Technical Violation: The Murder of Aimee Willard and the Failure of the Parole System
by Ryan T. Calhoun
March 9, 2018
Introduction
On June 19, 1996, Aimee Willard was with her old high school friends at Smokey Joe’s Bar in Wayne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, relaxing from the stress brought about by being a star student at George Mason University. At 1:40 a.m. she bid her friends farewell and left the bar, not realizing that the man who would end her life was watching her every move as she departed.
Aimee Willard’s car was found twenty minutes later on Interstate 476, colloquially referred to as the “Blue Route”, with the engine running and nobody inside. At 4 p.m. the next day, her dead body was found in North Philadelphia. Finding her killer would be a long process, and would include the identification of a suspect who in fact had nothing to do with Aimee’s death, and the realization that had authorities in another part of the country properly done their job that Aimee’s death would have been avoided.
Aimee Willard
Aimee Willard was born on June 8, 1974(1) to Gail Willard, a nurse at Riddle Memorial Hospital in Lima, and Paul Willard, a police officer in Chester(2). Though her parents had been divorced for some time(3), it did not strain the relationship between her and either of his parents, and nothing stopped Aimee from doing whatever she wanted to accomplish, especially when it came to her athletic ability. She had been a star lacrosse and soccer player at Notre Dame de Namur, a high school in Villanova, Pennsylvania(4). At her funeral, one of her friends from high school recalled her competitive nature, and also remarked on how kind Aimee was, stating, “Equally important were lessons to us off the field. She was genuine and loyal, and the best listener you could want when you had a problem.”(5) At the time of her murder, Aimee Willard was a student and lacrosse player at George Mason University(6), and one of her many accomplishments at the college was breaking the school records for scoring and earning regional All-American honors(7). Her skill as an athlete was also remembered by many of her college friends, some of whom spoke at the funeral, as well as former coaches as well as teachers(8)(one of whom was a teacher from high school who also happened to be her aunt, Nancy Bonshock(9)).
In June of 1996 Aimee Willard was home from college, and her and her old high school friends decided to hang out at Smokey Joe’s Bar in Wayne, Pennsylvania, not far from her home in Brookhaven, Delaware County, Pennsylvania(10). She left around 1:40 a.m., and headed for Interstate 476 in her mother’s blue 1995 Honda Civic(11). It was around 2 a.m. that the car was found by an emergency ambulance crew running on the exit ramp of the interstate that leads onto Route 1 in Marple Township, Pennsylvania, abandoned with the engine running and lights on(12). Her body was found in a vacated lot at 16th Street and Indiana Avenue in Philadelphia(13). Police would wonder the same question all of Aimee’s beloved friends and teammates: Who killed Aimee? And within two days, police seemed to have the perfect suspect.
Andrew Kobak
After Aimee’s body was discovered in North Philadelphia police asked anyone with information about Aimee’s murder to come forward to share their knowledge with police. The first person to share information with the police was a man named Andrew Michael Kobak(14), a man whom police were very familiar(15). Kobak was the son of a wealthy stockbroker and lived in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania(16) in an upscale house with a circular driveway(17). He graduated from Harriton High School and then went on to work for a tow-truck company(18). He quickly became the prime suspect in Aimee Willard’s murder for two reasons: The first was his criminal history. He had been arrested for impersonating a police officer when he flashed a blue light from his car, trying to force a woman to pull over(19). He then showed the woman a badge and forced her to get out of the car, but the motorist was wise to his plan and turned him in to the real police(20). Kobak was never charged after he was arrested, but had now become a suspect in Aimee’s murder due to the nature of the crime scene(21). The second reason police suspected Kobak owed to what investigators described as “overzealous interest” in the case, including showing up to the crime scene shortly after Aimee’s abandoned car was found(22), although Kobak, through his attorney, denied ever showing up to the scene(23). As if that weren’t enough to put Kobak at the top of the suspect list, it was also discovered that the tow-truck company he worked for was only three blocks from where Willard’s body was found, an indication of familiarity with the area(24). Thinking they were sure they had their man, police searched Kobak’s home and collected blood from him for a DNA sample(25) to compare to DNA found at the crime scene(26). The search turned up nothing, and to police’s astonishment, the DNA taken from Kobak was not a match to any of the DNA found at the scene, forcing police to focus the case in a new direction and admit that Andrew Kobak was not responsible for the death of Aimee Willard(27). The case then went cold until an attempted burglary of an Ardmore, Pennsylvania home gave investigators the exact break they needed.
Peter Thomas Love: Arthur Bomar
In June of 1997 police received a call from a woman who lived in Ardmore, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania(28). She stated that a man was attempting to break into her home and that she had started hearing the doorbell repeatedly ringing at 6:45 a.m.(29). She called 911 after seeing a man was at her door she did not recognize(30). Police arrested the man and asked for his name. His reply was, “Peter Thomas Love,”(31). A 1993 black Honda Civic was found nearby and the keys to it were in his pocket(32). When the license plate was ran, police discovered his true identity: Arthur Jerome Bomar(33). Much like Andrew Kobak, Bomar’s name was familiar to investigators. A 19-year-old woman named Patty Jordan had reported to police shortly before the attempted burglary that a man in a black Honda had followed her home after she had left a nightclub(34). She stated the car bumped into her several times with the driver motioning for her to pull over, but she refused to oblige and was luckily able to get away unharmed(35). She later reported that the license plate number on the car was AKB-1149(36). When that license plate was ran at that time, the car was found to be registered to Bomar(37). This meant police had found the car and were now curious as to two things: The first was obvious; they wanted to speak to him about Aimee Willard’s murder. The second was noted when the license plate number was ran for a second time and police had discovered that the license plate number was not registered to a Honda but rather to a 1993 Ford Escort(38). The Honda he was driving had belonged to Maria Cabuenos, a woman who had been reported missing on March 18, 1997(39), and was believed to have been abducted from Interstate 476(40), the same highway Aimee Willard’s abandoned car was found on.
When searching further into Bomar’s criminal history, detectives were angered to learn of his dark past and how, if he truly was responsible for Aimee Willard and Maria Cabuenos murders, it all could have been prevented. In 1978, Arthur Bomar murdered a man named Larry Carrier during an argument about a parking space in Las Vegas, Nevada(41). He was charged and convicted of second-degree murder, for which he received a life sentence(42). However, he was released on parole in 1990(43), meaning he had only been behind bars for a total of twelve years. Not only that, but while on parole, he had decided he wanted to move to Pennsylvania, and was granted permission by both authorities in Nevada and Pennsylvania, and would therefore become part of Pennsylvania’s parole system(44). On February 26, 1997, a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to meet with his Pennsylvania parole supervisor. Despite this, Bomar was able to commit the murder of Aimee Willard on June 20. When one is arrested for not checking in with their supervisor on parole, it is known as a “technical violation”, meaning it is in and of itself not criminal, but is a violation of parole conditions(45). The parole board then has the option of letting it go, sending the offender back to jail for a brief time as a mere punishment for the violation, or forcing the offender to serve the remainder of their sentence(46). In this case, considering Bomar had been previously given a life sentence for murdering another man, he should have gone straight back to prison and never be released.
If Arthur Bomar was responsible for Willard and Cabuneos’ death then the parole board should also hold some responsibility. But first investigators had to prove Bomar’s involvement. To do this they used DNA evidence. When investigators found Bomar’s 1993 Ford Escort had been involved in an accident since he had abandoned it in favor of Cabuenos’ Honda, they tracked it down a towing company present on the night of the accident who said they still had the car in their possession(47). The first thing that came to attention of the investigators was the tires of the car. One of the car’s’ tires was a Firestone 440, 13 inches(48). This was a perfect match to the tire impression found near the scene of Aimee’s abduction(49). Also discovered was blood behind the door panel, which investigators had taken apart as part of their thorough examination, which was a perfect match to Aimee Willard’s blood(50). This gave conclusive evidence that Aimee Willard was in Arthur Bomar’s car, and was therefore enough evidence to try Arthur Bomar for the murder of Aimee Willard.
Trial and Aftermath
Arthur Bomar pleaded “not guilty” at his trial for Aimee Willard’s murder. The prosecution laid out its theory that Arthur Bomar had followed Aimee Willard home from Smokey Joe’s bar. When Willard was on Interstate 476, Bomar crashed into her and then got out of his car(51). When Aimee did the same, Bomar struck her with a tire iron, which left some of Willard’s blood on the guardrail of the highway(52). He then dragged her to his car and put her in the front seat(53). All that anyone can say for sure after that is that he dumped her body at some point before 4 p.m. the next day(54) in the vacated lot at 16th Street and Indiana Avenue(55).
During the trial, Arthur Bomar made several obscene gestures and outbursts, causing a need for him to be restrained several times(56). When he was announced to be guilty, he turned around and stuck his two middle fingers in the air toward the Willard family(57). He would later be sentenced to death for his crime(58).
Maria Cabuenos’ body was found shortly before the trial in Bucks County, Pennsylvania(59). While there was no definitive way of proving Bomar murdered her as well due to a lack of physical evidence, there is little doubt in investigators minds as to his culpability. Ever since Bomar’s conviction, no other suspects have ever emerged in her murder.
As a result of this case, the United States Congress attempted to pass Aimee’s Law, meant to encourage states not to release anyone convicted of murder, rape, or child molestation on parole(60). It unfortunately failed in the Senate and has never been reintroduced as possible legislation(61).
Arthur Bomar is currently on death row at the Greene Correctional Facility in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania(62). He will always be remembered, not just as a man who committed a horrible crime against a young woman loved by nearly everyone she knew, but also as a symbol of the failure of the criminal justice system. If he had not been released on parole, or even if he had just been sent back to prison as a result of his technical violation, Aimee Willard, and almost certainly Maria Cabuenos, would still be alive.
Endnotes
1.
“Aimee Willard .” Find A Grave. Accessed March 09, 2018. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181002675/aimee-willard.
2.
Vigoda, Ralph, Thomas J. Gibbons, Jr., and Suzanne Gordon. “Delco Woman’s Body Found in N. Phila., Ending Search.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 21, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
3.
Ibid.
4.
Vigoda, Ralph. “Friends, Family Say Their Farewells.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
5.
Ibid.
6.
Vigoda, Ralph, Thomas J. Gibbons, Jr., and Suzanne Gordon. “Delco Woman’s Body Found in N. Phila., Ending Search.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 21, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
7.
Ibid.
8.
Vigoda, Ralph. “Friends, Family Say Their Farewells.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
9.
Bowden, Mark, Justin Pritchard, and Suzanne Gordon. “A Nagging Web of Questions in Willard Case.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 23, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
10.
Vigoda, Ralph, Thomas J. Gibbons, Jr., and Suzanne Gordon. “Family Asks Prayers and Help as Police Hone Hunt for Killer.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 22, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
11.
Ibid.
12.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
13.
Vigoda, Ralph, Thomas J. Gibbons, Jr., and Suzanne Gordon. “Delco Woman’s Body Found in N. Phila., Ending Search.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 21, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
14.
Gordon, Suzanne, Rich Heidorn, and Ralph Vigoda. “Home of Slaying Suspect is Searched.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
15.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
16.
Gordon, Suzanne, Rich Heidorn, and Ralph Vigoda. “Home of Slaying Suspect is Searched.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
17.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
18.
Gordon, Suzanne, Rich Heidorn, and Ralph Vigoda. “Home of Slaying Suspect is Searched.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
19.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
20.
Ibid.
21.
Ibid.
22.
Gordon, Suzanne, Rich Heidorn, and Ralph Vigoda. “Home of Slaying Suspect is Searched.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
23.
Vigoda, Ralph, Rich Heidorn, and Rich Henson. “Willard Suspect Said to Deny Role.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 27, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
24.
Ibid.
25.
Gordon, Suzanne, Rich Heidorn, and Ralph Vigoda. “Home of Slaying Suspect is Searched.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
26.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
27.
Ibid.
28.
Gibbons, Thomas J. , Jr., Suzanne Gordon, and Ralph Vigoda. “Nev. Killer Linked to Missing Woman.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 7, 1997. Accessed March 9, 2018.
29.
Ibid.
30.
Ibid.
31.
Ibid.
32.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
33.
Gibbons, Thomas J. , Jr., Suzanne Gordon, and Ralph Vigoda. “Nev. Killer Linked to Missing Woman.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 7, 1997. Accessed March 9, 2018.
34.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
35.
Ibid.
36.
Ibid.
37.
Ibid.
38.
Ibid.
39.
Singer, Rena. “Police Hope Car Yields Clue to Woman.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 8, 1997. Accessed March 9, 2018.
40.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
41.
Gibbons, Thomas J. , Jr., Suzanne Gordon, and Ralph Vigoda. “Nev. Killer Linked to Missing Woman.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 7, 1997. Accessed March 9, 2018.
42.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
43.
Gibbons, Thomas J. , Jr., Suzanne Gordon, and Ralph Vigoda. “Nev. Killer Linked to Missing Woman.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 7, 1997. Accessed March 9, 2018.
44.
Ibid.
45.
“Probation and Parole Technical Violations.” 2001. Accessed March 9, 2018. https://www.cga.ct.gov/pri/archives/2001ricreportappenA.htm.
46.
Ibid.
47.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
48.
Ibid.
49.
Ibid.
50.
Ibid.
51.
Ibid.
52.
Ibid.
53.
Ibid.
54.
Vigoda, Ralph, Thomas J. Gibbons, Jr., and Suzanne Gordon. “Family Asks Prayers and Help as Police Hone Hunt for Killer.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 22, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
55.
Vigoda, Ralph, Thomas J. Gibbons, Jr., and Suzanne Gordon. “Delco Woman’s Body Found in N. Phila., Ending Search.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 21, 1996. Accessed March 9, 2018.
56.
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
57.
Ibid.
58.
Ibid.
59.
Ibid.
60.
“Aimee’s Law (2000 – H.R. 894).” GovTrack. Accessed March 09, 2018. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/106/hr894.
61.
Ibid.
62.
“Arthur Jerome Bomar.” Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Accessed March 9, 2018. http://inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov/#/results.
Bibliography
I. Newspapers
The Philadelphia Inquirer(1996-1997)
II. Government Websites
“Probation and Parole Technical Violations.” 2001. Accessed March 9, 2018. https://www.cga.ct.gov/pri/archives/2001ricreportappenA.htm.
III. Other Websites
“Aimee’s Law (2000 – H.R. 894).” GovTrack. Accessed March 09, 2018. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/106/hr894.
“Aimee Willard .” Find A Grave. Accessed March 09, 2018. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181002675/aimee-willard.
“Arthur Jerome Bomar.” Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Accessed March 9, 2018. http://inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov/#/results.
IV. Television Shows
Evans, Tracy, prod. “Telltale Tracks.” In Forensic Files. Accessed March 9, 2018.
South Jersey/Philadelphia Crime 