Teen pleads not guilty to murder, rape charges in Saugerties killing
Mark J. Wanchik II is accused of killing 88-year-old Elena Bonjolo in June. The rape charge was added in a new indictment stemming from the same incident.
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The 15-year-old accused of killing an 88-year-old Saugerties woman is now facing a rape charge in addition to murder.
Mark J. Wanchik II pleaded not guilty this week in Ulster County Court after a new indictment added the rape charge in connection with the June 7 killing of Elena Bonjolo.
Wanchik was initially indicted on a single count of second-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty to that charge and is being prosecuted as an adult in the Youth Part of Ulster County Court.
Police say Bonjolo died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Her body was found outside an abandoned home at 25 John Schultz Road in West Camp.
Police have said Wanchik and Bonjolo knew each other but were not related. Neighbors previously told News 12 that Bonjolo hired Wanchik to walk her dogs.
Following Wanchik’s earlier murder arraignment, his grandmother told reporters that Bonjolo was a longtime friend and said she had repeatedly tried to get her grandson help before the killing.
“I brought him to therapy. I brought him to doctors. I brought him to everything I could possibly do and nobody helped him,” she said.
She said Wanchik struggled with depression and epilepsy and that she believed prescription medication contributed to changes in his behavior. Authorities have not commented on those claims.
Bonjolo was a longtime area resident, a mother of four and grandmother of three. Her obituary described her as a devoted wife, loving mother and friend to many.
Wanchik remains in custody and is due back in court in December.
