No Parole for Cop Killers

Help stop the parole of the killer of Sergeant John William Bonnell, III

Sergeant John William Bonnell, III

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana

End of Watch Tuesday, July 10, 1979

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Special Instructions: This is for a clemency or pardon hearing.

Email or mail a letter before March 7, 2025.
Email: paroleboard@la.gov
Subject: Edmund Burkhalter, #00097625.
Impact Statement for Sergeant John William Bonnell, III.

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Or mail a letter to:
P.O. Box 94304
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9304

Be sure to include inmate #00097625 in all correspondence.

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Parole Letter

Subject

Your message

To whom it may concern,

I respectfully ask that clemency be denied for Edmund E. Burkhalter, inmate #00097625. The inmate's brutal assassination of  Sergeant John William Bonnell, III, on July 10, 1979, precludes any clemency consideration.

Sergeant John Bonnell was shot and killed during an undercover narcotics operation. While en route to pick up cocaine that had been paid for, inmate #00097625 directed the informant to a dark alley. As soon as they parked, inmate #00097625 exited the car and shot Sergeant Bonnell in the back of his head and the informant in the shoulder. Sergeant Bonnell was looking at the radio and was unprepared for the ambush.

Inmate #0097625 resisted arrest a few hours later, striking multiple officers and cutting one with a knife. Inmate #0097625 confessed to murdering Sergeant John Bonnell and was found guilty of second-degree murder by a unanimous 12-person jury. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

Sergeant John Bonnell was only 23 years old when he was murdered. He was a dedicated officer who served with the Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office for two years and had served with the Baton Rouge Police Department for a year. More importantly, Sergeant John Bonnell was a devoted son, brother, grandson, husband, and father to a daughter who was only two years old when he was killed.

This inmate's violent behavior should preclude any clemency, pardon, or parole consideration. Parole is a privilege and not a right. As a concerned citizen and in the interest of public safety, I again respectfully ask that you DENY CLEMENCY to inmate #0097625. Justice demands that he spend every remaining day of his FULL LIFE SENTENCE in prison.

Sincerely,

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