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Conviction July 16, 1977 Homicide

Bonnie Garland

Status Conviction
Type Homicide
Date July 16, 1977
Location Scarsdale, New York
Victim Age 21
Gender Female

Twenty-one-year-old Yale student Bonnie Garland was killed with a hammer by her Yale student boyfriend Richard Herrin while she slept at her parents' Scarsdale home. Herrin claimed he was in a dissociative state. He was convicted of manslaughter and served 15 years. The case raised debates about the psychology of violence.

Bonnie Garland is documented in the ColdCaseIndex database as a homicide case in Scarsdale, New York. The events are dated to July 16, 1977. The victim is recorded as 21 years old and female. The last known information on record places the case at July 16, 1977, parents' home in Scarsdale, NY.

Within the ColdCaseIndex taxonomy, Bonnie Garland is filed under Homicide with a status of Conviction. A homicide entry documents a killing in which the perpetrator has not been identified, has not been convicted, or where the case is otherwise historically notable. The record is cross-referenced under the themes homicide, New York, college student, conviction, controversial plea, which connect it to related cases across the database.

The Bonnie Garland case ended in a criminal conviction. It is retained in this index as a historically significant case — one whose investigation, prosecution, or aftermath shaped forensic practice, criminal law, or the public understanding of violent crime.

Primary jurisdiction for the Bonnie Garland case rests with local law enforcement in Scarsdale, supported by New York state investigative authorities. The case sits within a wider national picture: the U.S. homicide clearance rate has fallen from roughly 90% in the 1960s to about 54% today, and more than 346,000 homicides recorded since 1965 remain unsolved. ColdCaseIndex documents individual cases like this one to keep them publicly visible and searchable.

homicide New York college student conviction controversial plea
Last Known Information
July 16, 1977, parents' home in Scarsdale, NY
Date of Incident
July 16, 1977
Current Status
Conviction

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