Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘I Have Killed For You’ of NBC’s ’20/20′ chronicles the sudden disappearance and chilling murder of a 47-year-old mother of four named Bonnie Woodward. For years, the case remained unsolved until the investigators were led to Roger Carroll by none other than his own family members. The investigation uncovered a dark plot that involved the victim’s stepdaughter, Heather Woodward, who became a critical piece of the puzzle that was the entire case. Ultimately, Roger was brought to justice for his gruesome crime.
Roger Carroll Lured Bonnie Woodward Through Her Teenage Daughter
Born in October 1965, Roger Carroll was married to Monica, with whom he shared a son named Nathan, when 18-year-old Heather Woodward came to live with the Carrolls. As per reports, Heather was not particularly happy living with her stepmother, Bonnie Woodward, which is why she first moved in with a teacher before she ended up at the Carroll household in Jerseyville, Indiana. She knew the family from her church. While the teenager was under his roof, Roger not only instructed her not to tell the police about the arrangement, but he also disallowed her to use a cell phone or computer.
According to reports, Roger had held Heather as bait to lure her stepmother, Bonnie. He reportedly stalked her and studied her movements and schedule in the days leading up to the fateful day of June 25, 2010, when Bonnie went missing. On that day, he reportedly approached the 47-year-old mother of four in his Chevy Malibu, the license plates of which he had changed, outside Eunice Smith Nursing Home in Alton, Illinois, and lured her to his property before killing her. Roger then took help from his then-minor son, Nathan, to maintain a fire in the backyard of their home in order to burn Bonnie’s remains.
Several days later, Heather went to a local library and revealed that she had been living with the Carrolls, which led the investigators straight to Roger. They had also found Roger’s fingerprints on the deceased woman’s truck. When he was questioned about his possible involvement in the disappearance of Bonnie, he denied all the evidence and claimed that he was being framed. He told the detectives, “There’s no way that my fingerprints are on that car door.” In order to find more evidence against him, the investigators also searched the Carroll residence in September 2010 and found 30 guns and 200 rounds of ammunition, including the reported murder weapon — a Stoeger Cougar 9mm revolver. At the time, there was not enough evidence against him to make an arrest.
Roger Carroll’s Then-Wife and Son Turned Against Him
In 2018, a break in the case came after Roger allegedly abused and threatened his then-wife, Monica. According to her, he kept her trapped inside a room in their house for several days. He also reportedly tasered her about 12 times and physically abused her. After fleeing the property, she reported the attack and domestic abuse to the Jersey County Sheriff’s Department and also talked in length about Bonnie Woodward’s disappearance. She alleged that Roger told her, “I have killed for you.” The police zeroed in on him yet again, even more so when Nathan also gave statements against him.
Moreover, he also led the authorities to the areas of the property where Bonnie was shot and burned, before taking them to the creek where his father had dumped her ashes. As the walls were closing in, on April 12, 2018, Roger attempted to take his own life by injecting insulin into his system after he received divorce papers from Monica. However, before he succeeded, the authorities managed to find him in the woods, where he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder of Bonnie Woodward.
Roger Carroll is Currently Incarcerated at an Illinois Prison Facility
Around March 2020, Roger Carroll stood trial for his involvement in the disappearance and murder of Bonnie Woodward. During the trial, his ex-wife, Monica, and son, Nathan, testified against him. While Monica described him as a “monster,” she also talked about the abuse he inflicted on her in 2018. She stated, “He 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.” On the other hand, Nathan gave a detailed account of what transpired on the fateful day. He told the jury that Roger had made him leave their family vacation and accompany him to Bonnie’s workplace. He recounted how he heard multiple gunshots while having lunch at his house.
Nathan testified that he also helped his father maintain a fire in the backyard. The prosecutor emphasized, “They start a massive fire. It had to be stoked all night, all day, all night, every couple of hours, and Roger had Nathan help him do that.” Roger allegedly told Nathan that Bonnie was “a bad person” who abused her stepdaughter, Heather. After hearing both sides of the coin, the jury found Roger Carroll guilty of first-degree murder on March 16, 2020. Several months later, on October 1, during his sentencing, he took the stand and shared his thoughts about his conviction, stating, “I’m not going to stand up here and apologize. I don’t have anything to apologize for. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
He added, “I didn’t get a fair trial. You made sure I didn’t get a fair trial.” Ultimately, Roger was sentenced to 65 years in prison (40 years for first-degree murder and 25 years for the use of a firearm). Blaming his attorneys for advising him against testifying at his trial, he planned to appeal his conviction. As of today, he is serving his sentence at Graham Correctional Center in Hillsboro, Illinois, with his projected parole date scheduled for April 2083.
Read More: Heather Woodward: Bonnie’s Stepdaughter Testified Against Roger Carroll
