Murder suspect attempted to disguise herself, elude capture after body found in shallow grave, detectives say

A South Carolina woman accused of killing a man and burying his body in a shallow grave near a strip mall was denied bond at a recent hearing.

On March 11, the body of Jonathan Michael Jones was found in Landon. A coroner determined the 35-year-old victim died as a result of blunt and sharp trauma to the head, neck and back, WCSC reported.

Shannon Ann Bonilla, 49, was identified as a suspect in the case and charged with murder, desecration of human remains, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the station.

At her March 15 bond hearing, Bonilla told the court she was “sorry this has happened.”

Detectives with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, however, countered Bonilla should be denied bond because she has a long criminal history and allegedly attempted to avoid being captured after she learned she was a suspect in Jones’ murder.

Bonilla was apprehended at a Summerville hotel on March 14, and detectives claimed in court she had cut and colored her hair in an attempt to disguise herself.

“This woman stole a piece of my family that we will never truly heal from,” Jones’ sister said at the bond hearing. “I ask you sir, please never let this vile human wander the streets again, so she cannot steal another person’s precious life.”

The sister said her nephew and his father — her brother — have an “uncanny resemblance.”

Looking at the victim’s son, she said, “is the hardest thing I have had to do in my short life — and I am currently battling stage-4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, so that says a lot.”

Authorities have not publicly commented on a motive for the murder and it’s unclear how or if Bonilla and Jones knew each other.