Teen accused of murder now charged with rape

WEST CAMP―The teen accused in the brutal murder of an 88-year-old woman earlier this summer is now charged with her rape.

Mark J. Wanchik II, 15, of Saugerties is scheduled to be back in Ulster County Court on September 10 for another arraignment after being indicted on two counts of first-degree rape: forcible compulsion, according to court records.

Saugerties Police say Elena Bonjolo of West Camp Road in Saugerties was killed sometime between 9:15 a.m. and 1:52 p.m. on Sunday, June 7.

“The cause of death was determined to be a result of blunt impact injuries to the head and neck,” Saugerties Police reported.

Later that same day, police arrested Wanchik and charged him with Bonjolo’s murder. He pleaded not guilty and is remanded to what police described as a secure facility.

Saugerties Police said they first became aware of the possible homicide when the teen was brought into the police station by family members. Officers then responded to 25 John Shults Road in West Camp and found Bonjolo deceased outside an abandoned residence.

Bonjolo, who lived in close proximity to Wanchik , was not related to him but police said they knew each other.

According to her obituary, Bonjolo was born in Croatia and had been a Saugerties-area resident for almost 70 years. She leaves behind four sons and three grandchildren and would have celebrated her 89th birthday on June 15.

Wanchik is currently being treated as a juvenile offender but could still face up to life in prison if convicted. He is represented by the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office.

West Camp, a small hamlet of less than 100 people within the town of Saugerties, is located about a mile south of the Greene County line.