How was Allison Bonilla murdered? We explained how the young girl was killed and where her killer is now. This article contains details that may distress some readers.
Allison Bonilla was a young girl who lived in Ujarrás, a small village in Costa Rica. On the evening of March 4, 2020, she went missing and wouldn’t be seen alive again. Her remains would be found, and a suspect named Nelson Sánchez Ureña. He would be convicted of her murder in 2021.
Bonilla’s disappearance and murder were part of several homicides in Costa Rica that led to a social movement in the country. On social media sites, many Costa Ricans would place a filter on their profile photos with the motto saying, “I was born to be free, not murdered,” in memory of the murdered women across the country.
There would even be a march to remember Bonilla and the victims of other homicides.
The Tragic Murder of Allison Bonilla
Who is Allison Bonilla?
Allison Bonilla was an 18-year-old woman born in Cartago, Costa Rica, in 2001 and lived in the village of Ujarrás. She had a boyfriend called Harold Segura, who lived in the city of Cachí.
Bonilla took night classes at the Enrique Guier Sáenz High School, not far from where she lived.
What happened to Allison Bonilla?
Allison Bonilla disappeared on March 4, 2020, and she was never seen alive again. That evening, she was on the way back from her boyfriend’s house in Cachí and had taken the bus to her home in the town of Ujarrás. But she would never make it home because she would be kidnapped and later killed.
Before Allison disappeared, she sent her boyfriend and mother several texts and voice messages saying two people were following her. She had asked her mother to meet her at a bridge about 500 meters away from her house so they could complete the rest of the journey together.
Allison was last seen on a security camera near the bridge at around 8:47 p.m. When Allison never reached the bridge, her mother would report her disappearance to the police.
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On March 5, the police, local residents, and Allison’s family started to search the area for clues. They would keep looking for several months, which eventually concluded with the discovery of the skeletal remains of Allison in a community garbage dump on September 26, 2020.
Who murdered Allison Bonilla?
Just a few weeks before Allison’s remains were found, the Judicial Investigation Agency arrested Nelson Sánchez Ureña, one of Allison’s neighbors, in connection with the woman’s disappearance.
On September 4, he would confess to his lawyer the kidnapping and murder of Allison. On April 30, 2021, the Cartago Criminal Court ordered that Nelson stand trial on a murder and rape charge.
Where is Nelson Sánchez Ureña now?
Nelson Sánchez Ureña would be acquitted of rape, but on August 18, 2021, he was sentenced to 18 years for simple homicide.
The sentence was appealed by Allison’s family, who said that the homicide wasn’t simple, but it was a qualified one. Nelson Sánchez Ureña’s sentence was annulled and sent to the criminal chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, which means they will review the case to determine if it was a simple or qualified homicide.
This could increase Ureña’s prison sentence to a maximum of 35 years.
This trial started on February 24, 2023.
