienced any relationship. So, um, it was very difficult to witness as it developed.
And as far as evidence of abuse, I mean, you saw it multiple times.
You want to say the word hundreds, but a dozen. I mean, over the years of, you know, look, at that time, back in the 90s, a turtleneck in the summer is not popular. But seeing your sister wearing a turtleneck and a long length dress in the middle of the summer, that was her regular outfit. And it felt like it was a normal occurrence of this is what I did this time to deserve this.
This is what happened this time. I'll get better. It'll stop once I get better.
So she blamed herself once I get better?
And to have that type of feeling come out of my person is so upsetting. Because you just want to scream from a mountain at them like it's not you. I had been screaming at her for so long. Two years straight. Every single day. Every single day I saw her. I would, I hate this guy. Leave this guy. Please stop. My parents were doing the same thing. But I saw her start to back away.
Isolate in her room. Run away.
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Chapter 6: What was the role of the Solano County Sheriff's Department in Joanna's case?
Stay away for hours past curfew. I thought, I'm going to lose her for good.
That's more dangerous.
More dangerous. I'm just going to listen. I won't act.
You said she told you a lot of the deepest, darkest secrets, some of which you haven't even told your own mother these days? Or does she know everything at this point?
No, she doesn't know everything. There's some things that she shared with me that were really hard to hear. Really hard to hear that I didn't know what else to do because I was also seeing what it was doing to my dad, seeing what it was doing to my mom, seeing what it did to my friends and my sister. So there was a lot of, what do you say? These restraining orders aren't working.
This piece of paper isn't working.
So you were documenting this. and reporting this, I mean, she was getting restraining orders.
She was getting restraining orders.
Do you think she was ever suicidal?
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Chapter 7: How did Joanna's Law come to be and what does it aim to achieve?
She never mentioned being suicidal. I never saw anything that she wrote about saying that or even implying that. She just knew near the end that she needed to get away from him, but she never wanted to leave me or my family.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call 1-800-799-SAFE or visit thehotline.org. So she was planning to leave in the end.
Correct.
When was that?
So, you know, I would say maybe about a couple months before she passed. My mom called me and said, Joanna's coming home. I said, oh, really? Yeah, she's done. And I said, she's really, really done this time? She's really done. And we were all just so happy and she seemed so confident this time. And it was a different Joanna. And I thought, man, like we got her back. We win. Like we win.
I could see it in her.
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Chapter 8: What ongoing efforts are being made to seek justice for Joanna Hunter?
She was done. And he kept calling my parents' house again. We had changed numbers and he found a way to get through then. And at this time she had a phone. So he kept calling and calling and calling. And My mom begged her not to go back and she said she just had to go back to get one or two more things. That's all she had to do. This is something I have to face. And we never saw her again.
That was the last time you saw her alive. Correct. And Tell me about, and I know how painful it is to go back to the moment where you and your mother get the news.
Right.
Who told you? How did you hear?
I was down near the Modesto area. I was doing some training for the fire department. And then at right about 8.48 in the morning, I see my fire chief at the time and my captain at the time in their formal uniform. And he started crying. He said, your sister's gone. I dropped to my knee. And I said, you take me to him right now. There wasn't a doubt in my mind.
I didn't hear anything else, but you take me to him. And that moment stands out in my mind because half of me died right there. Yeah. And we fought the night before about him. We had had a phone call that didn't go well. And we always say we love each other. But I didn't. And there's not a day that goes by that if I could just hear her voice, it's like, One word. Just one word.
I just, I love you.
You know, he called Joanna his best friend. I think what was, you know, it was really the day after that he and Patricia were told.
So he had never heard from law enforcement until he was asked to identify the body.
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