In a quiet Westbrook, Maine apartment on a Thursday in January, the life of 42-year-old Bonnie Hayes came to a violent and tragic end. On January 19, 2006, her body was discovered alongside that of her 50-year-old boyfriend, David Pomeroy, in what authorities would later describe as a clear-cut case of domestic violence. Friends of the couple made the grim discovery at the Speirs Street apartment they shared, finding a scene of disarray that spoke to a final, desperate struggle.
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Police investigators determined that Bonnie was the victim of a homicide, having been shot in the head with a. 45-caliber handgun by Pomeroy during a heated argument that morning. Evidence of alcohol and possible drug use was found at the scene, painting a grim picture of the couple s last hours. After killing Bonnie, Pomeroy turned the gun on himself, ending his own life. The weapon was found near his hand on the living room floor. A call Bonnie had made to her mother late that morning was one of her last acts, a detail that helped investigators pinpoint the time of the tragic events.
The couple's relationship was described as a stormy, on-and-off affair that spanned a decade and was marked by a history of trouble. In a prior incident in 2001, a fight between them had resulted in a shotgun blast through the ceiling of their then-residence on Brown Street, for which Pomeroy was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm. They had only been living at the Speirs Street address for about a month, where Pomeroy, a self-employed carpenter, had been doing some work for the landlord. Bonnie, who had a long career in various Portland restaurants, had recently started a new job in the kitchen at a local Holiday Inn.
Bonnie Dee Hayes was born in Portland on November 27, 1963, and graduated from Bonny Eagle High School. She was remembered by friends and family for her captivating smile and beautiful personality, which drew an endless number of friends to her throughout her life. In the wake of her death, a vigil was held at Riverbank Park, where community members and advocates against domestic violence gathered to remember her and to call for an end to such senseless tragedies.
