Hattie Davis Bonner, a 79-year-old woman, was found suffocated in her bed on July 14, 1990. Her death was later linked to Linwood Earl Forte, an American serial killer known as 'The Nightstalker,' who was responsible for multiple murders in Goldsboro, North Carolina during 1990. Forte's crimes followed a pattern of targeting elderly victims, often attacking them in their homes late at night.
Bonner's murder bore similarities to other cases in the area, including the attack on 70-year-old Eliza Jones and the double homicide of Alvin and Thelma Bowen. Investigators noted that all victims were elderly, lived near vacant lots, and were either strangled or suffocated. Despite these connections, the cases remained unsolved for years due to a lack of leads.
It was not until 2001 that Forte was arrested after DNA evidence linked him to the crimes. He was convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder and rape, receiving a death sentence for his crimes. The trial proceedings confirmed that Bonner had been manually strangled and suffocated with a pillow. Forte's conviction brought closure to one of North Carolina's most notorious unsolved murder cases.
