Murder of Aimee Willard explained

Aimee Willard
Birth Name:Aimee Ellen Willard
Birth Date:8 June 1974
Birth Place:Chester, Pennsylvania
Death Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Death Cause:Murder
Education:Academy of Notre Dame de Namur
George Mason University
Known For:Circumstances of her death
Module:
Embed:yes
Header-Color:lavender
Position:Defender[1]
Collegeyears1:1992–1995

Aimee Ellen Willard (June 8, 1974 – June 20, 1996) was a college lacrosse player who was murdered by Arthur Bomar near Philadelphia on her way home from a night out with friends. Her car was left running, with the lights on and driver's side door open, on the Exit 5 off-ramp of Interstate 476. Her body was found the next day in North Philadelphia, 17 miles away. She had been beaten to death with a tire iron. The beating was so savage that her skull had multiple fractures.[2]

Investigation and suspect

The case went cold for nearly two years when many theories and suspects were investigated.[3]

With DNA evidence, Arthur Bomar was identified as Willard's killer. He was an ex-convict from Nevada where in 1978, he shot and killed Larry Carrier following an argument over a parking space. He was convicted of second degree murder the following year and was paroled in 1990.[4] [5] Bomar had repeatedly violated his parole but was never returned to Nevada to finish his sentence, due to that state's failure to arrange and finance extradition.

Bomar was convicted of first-degree murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, and abuse of a corpse and was sentenced to death.[6] [7] He was never charged with the murder of Maria Cabuenos, whose skeletal remains were found after his conviction.[8] It is theorized that on the night of her murder, Bomar hit Willard's car in order to force her to pull over.

Life and legacy

Willard was a star lacrosse player at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and later at George Mason University from 1994 to 1996 (the first three seasons in program history). In 1996, Willard led the Colonial Athletic Association in scoring fifty goals and twenty-nine assists in lacrosse. She was named to the All-Conference Team in both soccer and lacrosse,[9] and to the All-American team for the Southeast region in lacrosse that year. US Lacrosse has created a national award in her honor.[10]

Because of the bureaucratic issues which allowed Bomar to remain free to commit these crimes, The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (H.R. 3244), better known as "Aimee's Law," was passed by the US Congress by a vote of 90–5 in 2000 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 28, 2000. It encourages states to keep murderers, rapists, and child molesters behind bars and holds the state financially accountable if it fails. It allows interstate parole violators to be jailed in their state of residence at the expense of the state where the original offense was committed. It allows offenders to be jailed in another state if circumstances allow.[11] [12]

A small roadside memorial on the exit ramp from Interstate 476 to southbound U.S. Route 1 marks the site where Willard's car was found.

In popular culture

The then-unsolved crime was featured on Unsolved Mysteries and later as a solved one on Cold Case Files and The New Detectives. The story of her murder and investigation was also featured on an episode of Forensic Files as well as in the film The Dark Side of Parole.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Racz . Gene . RU blanks Mason: Lady Knights closing in on NCAA berth . . B4 . October 23, 1995 . December 28, 2021.
  2. Web site: Murder Mystery Aimee Willard Was Beaten To Death, Police Say; Killer Hunted Cops: Tire Iron Killed Coed It Was Found About 100 Feet From Her Car . philly.com . Myung . Kim . June 22, 1996 . May 18, 2014.
  3. News: Bomar's Battle: Aimee Willard's killer pushes his appeals . Marlene . DiGiacomo . June 10, 2006 . . October 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927203503/http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16807569&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18171&rfi=6 . September 27, 2007 . dead.
  4. News: Nevada had plans to extradite paroled murderer 7 years ago. Associated Press and Philadelphia Inquirer. Las Vegas Sun.
  5. News: Halperin. Rick. Death Penalty News—PENN., S.C., KY., TENN., OHIO, FLA.. October 1, 2017. Philadelphia Inquirer. venus.soci.niu.edu. January 9, 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/20030320093543/http://venus.soci.niu.edu/~archives/ABOLISH/rick-halperin/jan98/0048.html. March 20, 2003.
  6. News: Rubinkam. Michael. Willard's killer sentenced to death. October 1, 2017. Associated Press. George Mason University News. Broadside. 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/20080625025752/http://www.gmu.edu/news/broadside/Archive/100898/News/killer_100898.html. June 25, 2008. MEDIA, Pa.. en.
  7. News: Quinn. Rose. Bomar is one step closer to death: Aimee Willard's killer loses latest bid to escape execution. October 1, 2017. Delaware County Daily Times. November 26, 2014. en.
  8. Web site: Bomar's Battle: Aimee Willard's killer pushes his appeals . DelcoTimes . Marlene . DiGiacomo . June 19, 2006 . December 2, 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927203503/http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16807569&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18171&rfi=6 . September 27, 2007 .
  9. Web site: George Mason 2021 Women's Soccer Information Guide . . August 13, 2021 . December 28, 2021.
  10. News: WDNT – Aimee Willard Award . US Lacrosse . December 2, 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929084251/http://www.uslacrosse.org/events/awards/aimeewillard.phtml . September 29, 2007.
  11. "Aimee's Law" Signed Into Law . October 30, 2000 . Press Office of Senator Rick Santorum . www.pahoops.org . October 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230322002912/http://www.pahoops.org/aimeelaw.htm . March 22, 2023 . dead.
  12. Web site: Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 . U.S. Department of State . October 1, 2017 . Section 2001. Aimee's law.