Fredericton police issue alert about wanted man
Authorities ask public to keep eye out for Bradley Bonnell, 28, but not to approach him
A man who served jail time for his connection to a grisly murder in the Moncton area is wanted on an outstanding warrant, and Fredericton police are asking people to be on the lookout for him.
“Police are requesting the public’s assistance in locating Bradley Bonnell, 28 years old, who is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant,” the Fredericton Police Force said in a social-media post Wednesday morning.
Bonnell is described as being Caucasian, about 6’1” tall, weighing about 165 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair.
The city police force also released a photo of Bonnell, which shows he has a prominent neck tattoo.
“Police believe Bonnell may be in the greater Fredericton area,” police spokesperson Megan Barker wrote in an email to the Fredericton Independent.
She noted the Canada-wide warrant originated from Correctional Service Canada and therefore the Fredericton Police Force couldn’t speak to the reasons for the warrant.
“Police are warning the public not to approach the suspect,” the advisory stated, though it didn’t note if he was considered dangerous.
Anyone with information on Bonnell’s whereabouts or that could lead to him being found is urged to contact the Fredericton Police Force by phone at 506-460-2300 or by email at dennis.vanember@fredericton.ca.
Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Bonnell made headlines in the Moncton area several years ago for being an accessory after the fact to the murder of Baylee Wylie, 18.
Bonnell admitted in June 2016 to helping one of the murder suspects, Tyler Noël, evade the police for three days in January of that year.
He was arrested with Noël and another accessory Jan. 9, 2016, and he was remanded. Bonnell was sentenced to time served as well as a year of probation.
Wylie’s body was found Dec. 17, 2015, in a Moncton apartment following a fire in that location.
Noël, Devin Morningstar and Marissa Shephard beat Wylie to death in Shephard’s New Brunswick Housing unit in Moncton in Dec. 17, 2015.
Morningstar was convicted of first-degree murder after trial in 2016 for Wylie’s death, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Noël admitted to second-degree murder, earning a life sentence with no chance of parole for the first 18 years of that term.
Shephard pleaded guilty to manslaughter and arson, leading to a 12-year prison term.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.