Kriti Mehrotra
When Bonnie Woodward suddenly disappeared from her home in Alton, Illinois, in 2010, the entire community was left baffled to the core, owing to the simple fact that she didn’t seem to have any enemies. As explored in ABC’s ’20/20: I Have Killed For You,’ no matter what avenue the investigators explored in order to find some answers, they turned up with nothing concrete. However, things changed eight years later as a suspect came to light, leading to the unraveling of what precisely transpired and why before her killer was finally brought to justice.
Bonnie Woodward Was Killed Within Hours of Her Having Gone Missing
At the age of 47, Bonnie was leading a good life in Alton, Illinois, as a professional nurse and a family woman through and through. She was a caring, kind, and loving sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, and coworker who was always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need, even if the cost to her was her time and inconvenience. This didn’t waiver even after she experienced unimaginable grief and pain after losing her father Homer Gray in 999 and her husband John Woodward in 2000. The proud mother of four was a true pillar of the family and society by always being social too, which is why it was extremely strange when she failed to show up for work on June 25, 2010, despite the fact that her truck was in the employee parking lot of the nursing home.
Several of Bonnie’s loved ones had reported her missing, but as an extensive search for her kicked off, it also came to light that her then-17-year-old stepdaughter, Heather Woodward, was also missing. Bonnie and Heather lived together, alongside the former’s boyfriend, but the young teenager soon turned up unharmed. She told the officials that she was unhappy with her living situation, so she had moved out to live with a teacher, only to move in with the Carroll family’s home in Jerseyville a week later. The head of the family, Roger Carroll, had suggested that she do so, and she agreed since they knew one another from church.
What no one knew at the time was that Heather’s communication with the outside world had quietly stopped. She no longer used her phone or laptop, and few people knew where she was staying. She didn’t even share with anyone that she had been living with the Carroll family, but it all came to light once she resurfaced. Nevertheless, despite further searches, nothing concrete about Bonnie came to light, and it was only in 2018 that a witness statement helped officials figure out what had transpired. She had been shot to death with a Stoeger Cougar 9mm revolver before being dragged to a pile of scrub and burned alongside all her belongings.
Despite Suspicions, No Arrests Were Initially Made in Bonnie Woodward’s Case
It took a little while, but authorities were able to ascertain that Heather had actually been held captive by Roger Carroll, forced to stay away from the limelight and not make contact with her loved ones. Considering all this and the fact that officials also found his fingerprints on Bonnie’s truck, a search warrant for his home was executed in September 2010. This yielded over 30 firearms as well as 200 rounds of ammunition, including a 9mm Stoeger Cougar, but officials had no idea at the time that this was the murder weapon. That’s because while they had noticed a charred area in the backyard of the home, they had no real evidence against Roger being involved in Bonnie’s disappearance, especially as he vehemently also denied ever touching her vehicle.
Therefore, no arrests were made and no charges were filed, meaning Bonnie’s case remained that of a missing person before ultimately growing cold owing to a lack of leads. However, everything changed in 2018, as Roger’s wife and son both came forward to make some severe accusations against him. It all stemmed from a domestic violence incident, with his wife, Monica Carroll, coming forward to claim that her husband had trapped her in a room of their Jerseyville-area home, used a Taser on her around 10 to 12 times, and even punched her before throwing her to the floor.
Monica also alleged that Roger subsequently “told me he would kill for me. He told me he was a monster. He said he used to be able to control his anger, but not anymore.” This entire ordeal terrified her, so she went to the police with her own complaint, before also telling them that she believes her husband was involved in Bonnie’s disappearance, too. She told them she believed the 47-year-old was possibly in hiding, but she refused to sit for a formal interview. So, it wasn’t until her and Roger’s son Nathan decided to stick by his mother’s side that the truth came to light.
A Key Witness Statement Led to the Arrest and Conviction of Bonnie Woodward’s Killer
According to records, just before June 25, 2010, Heather, Monica, Nathan, and Roger had traveled to Goreville to visit Monica’s parents, only for her husband and son to unexpectedly leave early. When she returned home a day later, she testified that she did notice “a huge burn pile” on the family property, but she didn’t really ask any questions. It was Nathan who then told authorities that on the fateful evening, he had heard 8-9 gun shots, following which he saw his father drag Bonnie across their backyard, only to then be called outside. He said he was subsequently forced to burn her body while she was still wearing her white sneakers and scrub pants and later had to destroy her phone with a hammer before also tossing it into the fire.
As if that’s not enough, Nathan added that his father also forced him to mow over grass where the nurse’s body had been burned before shoveling and dispersing the ashes. Following this, he even led officials to the scene of the crime, from where they recovered 25 bone fragments and shell casing from the murder weapon, which was also identified by Nathan. With all this, Roger Carroll was arrested and charged with murder on April 12, 2018, to which he pleaded not guilty. In the end, he stood trial for the accusations against him in 2020, and after 4 hours of deliberations, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. The 57-year-old was later sentenced to 65 years in prison, meaning he is expected to remain incarcerated for the rest of his natural life.
Read More: Nathan and Monica Carroll’s Testimony Proved Crucial in Roger Carroll’s Conviction
