Houma man found guilty of wife’s ‘04 storage box murder

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A man will spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering his wife by locking her inside a sealed storage box.

John Fitzgerald Bonvillain Sr., 42, was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence, in the September 2004 death of his wife, Cheryle McCann. He was also found guilty of obstruction of justice for locking her body in a large metal box and attempting to hide it.

Bonvillain showed no emotion when the verdict was read. McCann’s family held back tears and held hands as they sat in the courtroom.

Prosecutors said Bonvillain and McCann had a stormy, sometimes violent two-year relationship. McCann died after ingesting an overdose of drugs, leaving her comatose, authorities said. She was then placed in a storage box in Bonvillain’s house, where she suffocated.

Late last year, Bonvillain was convicted of manslaughter and obstruction of justice in the death of 19-year-old Ashley Scivicque, whose body was found inside the trunk of his Cadillac at another home he owned in Houma. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison on those charges.