St. Charles jury sentences Bonner to 10 years for second-degree murder, 13 years for first-degree assault

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Mary Wilson wanted jurors to know her son wasn’t just a name on a marble slab in the cemetery. Tracy Wilson wanted them to know her husband was the closest to a perfect human being she’s ever known. Taylor Wilson said she and her father were “like peanut butter and jelly.”

Blair Kyle wanted jurors to know her cousin, Tiara Bonner, was a nurturer and caretaker in her family and one of the best mothers she knows.

“Tiara is not a monster,” Kyle said.

A six-man, six-woman jury from St. Charles County deliberated for nearly 5½ hours Friday before finding Tiara Bonner guilty of first-degree assault and second-degree murder for her alleged involvement in the Oct. 9, 2022, bar fight that resulted in the death of Dusty Wilson, 49, of Hannibal.

Almost three hours later, the jury sentenced Bonner to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on the second-degree murder charge and to 13 years in prison on the first-degree assault charge. Bonner was eligible to receive up to 30 years in prison or a life sentence on each charge.

The case will wrap on Dec. 5. Judge Christopher McDonough will receive a sentencing assessment report about 10 days before that date and determine if Bonner’s sentences will run consecutively or concurrently. She is required to serve 85 percent of the final sentence.

Bonner took her glasses off and began to cry when she heard the jury’s verdict. Several of Bonner’s supporters in a courtroom in the St. Charles County Courthouse gasped and broke down, with some going out into an adjoining hallway. One sister sat in stunned silence for several minutes. Public Defender Austin Smith consoled Bonner at the defense table, gently stroking her arm.

Tears streamed as well on the faces of Wilson’s supporters, many of whom also quietly bowed their heads. Even one of the female jurors was visibly upset after the verdict was read.

During the trial’s sentencing phase, family members on both sides told the jury more about their loved ones.

Mary Wilson recalled getting a hysterical phone call from a granddaughter on the morning of Dusty Wilson’s death. A friend picked her up and took her to Hannibal Regional Hospital.

“I couldn’t believe that was my son laying there,” she said.

She said she kissed her son on his cheek and forehead, then whispered in his ear, “Dusty, you’ve got to come back to us.”

Tracy Wilson, who married Dusty in 1999, said her husband always was kind and willing to help people. 

“We talked a lot this week (during the trial) about how large his heart was. That was no surprise to me,” she said. “He honestly had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known.”

She remembered waking up at 1:47 a.m. on Oct. 9 and feeling like she needed to vomit. She played on her phone for a few minutes to help her fall asleep but received a phone call from Mary Wilson, hoping to hear she was bringing her son home. She learned about the fight, and a friend came to the home to take her to the hospital.

“The doctor told me before I went in there that they had run all kinds of tests, and they had to give him medication to start his heart,” Tracy said. “They had done tests on his brain, and he gave it some medical term, but I knew he was basically telling me he was brain dead.”

Taylor Wilson, Dusty’s only daughter, said her father coached her from her days in T-ball until she was 18 years old. 

“He not only taught me literally everything I know,” she said. “He taught me how to be the woman I am today, on the field and off the field. I can say he honestly made me have the characteristics that I have.”

She said she wants to be like her father, “who helped people his entire life.” She’s close to graduating from nursing school, and she hopes her father can see her chase her life’s goal.

“My life’s never going to be the same,” she said. “I’m never going to have a dad back. The closest thing I have is going to his grave, looking at pictures and watching videos to hear his voice.”

Sgt. Kevin Coates, commander of the Marion County Jail, told jurors Bonner has had one minor violation during her two years in the jail. He said his contacts with her have been positive.

Kyle called Bonner the “go-to” person in the family, saying she was the first person to give someone flowers or tell them to pick up their chin.

“She’s been a rock for my family,” she said. “She just brings a joy with her.”

Kyle said her first concern was caring for Bonner’s children.

“That’s a void that cannot be filled,” she said. “Nothing feels the same, nothing is the same and nothing will be the same.”

Cousin Brooke Kyle called Bonner her “little sister” since they grew up 14 months apart, 

“She is my rock, my provider, my everything,” she said. “I want everybody to see Tiara’s heart. My family misses her terribly. I hate that she’s being portrayed as this evil person, because she’s not (evil).”

After the trial’s conclusion, Brooke Kyle said she didn’t believe justice was served.

“There are still a lot of pieces of this case that are unknown to Dusty’s family, the public, everybody,” she said. “There are so many people who were involved in this who were not a part of the court case. There were about 30 people down here, and there were only about three to four witnesses in the entire case. So we still don’t have the full story. 

“I feel like my sister, unfortunately, is the fall guy right now. My family’s gonna stay strong. She’s gonna stay strong. We’ve got her kids, and God’s gonna see us through.”

Public Defender Chris Terrell quietly told the jury that Bonner is “a good person surrounded by good people” but got caught up in the events of a very bad night. He asked for a minimum sentence of 10 years on each charge.

Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Luke Bryant’s sentencing plea was much more passionate.

“Your decision tonight is a broadcast to the family of Dusty Wilson,” he said. “It’s a broadcast to the defendant, to the community of Hannibal, to the state, to the county of Marion and the state of Missouri.

“Giving Tiara Bonner 10 years is only a whisper across the radio. Giving Tiara Bonner 20 years is speaking into the microphone, and giving Tiara Bonner 30 years is cranking up the volume for everyone to hear. Giving Tiara Bonner life is screaming justice for Dusty Wilson and for his family. Tiara Bonner is a murderer.”

Moments before the guilty verdict was read, family members brought Bonner’s children — ages 4, 7 and 8 — into the courtroom. As her family waited for the sentencing verdict, Bonner tried to console relatives and friends, telling them to “calm down” and to “love your children.” 

As one family member left, she said, “Every time you think about it, call my mom.”