Carroll Bonnet Case

IAFIS

The IAFIS, Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, was launched on on July 28, 1999. It is a national fingerprint and criminal history system that responds to requests all day, every day. Before this, submitting fingerprints was manual and took up to months to process. The results when using the IAFIS are processed very quickly, sometimes less than an hour after submitting the prints.

Case Reopens!

Investigation

Late 2008, the police received an inquiry on the case. Laura Casey was prompted to search the latent fingerprints collected 33 years before using the IAFIS. She soon received possible suspects. After careful investigation, investigators began to investigate Jerry Watson, a man serving time in Illinois prison. The case was then reopened. After further investigation, a classified advertisement flyer at the crime scene was discovered with “Jerry W.” scribbled on one of the pages. Bonnet's car was also found just blocks away from where Watson lived.

Once Bonnet's car was found in Illinois, more latent fingerprints were collected. Once they were processed, they were not connected with any local or state fingerprint files. Investigators sent files outside of the state, but none returned with a match. The case soon went cold.

Latent thumbprint from the scene.

Murder Case Solved Over 30 Years Later Using Latent Fingerprint Technology

First Look At The Crime

Guilty For Murder?

Carroll Bonnet, age 61, was found stabbed to death in his apartment. He was found naked, laying face down, covered in stab wounds. Papers such as newspaper articles and magazines to the cut phone line and other chaotic room surroundings, it was obvious to investigators that there was struggle before Bonnet's death. When latent fingerprints were first collected from the scene of the crime, there were no nearby matches. The case went

cold. But, with the help of modern technology,

the case was reopened almost 3 decades later,

and solved successfully.

Suspect Jerry Watson was found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Carroll Bonnet.

With the help of developing fingerprint technology, this case was solved, as well as many involving fingerprints. Technology will only improve, hopefully leading to catching many more criminals.

Carroll Bonnet was found stabbed to death in his apartment in 1978. His house was in complete chaos after the brutal murder. Latent fingerprints and palm prints were found in Bonnet's bathroom sink. Investigators believed that the suspect was attempting to wash off blood smears when leaving these behind. The victim's car was also stolen.

1978 Carroll Bonnet Case

Alexia Denson

2nd Hour Forensic Science