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Bonnie Craig was on her way to an early morning English class at the University of Alaska on September 28, 1994, when she was taken from a bus stop, r*ped, and brutally beaten, which later caused her death. Her body was found in McHugh Creek.
A significant breakthrough was made in the case after more than 12 years when DNA found on Craig's body revealed the identity of the killer, Kenneth Dion, who was already serving time in prison and had an extensive criminal record. After an additional five years, prosecutors were able to secure a conviction in 2011. Dion was sentenced to 124 years in prison after being convicted of r*pe and murder.
An upcoming episode of Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered re-examines Bonnie Craig's decades-old murder this Wednesday. The episode titled Justice for Bonnie will air on the channel at 7 pm ET on June 21, 2023.
"When Bonnie Craig is found dead, police collect DNA but it doesn't match anyone in the system; twelve years later, there is a hit but the man is thousands of miles away; turns out, prosecutors would need more than DNA to convict a killer," the synopsis reads.
Bonnie Craig's murder: Four important details from the decades-old murder of the University of Alaska student
1) Craig went missing while on her way to class in the fall of 1994
Bonnie Craig, 18, was attending the University of Alaska in 1994. The freshman left home sometime around 5 am on September 28 and made her way to class. Two days a week, she would walk for about 45 minutes to the nearest bus stop and, from there, take a bus to class. But on that fateful morning, Craig, who was known to be on time, never made it to her 7 am English class.
Her body was found later at McHugh Creek, about 10 miles from the bus stop where she was scheduled to board a bus to school. Her neighbor reported seeing her walking down the street at 5:20 am, while another witness claimed to have spotted her at the bus stop about an hour later. The Crime Stopper hotline received a tip alleging that she was seen talking to two men in a car at the same bus stop.
2) Bonnie Craig was r*ped and beaten to death
Initially, Alaska State Troopers determined that Craig's death was the result of a hiking accident, and a medical examiner alleged that the wounds she sustained to her head were likely sustained while falling off a cliff. But the defensive wounds on her body did not go unnoticed. It was later revealed that she had been s*xually assaulted and beaten in the back of the head with a blunt object, causing her death. Moreover, there was DNA from s*men found in the victim's body.
3) DNA evidence was used to find the killer after a dozen years
In November 2006, the DNA evidence found in Bonnie Craig's body was uploaded to the national database CODIS and eventually matched a sample taken from 36-year-old Kenneth Dion, who was already serving time in a New Hampshire prison on unrelated charges stemming from a series of armed robberies. Investigators were able to place him in Anchorage, where the murder occurred in 1994.
Dion had a prolonged criminal history and was released from prison on probation only a few months before Craig's murder. Reports state that he had also served time in prison for assault.
4) Kenneth Dion alleged he had consensual s*x with Craig but failed to recognize her from a photo
Dion was charged with r*pe and murder in May 2007. He claimed to have had consensual s*x with 18-year-old Bonnie Craig and further alleged that she likely fell to her death while being alone on the cliff. The victim's family made contrary claims, stating that she was in a committed relationship at the time and would not have engaged in s*xual activities with a complete stranger. Moreover, when shown a picture, Dion failed to recognize her or her family.
In June 2011, Kenneth Dion was found guilty on both charges and sentenced to a total of 124 years in prison.
The case will be featured on Dateline: Secrets Uncovered this Wednesday at 7 pm ET.
