In the spring of 2013, the life of Andrew Joseph Bonelli, a 51-year-old retired Norfolk Sheriff's deputy, was tragically cut short in a violent encounter in a Virginia Beach parking lot. A man who had dedicated years to law enforcement and was currently employed with FedEx, Bonelli was shot multiple times on Friday, April 26, 2013, at his place of work.
The assailant was identified as 51-year-old Helen Ruth DeHarde.
According to reports, DeHarde and Bonelli were acquainted, though the nature of their relationship and the motive for the deadly shooting remained a mystery to those closest to him, including his ex-wife. The lack of a clear motive left friends and family grappling with the senselessness of his death.
Immediately following the shooting, DeHarde fled the scene, sparking a police chase that spanned two and a half miles. The pursuit ended in a neighborhood on Campus Drive where, cornered by law enforcement, DeHarde turned the gun on herself, inflicting a fatal wound. Both Bonelli and DeHarde were transported to a local hospital. Bonelli succumbed to his injuries on the day of the shooting, while DeHarde died over the weekend.
As the sole suspect in Andrew Bonelli's murder took her own life, there were no arrests or subsequent trial. The investigation concluded with the deaths of both the victim and the perpetrator, leaving a community in shock and a family to mourn a life taken too soon under perplexing circumstances.
