BRAINTREE, MASS. (WHDH) - A Marshfield man accused of fatally shooting his former neighbor, a beloved Weston school nurse, at her home in Braintree, does not have a criminal record but police documents indicate he once spent time in the hospital after “exhibiting paranoid and delusional behavior.”
Robert Bonang, 61, showed up at the home of 59-year-old Laurie Melchionda dressed as a UPS delivery driver Wednesday morning and shot her multiple times with a rifle that he had hidden in a brown cardboard box, prosecutors said during his arraignment on Thursday.
Bonang shot Melchionda in the entryway of her front door after ringing the bell, prosecutors said. She was reportedly shot multiple times in the back and head.
A check of Bonang’s Facebook page revealed that he kept a list of people who were not welcome in his life, including residents of New York’s Lower East Side, various towns and cities across Massachusetts, and the entire state of North Carolina.
“He obviously must have mental health issues,” said Mary Leary, a heartbroken neighbor of Melchionda. “It’s just very scary.”
Bonang lived in a home across the street from Melchionda with his elderly father until about five years ago. Real estate records show that Bonang sold the house in October 2015 shortly after the death of his father.
Prior to the alleged killing, Bonang had been living at the Castle Green Condominium complex in Marshfield. The town’s police chief, Phillip A. Tavares, said he has never received a call regarding an incident involving Bonang.
A Braintree police report stated that Bonang was “often suspicious” of Braintree neighbors, even though he had no reason to be, according to those who once lived near him.
The report also documented two prior incidents of concern. In November 2009, Bonang’s sister called the police about a verbal fight that they had. Then in June 2014, he was sectioned at a hospital after reportedly exhibiting paranoid and delusional behavior.
7NEWS reached out to Bonang’s sister for comment but attempts were unsuccessful.
Bonang is currently being held without bail. He due back in court in July.
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