CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. - A Missouri man could spend more than six decades in prison following his sentencing for a 2018 murder.
Eliot Bonner, 30, of St. Charles was formally sentenced Tuesday by Circuit Judge William Edward Reeves in Caruthersville for the Oct. 31, 2018, shooting death of Monica Keenlance. Following the recommendation of the prosecution, Bonner was sentenced to 30 years in the custody of the Department of Corrections for second degree murder, 25 years on a charge of armed criminal action and 10 years for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
New Madrid County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Lawson pointed out that Reeves ordered the sentences to run consecutively for a total of 65 years. Bonner will not be eligible for consideration for parole until he has served a minimum of 28 and half years.
“I am very pleased with the severe punishment that was handed down today by Judge Reeves,” Lawson said. “This defendant shot and killed an unarmed stranger at a crowded rest area, in broad daylight, after he was caught trying to steal gas out of the victim’s car. The defendant’s actions prove that he has no regard for human life.”
Keenlance, 50, of Morton, Ill., was shot around noon Oct. 31, 2018, at the southbound Interstate 55 rest area near Marston, where she had been staying in her car for several days. Witnesses were able to provide a description of a vehicle which was later located by law enforcement officers in Texas and was being driven by Bonner.
Also shell casings found at the scene of the shooting were linked to a gun in Bonner’s possession.
A Pemiscot County jury found Bonner guilty on the three counts last December.
Lawson noted that due to the pandemic, Keenlance’s family had to wait more than three years for justice. “Hopefully this lengthy sentence will help the victim’s family with the healing process,” he said.