In the winter of 2017, a tragedy unfolded in Memphis, Tennessee, forever altering the lives of a family and a community. Benesha Elaine Bonner, a 33-year-old African American woman and devoted mother of three, was killed on the evening of December 15th. Her life was cut short by a single gunshot wound to the back of her head.
The circumstances leading to her death began to surface when a silver Nissan SUV with Mississippi license plates arrived at Regional One Hospital.
The driver, later identified as 36-year-old Stanley Phillips, removed Ms. Bonner from the vehicle and left her on the ground before abruptly driving away. Medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. Investigators determined the fatal wound was the result of a contact gunshot.
Witnesses reported seeing Benesha Bonner getting into a vehicle driven by Phillips at approximately 9 p.m. that same evening. Following the incident, Phillips, accompanied by his lawyer, turned himself in to the authorities. Upon his arrival at the police station, investigators observed what appeared to be bloodstains and bloody clothing inside his SUV.
A subsequent search of the vehicle, carried out under a warrant, uncovered more evidence, including a Glock nine-millimeter pistol and a spent shell casing. Stanley Phillips was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder. The case was taken on by the Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit of the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, which handles felony domestic assault and homicide cases involving intimate partners. Following his indictment, Phillips was released on a $100,000 bond.
