Former Green Beret in North Carolina was killed, dismembered by his wife, police say
Clinton Bonnell had been missing since January. His remains were found in a pond near his home. Police say he'd told his wife he wanted to get a divorce.
A former Green Beret in North Carolina who'd been missing since January was allegedly killed and dismembered by his wife after he told her he was planning to file for divorce.
The Fayetteville Observer, part of the Paste BN Network, reported that Shana Cloud, 50, was arrested last week on murder and weapons charges in the slaying of her husband, Clinton Bonnell. A judge denied her request for bail.
Bonnell, a 50-year-old former medic in the U.S. Army Special Forces, was reported missing in January — the same day he met with a divorce lawyer, according to court documents. His dismembered remains were discovered in a pond three miles from the couple's home about a month after he was reported missing by his girlfriend, who was alarmed that he hadn't shown up for classes at Methodist University.
Cloud's attorney, James McRae Jr., did not immediately respond to Paste BN'S request for comment.
At Cloud's first court appearance, Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West said there were two gunshot wounds in the back of the torso that was discovered; DNA testing matched it to Bonnell.
Court documents say that on Jan. 27, Bonnell met Cloud at a health club in Fayetteville, where, Cloud told investigators, she confronted Bonnell about a note she believed was from a romantic partner. Bonnell was reported missing the following day.
A last text, two wellness checks
Bonnell's last contact with anyone was a text the evening of Jan. 27, when he told his girlfriend that "he was home, told his wife about the divorce, and was going to bed," court records say. Location data on his phone stopped at 8:15 a.m. the following morning.
On Jan. 28, a faculty member at Methodist University, where Bonnell was studying to be a physician's assistant, called the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office to ask for a wellness check when he'd failed to show up for any classes. His girlfriend called later for another wellness check on Bonnell, and he was then listed as a missing person.
Cloud told police she didn't recall seeing Bonnell return to the home they shared, even though his car was there. In the following days, police obtained warrants and searched the home, finding Bonnell's bag and laptop, which "both had damage consistent with being struck by a projectile," according to court records, with metal fragments also found inside the bag. A .22-caliber gun was also found in the house.
NBC News reported authorities said that digital and video evidence also linked Cloud to the area where Bonnell's remains were found.
Bonnell: Two deployments, 20 years of service
An Army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, told the Fayetteville Observer that Bonnell served in the Special Forces, achieving the rank of sergeant first class and serving from September 2004 to December 2024.
He served two tours in Iraq, from October 2010 to May 2011 and from September 2017 to February 2018, she said. He retired Dec. 31, according to a death notice in the Fayetteville Observer, having been awarded several medals and commendations during his service.
His family, which included his parents, a sister, nieces and a stepdaughter, remembered him as "an amazing human with a brilliant mind."
Bonnell enjoyed yoga, hiking and being outdoors and had a "passion for health and wellness."
"Clint will forever be remembered for his gifts of playing the guitar and singing," the notice read.