Barbara Shepherd “Bobbie” Boand, a 22-year-old white woman, was tragically murdered on August 4, 1972, in Barrington Hills, Cook County, Illinois. She was one of four victims killed in a brutal home invasion that shocked the affluent suburban community. The other victims included her mother, 58-year-old Marion Corbett; her stepfather, 67-year-old Paul Corbett; and her aunt, 60-year-old Dorothy Derry.
The murders occurred in the Corbett family's estate, a place once considered safe and serene.
The crime unfolded when four men—Donald Taylor, Reuben Taylor, Michael Clark, and Nathaniel Burse—arrived at the Corbett residence under the pretense of asking for directions. All four were Black Vietnam War veterans and alleged members of a loosely organized militant group known as De Mau Mau. According to reports, the group had been involved in other racially motivated crimes across Illinois. The assailants forced their way into the home, held the victims at gunpoint, and demanded money and valuables. After ordering the victims to lie face down on the floor, one of the family dogs began barking. When Barbara Boand, the 22-year-old white woman, protested the mistreatment of the dog, she was shot in the chest by Reuben Taylor.
The remaining victims were subsequently executed. Their bodies were discovered later that evening by Barbara's brother, Anthony Boand, who had come to return a borrowed car. The murders were described by law enforcement as “wholesale slaughter,” and the randomness of the attack deeply unsettled the community. The brutality of the crime and the racial dynamics involved led to widespread fear and a surge in security measures among residents.
All four suspects were charged with murder and armed robbery. Donald Taylor admitted to fatally shooting three of the victims and died in prison in 1991. Nathaniel Burse was killed while in custody at the Lake County jail. Reuben Taylor and Michael Clark were convicted and sentenced to more than 100 years in prison. Taylor was paroled in April 2018, and Clark followed in July 2019. The case remains a chilling reminder of how violence can erupt even in seemingly peaceful communities, and how its impact can reverberate for generations.
