JERSEY - Opening statements were done on Tuesday morning in the Bonnie Woodward murder case. Roger W. Carroll, of 20758 Creek Road in Jerseyville, was charged with three felonies in two counties. He is accused of luring Woodward to Jersey County where authorities say he killed Woodward with a Stoeger Cougar 9mm Luger by shooting her several times about the body before burning her corpse and concealing it.

Carroll was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in Jersey County - both special class felonies carrying 20-60 years in prison and one count of concealment of a homicidal death, a Class 3 Felony, carrying three to five years in prison.

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In Madison County, he was charged with aggravated kidnapping, which allegedly took place at Eunice Smith Nursing Home in Alton on June 25, 2010.

The opening statement by the prosecution was done by Madison County Assistant State’s Attorney Crystal Uhe. She detailed what happened to Woodward during the kidnapping.

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Also presented by the prosecution in the opening statement was info about how Carroll’s fingerprints were found on Bonnie’s car after the kidnapping. Uhe also spoke of how defendant Roger Carroll tried to commit suicide after a fight with his wife, Monica. The fight led Monica and his son, Nathan, to contact authorities about the info regarding the kidnapping and killing and alleged burning of Bonnie's body. Prosecutor Jennifer Mudge interviewed Nathan on the stand. More details will come in a story later today.

The prosecution also brought up how 27 bone fragments were found in the search of the Carroll property in 2018.

Defense attorney Scott Snider said they will try to poke holes in the state’s prosecution and will bring up that none of Bonnie’s co-workers identified him at her work. He also said they will show the bone fragments found are not Bonnie’s and could be from an Indian burial ground or family plot on the property from the 1800s.

Scott Golike, a previous Alton chief of detectives, made a statement that Woodward never missed work and that is why Eunice Smith Nursing Home employees became so suspicious that something criminal had happened to her. The nursing home employees did not think she ran away from home, he said.Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.

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