BOSTON — A dedicated team of Boston detectives used the latest forensic tools to help solve the 1999 murder case of Caryn Bonner, police said Wednesday.
A Boston man has been charged with Bonner’s murder. Bonner was found fatally stabbed inside her Columbia Road home in Dorchester on May 19, 1999.
Cornell Bell, 54, already serving a life sentence for killing another woman, has been charged with one count of first-degree-murder in Bonner’s death, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said last week.
Bell was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Michelle Clarke, 33, in her Weymouth home in 2022.
His conviction for Clarke’s murder in 2022 helped link Bell’s DNA to the 1999 cold case, Hayden said.
Boston Police on Wednesday credited the collaborative work of detectives from the Cold Case Unit to help solve the case.
“Through comprehensive forensic review, Boston Police Detectives from the Cold Case Unit, working alongside Crime Lab Forensic Analysts, successfully matched the offender, Cornell Bell to the 1999 murder of Caryn Bonner,” police said in a statement.
“This is another example of the combined efforts and collaboration of the BPD Unsolved Homicide Squad, and the Boston Police Crime Lab,” police said. “These dedicated detectives and forensic analysts work together to bring justice to victims and their loved ones.”
The Boston Police Department’s Homicide Unit continues to investigate Bonner’s murder.
Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact the Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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