The wife of a former US Army Special Forces member has been charged with first-degree murder after he was found dead and dismembered in a body of water in North Carolina, US.
Clinton Bonnell was 50 and served in the military for two decades before deciding to quit and start studying to become a physician's assistant.
His wife, Shana Cloud, also 50, was denied bond on Monday (31 March) after she was charged with first-degree murder and felony concealing an unnatural death, according to court documents.
Bonnell's remains were found in 25 February, with DNA testing confirming his identity. It came weeks after the former Green Beret had disappeared in late January, according to a statement from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
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Authorities in North Carolina have accused Cloud of killing and dismembered her husband of 16 years after he told her he wanted a divorce, alleging he was shot multiple times.
Cloud's attorney, James McRae Jr., said that she is innocent and 'looks forward' to her day in court.
Bonnell was taking part in a physician assistant programme at a local university, which reported him missing around 3.00pm on 28 January, an affidavit explained, in support of a search warrant.
Authorities approached Cloud, who claimed that she hadn't seen him since the day before, according to the affidavit.
Bonnell had moved on and was in a relationship with yoga instructor Kelli Edwards, who told deputies that Bonnell told her via text that he had seen a divorce lawyer about separating on 27 January, the day before disappearing.
She says he also told her that he had expressed to his wife that he wanted a divorce.
Describing him as a 'really beautiful human being', Edwards told ABC News that she started to notice odd patterns in his behaviour as their relationship escalated.
She recalled: "He didn't really talk much about his wife in the beginning. I just knew more about his daughter, how much he loved his daughter and all the things that you know she'd brought to his life."
Remembering their last meeting, she explained: "The last text was that he was going to bed and good night basically. And that was it. And the next morning I texted an early morning text and there was no delivery."
The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said, "Our hearts go out to the Bonnell family, the Special Forces community, and the Methodist University Physician’s Assistant Program during this difficult time."
No further details are expected to be released 'out of respect' for Bonnell, the sheriff's department confirmed.
Joshua Nair