On the beaten path

I don’t know if it was simply the circumstances of the Peru shooting last summer, when the 51-year-old sent a bullet through his teenage son’s head, or the emotional and sometimes colorful testimony, but his trial was the most unusual proceeding I’ve ever covered.

Before I begin to delve into the details, I would like to say that through it all, Judge Timothy Lawliss ran one of the tightest, no-nonsense courtrooms I have ever seen.

Throughout the heated discussions, flared tempers and occasional outbursts, the veteran judge kept a controlled courtroom — one that could have easily turned into a judicial circus.

In almost every other trial I’ve covered, I’ve rarely ever heard a defendant speak during the proceeding, unless they were on the stand or whispering too loudly to their attorneys.

I mean, even covering Edward Dashnaw’s three-month-long trial, I never heard the accused murderer utter a word or give the slightest glimpse of emotion.

But Bruce’s raspy voice could often be heard in loud sobs, responding to testimony or simply voicing his opinion.

Twice, in particular, his sullen outbursts prompted a firm scolding by the judge and once even yielded a loud warning of criminal-contempt charges.

A court officer later warned him a third time to stop trying to contact his son — that incident came during a brief recess when the judge left the courtroom.

Apparently, Bruce thought what the judge doesn’t see doesn’t hurt. And that was apparently the case with the letter he wrote his son on the back of the court order instructing him to not contact the teen, which the district attorney had read before the court.

The first warnings came after he continued to mouth things to his now 17-year-old son, whom he hasn’t seen in over a year, when the teen refused to take the oath on the Bible.

Cory brought his own book to swear-in on, which is not allowed, and prompted officials to search for an alternative oath for the teen, who proclaimed himself religious but would not swear on the Bible.

Really wanting to get his testimony about his dad’s innocence across to the jury, he would repeatedly answer questions that were sustained and speak directly to the jury, which, if anyone has sat in on a trial, is also not permitted.

Once in the audience, Cory could occasionally be seen raising his hand hoping to voice his opinion, though once again, that is not permitted.

Before he took the stand, he hoped to share a personal letter with the jury, but again, that is not permitted.

During closing arguments, the teen would emphatically shake his head and slap his knees, hoping the jury would notice his disagreement with the district attorney’s statements.

The day before the verdict came, Bonville’s 18-year-old daughter took the stand for the most blatantly honest and surprising testimony I may have ever heard.

I can never imagine what the girl went through as she rushed to clutch her brother’s bloody head on her chest and later collapsed from the emotionally and physically draining experience, but my heart when out to her as she sobbed on the stand, barely able to catch her breath.

But what surprised me more than her dramatic testimony, was her open honesty and obvious disdain for her father, whom she calls Bruce.

After being sworn into the “hot seat,” she slouched to avoid her dad’s penetrating glare, but his attorney quickly had her rise to the occasion.

That may not have been the best idea at the time.

She quickly pulled her chair forward and shot them one of the dirtiest looks I have ever seen and continued to glare at them throughout her questioning. And I mean glare. Uncomfortable, obvious, hostile glares.

And then there was the open discussions of the father and son’s casual pot sharing, beer purchases and squabbles over bong use. I learned so much.

Do you know what a “female piece” to a bong is? Well, after the Bonville trial, I do. How about the male piece? Yup, I learned that too. I even learned how to play beer pong.

And between the witness drama, there were also a few quirks of attorney/judge controversy, too, which brought the meaning of sarcasm and irritation to a whole new, uncomfortable level for me.

It was definitely a learning experience on so many levels. I can’t wait to see what the sentencing brings.