In the quiet town of Centre, Alabama, a story of familial tragedy unfolded, leaving a community in shock and a family torn apart by violence. It began as a missing person's case when 68-year-old Karen R. Willmon, a local school bus driver, failed to show up for her route on Monday, February 13, 2017. Concern grew, and she was officially reported missing the following day.
For days, investigators from the Cherokee County Major Crimes Unit, with assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and a K-9 unit from Georgia, searched for any sign of the beloved community member. The search came to a grim end on Sunday, February 19, when investigators discovered her body concealed within the garage of the home she shared with her son. She had been wrapped in plastic and hidden behind a large stack of scrap wood.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on a suspect who was shockingly close to home: Karen Willmon’s own son, 48-year-old Larry Wayne Bodily. He was arrested and charged with the murder of his mother. The motive for the brutal crime remained a somber question mark, with authorities not immediately releasing details on what led to the fatal encounter. Prior to the murder charge, Bodily had been arrested on charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and fraudulent use of a credit card. An autopsy would later reveal the chilling details of Karen Willmon's death; she had suffered two gunshot wounds to her back and severe trauma to her head.
The case proceeded to trial in November 2019, where the dark narrative of a mother's final days was presented to a jury. The prosecution laid out the evidence against Larry Wayne Bodily, painting a picture of a son who had violently turned against his mother. In his defense, Bodily attempted to cast his mother in a negative light, portraying her as a 'bad mother' in an apparent attempt to justify his actions. The jury, however, was not swayed by this defense. After a deliberation that lasted only about thirty minutes, they returned a guilty verdict.
On December 18, 2019, Larry Wayne Bodily was sentenced for the murder of his mother, Karen R. Willmon. The judge, in a powerful statement, referred to Bodily as 'an evil and dangerous human being' and made it clear that the responsibility for this heinous act lay solely with him. Bodily was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring that he would spend the remainder of his days behind bars for the crime that shattered a family and left a lasting scar on the community of Centre. Though Bodily made an oral notice of appeal, the sentence stood, bringing a close to the legal chapter of a deeply disturbing case.
