A brutal murder in a sleepy town unveils a shocking secret | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
website at around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday August 19 1990 35-year-old Rudy Manuel was awoken by a strange
sound as the longtime caretaker of the Camp Nelson Lodge a 42 acre bucolic retreat in central California's
sprawling and isolated sequa and Redwood forests Rudy was intuitively familiar with his
surroundings when horses in a nearby pasture began stirring restlessly in the middle of the night Rudy sensed
something or someone was out there Rudy opened the door of The Rustic cabin where he had been sleeping and
looked outside if something was lurking Rudy couldn't see it through the pitch black
darkness he closed the door and locked it turned off the lights and crawled back into
bed Rudy wasn't alone lying next to him was 46-year-old Bonnie Hood the owner and manager of the Camp Nelson
Lodge 5 minutes later the bedroom light suddenly turned on it took a moment for Rudy's eyes to
adjust and for him to realize that an unfamiliar person was standing over him the the Intruder was aiming a
snub-nosed 38 caliber revolver directly at Rudy's head the man ordered Rudy to get off the
bed and kneel on the floor Rudy defiantly responded if you want me on the floor you're going to have to put me
down without hesitation the gunman pulled the trigger shooting Rudy in the forehead as Rudy's body slumped to the
ground the gunman turned his attention to Bonnie Hood demanding where's the money Bonnie replied in a panic it's in
the lodge Bonnie was then shot as she cowered in bed even though the bullet had pierced
Rudy Manuel's skull and left fragments in his brain he was still alive blood ran down his face his ears
rang painfully and the taste of gunpowder lingered in his mouth Rudy pretended to be dead until the
gunman left he then slowly crawled across the floor into the living area where he reached for a
telephone using what little strength Rudy had left he dialed 911 [Music] [Music]
the history of the Camp Nelson Township dates back to 1886 when its founder John
Nelson built a homestead on the land before long his Ranch became a popular destination for hunters
fishermen and anyone else willing to make the journey into the mountains by horseback
by the early 20th century Camp Nelson had grown into a thriving albeit small community with a hotel and a general
store that Drew an influx of new visitors to the area Bonnie Hood first visited Camp
Nelson in 1952 when she was 8 years old by then the centerpiece of the town was a massive Stone and Timber Lodge
built by John Nelson's grandson featuring a a grand dining hall and an impressive great room with two
enormous fireplaces the Magnificent Camp Nelson Lodge served as the town's de facto Community Center for almost every
important event Bonnie and her family visited Camp Nelson every summer and she carried on
the tradition when she started a family of her own however as time went on the lodge
was plagued by Financial woes leading to its closure in January 1981 in the summer of 1987 Bonnie and
her husband Jim noticed a for sale sign out in front of the lodge while the couple initially joked
with each other about buying the property they ultimately decided to make a serious
offer their offer of $780,000 was accepted and by June 1988 Bonnie and Jim Hood were the new owners of the Camp
Nelson Lodge even though Bonnie had been visiting the area since she was a child
many of the town's 180 residents viewed the Lodge's new owners with skepticism to them the hoods were
Outsiders wealthy Metropolitan Interlopers who threatened to change the fabric of their
Community others were excited by the prospect of the lodge being restored to its former glory
in order to revive and operate the lodge fulltime Bonnie relocated to Camp Nelson
and moved into one of the cabins her husband Jim and their two teenage children remained at their home in
Newport Beach nearly 4 and a half hours driveway the unconventional Arrangement Drew judgment among towns folk as did
some of Bonnie's other decisions while the locals were initially thrilled when The Lodgers
restaurant and bar reopened they were dismayed when Bonnie raised the prices others boycotted The
Establishment alog together when Bonnie kicked them out for being too rowdy when Bonnie built fences for her
horses some of her neighbors complained they blocked access to their properties She also caused the stir for
being an outspoken environmentalist working to expose what she believed were illegal logging practices in the area
as one employee who worked for Bonnie told the Fresno B Bonnie answered to no one and
apologized to no one but what upset locals most was Bonnie's plan to turn the lodge into a
trendy venue for lavish destination weddings and a high-end luxury Retreat catering to wealthy clientele from Los
Angeles in their view the whole point of going to Camp Nelson was to get away from the fast-paced city lifestyle in
the first place while some felt bnny harbored a combative La attitude that conflicted
with Camp Nelson's Breezy Carefree way of life others were less critical of her one local told the Fresno be that
the majority view of Bonnie was that she was a cheerful outgoing person who spent
an enormous amount of time money and energy bringing Camp Nelson Lodge back to life on Saturday August 18th 1990 a high
society wedding and reception was held at the lodge the bride was thrilled with the
venue and wept tears of joy while complimenting Bonnie on how wonderful everything had been it was welcomed
reinforcement that Bonnie's vision for the lodge was coming to fruition while the wedding was taking
place at the lodge its restaurant and bar remained open to the public making it far busier than a regular Saturday
night when live music Started during the wedding reception some locals at the bar
joined in the festivities the reception concluded just before midnight but the bar stayed open
serving locals until 2: a.m. at the end of the evening Bonnie pulled all the tips her weight staff had
collected during their shifts usually she split the tips evenly before sending her staff home but
because there was much more money than usual approximately $500 she decided to take the money back
to her cabin she promised to count it and pay out her employees the next morning just over an hour later First
Responders arrived at Bonnie's cabin after receiving the 911 call from Rudy Manuel
they trepidatiously entered and turned on the lights they immediately saw Rudy's body
on the floor of the living room covered in carpet Burns and blood he had been shot in the
head a trail of blood LED from where Rudy lay and into the bedroom Ending by the
bed laying on top half covered by a blanket and sheet was Bonnie Hood she had been f Al shot in the
head it appeared her body had been posed afterwards with her arms crossed over her chest as if she were laid in a
casket one of the screens on an exterior sliding door had been cut open the same
door featured Prim marks indicating the killer had used a tool to force his way inside in the dirt outside was a single
shoe print left by the Killer aside from this the only other major clue was found inside the
cabin as Rudy Manuel had clung to life he used his finger to scroll two letters on a wall in his own blood J and
B police were well aware of a near two decade along feud between Rudy Manuel and a local cattle rancher named Jack
Burgess Rudy was a Native American who had grown up on a reservation a few miles south of Camp
Nelson from the time he was a teenager Rudy had been a thorn in Jack burgess's side his cattle ranch bordered the
reservation and to Jack had accused Rudy of vandalizing his property many times over the years he also once accused Rudy
of shooting at him Rudy had a checked history with convictions for horse stealing vandalism
and assault struggling to find employment or a place to live Rudy was given an opportunity to work for Bonnie Hood
after she purchased the Camp Nelson Lodge in 1988 the following year Rudy was arrested after trying to sell five of
Jack burgess's cares to another Rancher facing a potential six-month jail sentence Rudy found a supporter in
Bonny Hood she paid for his defense attorney and the case against Rudy was ultimately
dismissed this angered Jack burus who expressed his opinion that the police and judge were
corrupt things only escalated when Rudy smashed the windshield of Jack's truck with a baseball
bat on Tuesday June 19 1990 exactly 2 months before the shooting Rudy suffered an appendicitis attack
Bonnie drove him to the hospital and as she pulled into the parking lot she noticed that Jack Burgess happened to be
there too not paying him any mind she took Rudy into the emergency department Upon returning to her car
Bonnie noticed a handwritten note attached to her windshield it read it is your head not your windshield
that I will get payback's a [ __ ] like your sugar mama Bonnie believed that Jack Burgess
had left the note for Rudy she suspected she was the Sugar Mama referenced in the
note as she had previously paid for Rudy's attorney during his successful legal stash against
Jack Bonnie filed a police report accusing Jack of authoring the note although Jack's fingerprints
weren't found on it detectives wondered if the shooting at Bonnie cabin was the payback the note had
forewarned miraculously when First Responders arrived at Bonnie's cabin after the shooting Rudy Manuel was still
alive he was rushed to undergo emergency surgery to remove the bullet fragments from his
brain right before Rudy was taken into the operating theater a detective questioned him about the attack drifting
in and out of Consciousness as he spoke Rudy admitted that he and Bonnie were having an
affair after closing down the bar the previous night Rudy said that he and Bonnie had gone back to her cabin and
fallen asleep before they were confronted by the gunman Rudy described the shooter as
looking like a biker he was a stocky white man in his mid-30s with long curly blonde hair and a thin
mustache Rudy recalled he was wearing a neckerchief with The Branding of us Motorcycle Company
harleydavidson several witnesses who had been at the Lodge's bar that night recalled seeing a man matching this
description but no one knew who he was they recalled that at one stage he requested a song from the musician at
the wedding reception and that he was the last customer at the bar come closing time most interestingly The Stranger was
within earshot of a heated conversation Bonnie Hood had with one of her employees about not splitting the tips
until the following morning this meant he was aware that Bonnie was in possession of a large
amount of cash that she intended to take back to her cabin yet although Bonnie's cabin was
found in a slight state of disarray it didn't appear to have been ransacked several expensive it it of
jewelry were left in plain sight and $211 remained in her purse which was visibly resting on a bar
St Rudy Manuel claimed that the killer had demanded money but nothing in Bonnie's cabin appeared to be
missing prior to his surgery Rudy expressed his own theory he suspected that the killer was
a professional Hitman Who had most likely been hired by his longtime rival Jack Burgess when Jack heard about the
shooting he immediately went to speak with police as he knew he would be considered a suspect due to his volatile
history with Rudy wanting to set the record straight as soon as possible Jack denied any
involvement in the crime and expressed his willingness to cooperate fully with the
investigation although Jack provided a solid Alibi for the night of the shooting it was possible that he'd hired
someone else to carry out the attack as Rudy Manuel had [Music] theorized Rudy's Sister Christina worked
part-time at the lodge she recalled seeing the mysterious stranger at the bar the night of the
shooting curiously she had seen him the weekend before as well she believed he had arrived at camp
son to carry out construction work specifically to put a new roof on one of the homes in
town as there were few residences in Camp Nelson and only one had a brand new roof investigators immediately knew
where to start this new line of inquiry the home belonged to a local attorney who told police that he had
hired two brothers to do the job their names were Mark and Matthew Stewart and they were from the California City of
Fresno Police tracked the Stewart Brothers down and were discouraged to find that neither of the men matched
descriptions of bunny Hood's killer as this lead seemingly reached a dead end investigators were surprised
when a man arrived at the Stewart brother's home he was a near perfect match for the description of Bonny hood
and Rudy Manuel's shooter he introduced himself as low and asserted that he had never been to Camp
Nelson meanwhile Rudy Manel had undergone life-saving surgery and after 3 days recovering he was able to hold a
conversation again however his brain was swollen and he was delirious and heavily
sedated while Rudy couldn't offer investigate as much at this time he was shown a photo lineup that included an
image of Rick l Rudy pointed to Rick's photo and identified him as the man who'd shot him
and Bonnie the problem was Rick provided an ironclad Alibi for the night of the shooting proving he was nowhere near
Camp Nelson Rudy Manuel had identified the wrong man as Rudy recovered he provided
another account of the night of the shooting this time to a psychiatrist his version of events differed from what
he'd originally told the police prior to his surgery when the psychiatrist asked Rudy
if he thought he was capable of identifying the shooter Rudy shocked him by replying you are the man that shot
me when the psychiatrist explained why this wasn't possible Rudy said well you look a lot like
him it was clear to detectives that Rudy wasn't well enough to be fully relied upon but they began considering the
possibility that he wasn't the intended target at all given Bonny Hood's reputation with
various Camp Nelson locals it was possible that someone with a chip on their shoulder had targeted
her after all the shooting had taken place in her cabin and very few people could have known that Rudy would be
there this also raised another possible scenario although several towns folk had
suspected the pair were having an affair there was only one obvious person who might feel compelled to do something
about it Bonnie met her husband at Jim Hood when they attended University in the
early 1960s they married in 1970 and both took up work in real estate Jim sold commercial property
while Bonnie specialized in helping out ofate companies relocate to California the couple were incredibly
successful becoming multi-millionaires with a Beachside property a boat and luxury
cars by 1987 Bonnie had reached a point in her life where she was ready to go in
a new direction for as long as she could remember remember she'd imagined living
fulltime in a small mountain town when the Camp Nelson Lodge went up for sale the hoods saw it as a viable
business opportunity for Bonnie it was also the Fulfillment of her lifelong dream the only downside was that Bonnie
and Jim would have to live apart their children were enrolled in a good school and a gym had business tires
in Southern California still Bonnie remained in near constant contact with her husband and children
while living in Camp Nelson she spoke with them on the phone upwards of three times a day and helped
her children with their homework almost every night twice a month Bonnie visited
Newport Beach to spend a couple of days with her family and once a month Jim and
the kids spent a weekend at Camp Nelson when invest vators informed Jim Hood about his wife's murder he appeared
genuinely shocked more so when he was told that Bonnie was having an affair with the Rudy
Manu Jim insisted that his marriage was solid and that Bonnie would have never been
unfaithful he knew that Bonnie had a close friendship with Rudy but refused to accept that the pair were in bed
together the night of the shooting Jim was certain the person responsible was a Camp Nelson local who
held a grudge against his wife he claimed that Bonnie had recently confided in him that she feared for her
safety in addition to investigating a legal logging in the area she had allegedly stumbled upon a cannabis field
while horse riding Bonnie hadn't notified the police as she suspected several members of
local law enforcement were involved in the drug operation According to Jim just two weeks before
she was murdered Bonnie said she'd uncovered information that could potentially impact the outcome of a
major political election in California Jim said that Bonnie had been keeping files on several members of the
community who she suspected were involved in il legal activity she had shown it to him during
a recent visit and he knew she kept it in a locked filing cabinet police permitted Jim to enter Bonnie's
cabin to collect the dossier he went to her filing cabinet only to find it was unlocked and the
file was [Music] missing as the weeks passed Rudy Manuel continued to make a steady
recovery after being released from hospital he straight up confronted Jim Hood asking if he'd hired a Hitman to
kill him and Bonnie in jealous retaliation of their Affair Rudy claimed that Jim broke down
in tears asking how he could even think such a thing investigators remained open-minded they had collected all of
the empty beer bottles from the lodge that had accumulated on the night of the killing and had them tested for
fingerprints if the elusive stranger seen drinking at the bar was indeed the killer there was a strong possibility
that he had a criminal record the results revealed that several fingerprints belonged to a known felon
named Bruce beum his mug shot looked just like Rudy's description of the gunman Rudy was shown another photo
lineup this time with an image of Bruce beum in the mix Rudy confidently identified Bruce as
the shooter employees at the LOD also unanimously agreed that Bruce was the stranger they'd seen drinking at the bar
that night 31-year-old Bruce beum was a Drifter with bike attires who moved across the American West he had
convictions pertaining to selling cannabis brandishing a gun towards children assaulting his ex-wife and
driving Under the Influence he'd recently settled in a city an hour east of Los Angeles where
he work worked as a maintenance Foreman for a shopping complex called Mission Plaza when approached by police Bruce
admitted he'd recently been to Camp Nelson he said he'd gone there on the weekend before the shooting where he'd
met a woman and the two had agreed to meet there again the following week he returned on the weekend of Saturday
August 18 only to find that the woman had stood him up Bruce said he spent the night hopping
between the only two bars in town on the lookout for her while under the influence of alcohol and
methamphetamines after Bruce was kicked out of one bar for making an insulting remark to a woman he remained at the
lodge until closing time he claimed that upon leaving the bar he drove 232 Mi South to a friend's
house in the city of Fontana arriving there at around 6:00 a.m. Bruce's friend corroborated his
story stating that they spent the day visiting yard sales together the timing was
significant the drive from Camp Nelson to Fontana took at least 4 hours Bonnie hood and Rudy Manuel were
shot a little after 3:00 a.m. investigators replicated Bruce's journey to see if they could reach
Fontana in under 3 hours they drove as fast as they could and yet only managed to get there in 3
hours and 45 minutes either Bruce's Alibi was wrong or he was not the killer there was something else when
speaking with investigators Bruce beum divulged a significant piece of information he was surprised that had
taken them so long to come and speak with him in relation to the crime after all it was his employe who
had given him the idea to go to Camp Nelson in the first place Jim Hood Jim Hood co-owned the Mission Plaza
Shopping complex where Bruce beum worked Bruce claimed that Jim always talked to his employees about Camp
Nelson encouraging them to go up there and have a good time at the lodge with this Revelation forming an
unexpected connection between their Prime Suspect and Bonny Hood's husband police searched at Bruce's
home they uncovered a pair of tennis shoes that were the same brand and size as the shoe prints found outside
Bonnie's cabin on the night of the shooting Bruce beam was arrested and charged with murder attempted murder
attempted robbery burglary and assault with a deadly weapon investigators sensed they had
only uncovered part of a larger narrative with a prosecutor announcing at a pre-trial
hearing there is a very very good possibility there is a criminal conspiracy there may be other
suspects the other suspect's point pertained to an individual already known to investigators when Jim Hood was informed
of Bruce beam's arrest he appeared shocked he claimed that he didn't think Bruce had ever met Bonnie or was the
type of person to do such a thing despite this it remained possible that Jim Hood had hired Bruce beum to
murder his wife despite Jim denying any knowledge of his wife's affair with the Rudy
Manuel the situation was a Timeless motive for murder evidence failed to clarify the
matter while Bonnie had a $750,000 life insurance policy ballistics on guns Jim Hood owned
confirmed none of them had been used in the crime there were no Paper Trails indicating that Bruce beum had recently
received any large sums of money either if the truth was held by either man they weren't
talking despite facing a potential death sentence Bruce beum refused to implicate
Jim hood and continued to deny having anything to do with the crime investigators harbored their own
doubts after all if Bruce had been hired to kill Bonnie why would he visit Camp Nelson over two consecutive weekends
attend the local bars and interact with the various Witnesses without any evidence emerging
to the contrary Jim Hood was officially ruled out as a suspect Bruce beum went to trial in February
1991 6 months after Bonnie Hood was killed by this point investigators had settled on the theory that the crime was
financially motivated after Bruce had overheard Bonnie talk about the large amount of tips collected from the
bar given that Bruce knew Bonnie was married to Jim he most likely assumed she would be alone in her cabin that
night thus an easy target to Rob heavily intoxicated Bruce headed to Bonnie's cabin only to discover another
man was present Bruce's plan quickly unraveled from there he shot Bonnie and Rudy
Manuel before fleeing the scene in a panic the prosecution expressed the doubts about the 6 a.m. Alibi Bruce had
given police saying that it was unreliable his friend that had vouched for him was either lying or
mistaken in the prosecution's words it was a simple case of robbery that led to murder and attempted
murder the prosecution's star witness was Rudy Manuel when asked on the stand about who
shot him Rudy pointed to Bruce beum and announced there's no no doubt he's the one but as soon as Rudy started giving
his testimony his story contained a number of markedly different details from the story he'd originally given
police under oath Rudy denied ever having an affair with Bonny Hood he claimed he had visited her cabin that
night just to talk and had been sitting on the edge of her bed chatting with the
lights on when Bruce beum suddenly burst through the door Rudy recalled he told me I was a dead
[ __ ] and he was very rude about it he said to get on your knees and face the floor I didn't want to do it because I
knew he would shoot me Rudy claimed he tried to kick the gun out of Bruce's hand and that's when he
was shot in the head he explained then there was a struggle and two more shots I think Bonnie stood up
on the bed and at this time the defendant fought with her this man right here jumped on the
bed I believe she was fighting for her life and there were two more shots this was the first time Rudy had
ever mentioned a struggle taking place prosecutors attributed Rudy's differing Recollections to his severe
head trauma the defense however contended that he was making up new details to fit
the physical evidence during the trial it had been revealed that Bonnie's fingernails
indicated she had struggled with her attacker the defense believed that Rudy was falsifying his story to suit this
finding as well as other key evidence including the fact that Seaman had been found inside Bonny that couldn't be
linked to anyone in particular from the defenses perspec Ive the Seaman indicated that Rudy wasn't
being entirely truthful about what he and Bonnie did that night testimony provided by the County
coroner rebuffed Rudy's story further the coroner held the opinion that Bonnie was killed elsewhere and
then moved to the bed he highlighted the blood spatter from the crime scene specifically the
neat trickle of blood that ran from Bonnie's ear down her chin and across her neck the coroner claimed this didn't
coincide with someone being shot while lying in bed explaining when a person gets shot blood
splatters all about this is the tidiest homicide scene I've seen in 12 years as a
coroner this is too tidy not what we see in violent death it's not consistent with the struggle Rudy Manuel said occur
heard the defense told the jury the only conclusion you can draw is that Rudy Emanuel is a
liar something happened in that cabin that night he's not telling us about after deliberations the jury
produced the first ever acquittal in a murder trial in the County's history one of the jurors later told a
reporter we never ever any of us thought Bruce beum was guilty there was not enough evidence to convict
him as for Rudy Manuel's testimony juror's opinions were overwhelmingly negative while some considered his
memory unreliable others believed he was deliberately lying upon hearing the verdict Bruce
beum turned to his lawyer and said thank God thank God they believed us Jim Hood remained staunch telling
reporters he would never give up looking for his wife's murderer I will be pursuing it he
remarked before adding somewhat ominously but I don't want to say how upon his release from custody Bruce
beum started putting his life back together he quickly married a woman named Sharon
spray a convicted criminal whom Bruce became pimps with while in jail in an interview with the Porterville Recorder
in the months after his acquittal Bruce claimed he had cleaned up his life and was completely
sober in reality he and his wife had become frequent heroin users the now unemployed Bruce admitted
that he'd considered asking Jim Hood for his old job back but didn't think that would go down
well even though Bruce wasn't working his friends and family noticed that he was rarely short on cash and was often
seen counting out stacks of $100 bills even his wife had noticed this inexplicable flow of
money one day when they were low on funds Bruce told Sharon that he was going to pay someone a
visit 45 minutes later he returned with an envelope containing $5,000 cash in January 1992 a year and a half
after Bonny Hood's murder Bruce beum recruited his brother-in-law Gary spray to carry out a
Breakin he told Gary his intended target was Jim Hood Gary was apprehensive but Bruce
assured him they had nothing to fear he said that even if they did get caught Jim Hood would never prosecute
them according to Bruce he had something over Jim that ensured his cooperation the two men broke into Jim's
office at the Mission Plaza shopping center and stole $188,000 worth of construction equipment which they then
hid inside a storage facility when the items were discovered to be missing an advertisement was
placed in the local newspaper offering $3,000 for the safe return of the stolen goods Gary spray called the number on
the advertisement and spoke with the Jim hoods business partner Pat offering to return the stolen equipment for
$6,000 Pat agreed and it was decided that the exchange would take place at the storage locker where the items were
being kept when Gary arrived at the locker police were already waiting as he was placed under arrest he
yelled at Pat you messed up some things from the past will come [Music] out after this Jim Hood began receiving
phone calls from Bruce beum demanding that the charges against his brother-in-law be
dropped on one occasion Bruce left a message on Jim's ing machine that said if you don't start dealing with me
properly I'm going to sink you despite these efforts the charges against the Gary spray remained he
pleaded guilty and was sent to jail for 2 months but the Saga wasn't over Bruce beum continued his
threatening calls against the Jim Hood leading to Jim becoming so paranoid that he began carrying a loaded handgun with
him at all times he slept with it next to his bed while also keeping a loaded 9mm Glock
pistol in the drawer of his office desk Monday March 2 1992 marked almost a year since Bruce beam's acquittal for
the murder of Bonnie Hood Bruce asked a friend to drive him to Jim Hood's office at Mission Plaza
the two men had spoken on the phone earlier that morning and Jim had invited Bruce to his office so they could sort
things out once and for all when Bruce entered the building he moved past the Gym's secretary and into
the private office space where Jim was waiting the door was closed behind them seconds later two gunshots rang out
from the office in quick succession followed by a brief paes then five more shots police arrived at Mission Plaza to
find Bruce beum dead on the floor of Jim Hood's office he had been shot seven times his right hand was clutching an
unregistered blue steel 357 Magnum Revolver Jim Hood was immediately taken in for questioning and over the next 12
hours he explained the deadly confrontation in detail he said that over the past
several weeks Bruce had been making increasingly threatening phone calls to him Jim began actively avoiding Bruce's
calls but that morning Bruce called the office threatening to bury Jim Fed Up Jim finally agreed to meet
him in person to sort their conflict diplomatically he believed the conversation would be about the theft of
the construction equipment and the recent incarceration of Bruce's brother-in-law Gary
spray Jim suspected trouble the moment Bruce entered his office as Jim sat behind his desk he
noticed that Bruce's hands were shaking particularly the left one his eyes were also bulging as if he were about to lash
out Bruce suddenly reached behind his back and pulled out a revolver but before Bruce could fire a shot Jim
reached into his desk drawer drew his own pistol and started shooting the first two shots struck a
Bruce in the chest and he immediately fell to the floor Jim stood up and walked over to
him he noticed that Bruce's head and the arm was holding the gun in were moving suspiciously he proceeded to shoot Bruce
several more times to ensure he was dead if Jim's word was true the situation was clearly
self-defense but investigators could tell from the get-go that not everything was as it
seemed firstly the friend who dropped to Bruce beachum at Mission Plaza said it didn't appear that Bruce Bruce had been
armed with a gun Bruce had told his friend that he suspected Jim had set a trap for him and
he expected to be arrested when he arrived at Jim's office he was carrying a knife which he
left in the car because he didn't want to be armed when the confrontation occurred as far as Bruce's friend was
concerned Bruce exited the car with nothing more than the clothes on his back while Jim hook asserted that Bruce
had been noticeably on edge and irritated when he arrived at the office Jim's secretary described Bruce's
demeanor as perfectly happy even jovial the crime scene itself also didn't align with the Jim Hood
story firstly the lead investigator's attention was immediately drawn to the way Bruce beum was still grasping his
firearm in all his years as a homicide detective the investigator had never seen a murder victim still holding on to
their gun after being shot and falling to the ground especially on a concrete floor secondly the revolver was in
Bruce's right hand yet Bruce was left-handed a smear between two pools of blood indicated that Bruce's Body had
been moved after his death there was also blood on Bruce's right hand as well as on the floor under
beneath it yet the gun itself was clean if Bruce was holding the gun at the time of the shooting this was an
impossible feat it was clear to investigators that the gun had been placed in Bruce's hand
after he'd been shot gunpowder residue recovered on the palms of Bruce's hands showed he had his
hands up in a defensive posture when Jim Hood pulled the trigger with the gim Story falling apart
he was placed under arrest for the murder of Bruce [Music] beum despite Jim's insistence that
Bruce's death was in no way connected to Bonnie's murder the complex case caused
a media frenzy speculation ran wild that Jim had murdered Bruce's payback for killing his
wife shooting Survivor Rudy Emanuel maintained that Bruce beum was the man responsible for attacking him and
Bonnie speaking with the Porterville Recorder Rudy said Bruce beum died the same way as
Bonnie cold-heartedly and Point Blank our family can finally relax and not be fearful of strange cars in the
driveway but investigators weren't so sure that Bruce's murder was motivated by Revenge
they had previously considered the possibility that Jim Hood had hired Bruce to kill Bonnie and he'd only been
cleared due to a lack of evidence at the time police had opted to pursue Bruce first thinking his would be
an easier conviction to secure they'd been convinced that Bruce would be found guilty and he would then
confess to Jim's involvement in exchange for a more lenient sentence one officer
admitted we were biting at the bit to find Bruce beum guilty so we could get on with the case and we were prepared to
do that however when Bruce was unexpectedly acquitted it destroyed the possibility
of Jim Hood facing any charges if he was indeed involved then all those responsible for Bonny Hood's
death had seemingly gotten away with murder two days after Bruce beam's death his
widow Sharon spray told investigators that in the months after Bruce was acquitted for Bonnie's murder she found
an envelope hidden underneath the headboard of her bed it contained $110,000 in cash Sharon confronted Bruce who said
the money was linked to Bonnie's murder Sharon had always believed in Bruce's innocence and it was was
therefore stunned when she asked Bruce if he had killed Bonnie and he said yes according to Sharon Bruce claimed
that Jim Hood had paid him $50,000 to murder Bonnie following his AC quiddle Bruce
faced mortgage stress and was in the throws of a heroin addiction by 1992 he had blown through
the bulk of Jim's money but realized he was in a unique position because of Double Jeopardy laws he could
never be tried for Bonnie's murder again even if he confessed he even sought the advice of a
pargal who confirmed this to be the case emboldened by this knowledge and motivated to profit on his story Bruce
consulted a freelance author about writing a tillor book about what really happened in Camp
Nelson he knew that such a re a would not only ruin Jim Hood's business and reputation but likely result in Jim
being arrested for Bonnie's murder Bruce used this as leverage to squeeze more money out of
Jim he bombarded him with threatening calls trying to extort and blackmail him he demanded that Jim make a wire
transfer to his bank account but Jim was reluctant to leave a paper trail instead Jim told Bruce to meet him
at his office to settle the matter there in the leadup to the meeting Bruce didn't know what to expect he told his
wife Sharon Jim either wants to kill me set me up to get arrested or pay me off Sharon's story was corroborated by
her brother Gary spray who was involved in Bruce's campaign against Jim Hood Gary added that Jim had initially
agreed to pay Bruce $250,000 the $50,000 Bruce had already received was the first of what was
supposed to be a series of installments paid out by Jim every 6 months it was when Jim failed to pay
Bruce as promised that Bruce and Gary hatched their plan to steal the construction equipment from
him investig ERS knew Sharon and Gary spray's testimonies amounted to little more than hearsay and might not even be
admissible in court given their criminal history and drug use a jury would also be less
inclined to consider them credible [Music] Witnesses instead they worked to uncover
more evidence of their claims starting with a solid motive the obvious one was Bonnie's
alleged affair with the Rudy manual residents of Camp Nelson referred to the relationship as the worst kept
secret in town but investigators could only find one witness who claimed to have actually seen the pair acting
intimately a bartender from the lodge said he'd seen Bonnie and Rudy kiss on one occasion hardly enough evidence to
prove a long-standing sexual affair while Rudy had initially admitted to the affair he'd changed his story at
Bruce's trial and denied it ever happened if he changed his story again it would mean admitting that he'd
committed perjury in a murder trial although the truth about the affair remained Up For Debate there was
evidence that Jim and Bonnie's marriage was on the Rocks several people close to Bonnie
claimed that she'd talked openly about divorcing Jim in the days prior to her murder according to Bonnie's bookkeeper
Bonnie had scheduled an appointment with the divorce attorney on Monday August 20
1990 the night before she was killed financial gain was another potential motive Jim had always maintained that
the lodge was breaking even financially but a review of his tax records showed that the business had lost
$550,000 between 1989 and 1990 Jim was also found to have been deliberately overstating the value of
his various real estate holdings although he claimed to be a multi-millionaire in reality he was in a
precarious financial position not long after purchasing the lodge Bonnie Hood had received a
$250,000 inheritance the money would have gone a long way in covering the lodger expenses
but Bonnie refused to put her own money into the business rumors had it that this became
a major source of contention between the hoods in the aftermath of Bonnie's murder Jim was the beneficiary of her
$750,000 life insurance policy it turned out that he'd also collected an additional $2 million from
a separate mortgage insurance policy that he'd taken out on the lodge bringing his entire wi for from Bonnie's
death to nearly $3 million with all of this information coming to light investigators were
certain of their long-standing theory that Jim Hood had hired a Hitman to kill his
wife further digging revealed that Bruce beum had previously proven himself willing and able to do Jim's Dirty
Work in 1989 Jim had apparently paid Bruce $9,000 to illegally cut down 35 trees to give passing motorists a better
view of a Mission Plaza billboard The Hitman Theory formed the basis of the prosecution's case against
Jim Hood when he went to trial in October 1992 although Jim maintained that he'd
killed Bruce beum in self-defense the prosecution argued that he'd murdered Bruce to bring an end to his extortion
efforts the problem was investigators hadn't been able to find tangible proof that Bruce had received any money from
Jim Hood aside from his old paychecks from work the defense accused Sharon and Gary
spray of making their story up so they could file a lawsuit against a JY for Bruce's wrongful
death although Sharon denied this accusation on the stand it was revealed that she had already consulted with
three separate lawyers about filing such a lawsuit Jim Hood took the stand in his
own defense he claimed not to know whether Bruce was involved in Bonnie's murder
and asserted that any bad blood between the two men stemmed from the theft of his construction equipment and the
subsequent prosecution tion of Gary spray Jim maintained that he'd invited Bruce to his office to settle their
differences peacefully and only gunned Bruce down when Bruce went to shoot him first it took the jury 20 days to
announce that they'd reached a verdict only to change their mind the following morning and continue
deliberations in the end they were at an inass tender Ur had settled on guilty verdicts one believed Jim wasn't guilty
and the remaining juror was undecided a mistrial was declared with a retrial scheduled for later in the
year Jim Hood's retrial commenced in September 1993 with the surprising Revelation from
the judge he bed the prosecution from presenting any evidence suggest sesting that Jim had hired Bruce beum to murder
his wife making it clear that this trial would focus solely on Bruce's murder and
not on the murder of Bonnie Hood the prosecution therefore had no choice but to Center their case around
the physical evidence from the crime scene in Jim's office as for the motive they could only
go so far as to assert that Bruce was attempting to Blackmail Jim about something
Jim had already admitted during the first trial that he' paid Bruce to do illegal work for him in the
past this alone proved that Bruce was in possession of some knowledge that he could use against a
Jim Jim Hood took the stand again but he changed several critical details from his original
testimony in the first trial Jim claimed that Bruce's hand and head had moved in
very spefic specific ways after he'd been shot during the retrial however Jim denied that Bruce had moved at
all in order to show the jury that Jim had changed his story The prosecution did something they believed had never
been done in a California courtroom they called jurors from the first trial to testify as eyewitnesses
to what Jim's original testimony had been one by one the former jurors provided irrefutable proof that Jim had
purged himself on the stand completely shattering his credibility after 6 days of deliberation
the second jury returned a unanimous verdict Jim Hood was found guilty of murdering Bruce beum and sentenced to 29
years in prison Jim continued to maintain his innocence in the murders of both Bruce
and Bonnie his two children stood by him believing he was wrongfully convicted and falsely accused for both
crimes in 2012 Jim's ongoing claims of Innocence cost him the opportunity to be released from prison early due to good
behavior he was considered a model inmate having taken courses in Stress Management and conflict resolution
according to prison officials Jim never once violated a single prison rule however in the words of the state
Governor until Jim Hood shows that he has genuinely explored and can give a credible account of the circumstance
that led to his killing of Bruce beum I cannot be persuaded that he would not commit future acts of violence If
released from prison the governor's statements demonstrated The Catch 22 of prisoners
who claimed to be truly innocent Jim's refusal to confess meant he remained in prison for a further 5
years he was ultimately released in 2017 after serving 23 years and has since kept a low
profile authorities remain convinced that Bruce beum killed bnny Hood under Jim's
order in 1996 Bonnie's case was reopened after police received a package claiming
to contain new information about her murder what the package contained or who sent it has never been made
public upon further investigation the sheriff determined the new information wasn't enough to officially close the
case as of 2024 the murder of Bonnie Hood officially remains un [Music] [Music] solved e

Case 298: Bonnie Hood

On August 19 1990, the tiny mountain town of Camp Nelson, California was stunned when the owner of the Camp Nelson Lodge, Bonnie Hood, was found shot to death in her private cabin. Her handyman, Rudy Manuel, was also shot in the head during the attack. While various suspects and theories emerged, it wasn’t until a separate shooting took place a little over a year later that the truth unravelled behind what some have called the strangest murder case in California's history.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Hugo Henry Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-298-bonnie-hood

Brief Summary

The episode recounts the 1990 shooting of Bonnie Hood and Rudy Manuel, the investigation, and Jim Hood's trial for Bruce Beum's murder.

Key points

A Distressing Awakening. Rudy Manuel is awoken by a strange sound and senses danger outside his cabin.
A Night of Horror. An intruder shoots Rudy and Bonnie Hood in their cabin, leading to a frantic 911 call.
The Investigation Begins. First responders discover the aftermath of the shooting, leading to a complex investigation.
A Web of Suspicions. Rudy's past conflicts and Bonnie's secrets complicate the investigation into their murders.
Bruce Beum's Alibi. Bruce claimed he was at a friend's house during the murders, but investigators found inconsistencies.
The Shocking Revelation. Bruce revealed Jim Hood suggested the trip to Camp Nelson, linking him to the crime.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You're going to have to put me down.

Rudy's defiant response to the gunman.

2:18WatchSep 28, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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