Wife charged with murder after exGreen Beret found dead, dismembered in pond
Apr 03, 2025
The wife of a former Green Beret reported missing in January has been charged with his murder after his body was found dismembered in a pond near their home in North Carolina.
Shana Cloud was arrested last week on charges of first-degree murder and concealment of death in connection with the killing
of Clinton Bonnell, said the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
Bonnell, a 50-year-old former medic in the U.S. Army Special Forces, disappeared shortly after telling Cloud he planned to file for divorce, according to search warrants obtained by the Fayetteville Observer.
Clinton Bonnell’s North Carolina home. (Provided by The Cumberland County Court Records)
Bonnell was reported missing on Jan. 28 following separate requests for wellness checks from his girlfriend and a faculty member at Methodist University, where he was enrolled in the school’s physician assistant program.
He reportedly failed to show up for classes that morning after texting his girlfriend the night before to say he informed Cloud of his plans for divorce. According to court records, his girlfriend sent an image to his phone the following morning, but the text “didn’t deliver.”
Upon officers conducting a wellness check, Cloud denied Bonnell ever returned home on the night of Jan. 27, despite his vehicle being found there with his personal items inside.
Nearly a month later, on Feb. 25, the sheriff’s office received a call regarding human remains discovered in a pond roughly 3 miles from the home. Cumberland County prosecutors later confirmed the body was “just a torso” and “did not have legs or arms or a head.” It was found with two gunshot wounds in the back.
Due to the condition of the remains, authorities were not immediately able to identify the body. However, on March 28, DNA testing confirmed the torso was a match to Bonnell.
Cloud was taken into custody later that day and is being held without bond.
Her next court hearing is scheduled for mid-April. If found guilty of her husband’s murder, Cloud could face the death penalty.
An Army spokesperson told the Fayetteville Observer that Bonnell served in the Special Forces between 2004 and 2024. He rose to the rank of sergeant first class before retiring Dec. 31. ...read more read less
