JERSEY COUNTY, Ill. — A Jersey County man was found guilty in what was once a cold case from 2010.
A jury found Roger W. Carroll guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Bonnie Woodward.
Woodward, 47, disappeared in June 2010. She was reported missing after her boyfriend didn’t hear from her and she didn’t show up to work. But the case went cold.
Nearly eight years later, the case was reopened after Carroll’s own son testified about what he said he witnessed — and had to participate in — the day Woodward was killed.
Carroll’s son, who was 16 years old at the time, said he heard his father fire several gunshots and was then forced to start a fire to destroy the evidence of the murder. Even eight years later, investigators said they found remains that were identified as Woodward.
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In April 2018, Carroll was charged with first-degree murder in Jersey County.
“After nearly 10 years of pain and uncertainty, the Woodward family can now rest knowing that the person responsible for Bonnie's disappearance and murder will meet his fate at sentencing,” stated Jersey County State’s Attorney Ben Goetten.”
Carroll is set for sentencing on April 23 in the Jersey County Courthouse.
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