The Execution of Bonnie B. Lee

Bonnie B. Lee, a petite, pretty girl, was just 8 years old when her stepfather, Travis, began abusing her. Her mother, Francine, an attractive but irresponsible $20 hooker, perpetuated the abuse by offering Bonnie to her clients as a paid extra, or as Francine often stated, her “icing on the cake”. Bonnie, being so young and unaware of the consequences of her actions, faced each new day with trepidation and fear in what she later described as “her house of horrors”. Eventually, Bonnie’s lifestyle led to drug and alcohol abuse which soon became a normal part of her tragic existence.

Whilst walking with friends through the town one afternoon, Bonnie, now 14, met a tall, tattooed, smooth talking biker named Tommy Tomb. Tommy was a bad boy, popular with the ladies and charismatic but Tommy harboured a darker side, he was aggressive, short tempered and often violent. He was also known for being a bully and was feared by many. Shortly after their initial meet, Bonnie became smitten with Tommy. Tommy, realising he could take advantage of Bonnie’s naivety, decided to manipulate her. This was a familiar pattern in Bonnie’s life, so she allowed it. Tommy was now the instigator, the abuser. Tommy’s abuse of Bonnie soon spiralled out of control as he decided he could make money from Bonnie’s exploits and encouraged sexual liaisons between her and his biker friends, these liaisons often turning into dark satanic rituals with Bonnie being the focus of the gang’s attention. Bonnie’s youth had been a tragic misconception of purpose, she soon became unable to distinguish right from wrong, resulting in the murders of Francine and Travis, the decision for the deaths being orchestrated in the town’s diner. To cover the brutal murders, Tommy decided to set fire to the house in an endeavour to destroy the evidence.

As prime suspects in the murders, Bonnie and Tommy were brought in for questioning, but the Arkansas police, realising they didn’t have enough evidence to convict, were forced to release them. Bonnie and Tommy, after drinking at a local biker’s bar, decided to celebrate in a drug fuelled orgy at Tommy’s house. The pair, totally out of it, hear a knock at the front door. Tommy opens it to find a State Trooper standing in the doorway. The Trooper, after being tipped off about Tommy’s drug dealing, had intuitively put in a call for backup prior to the confrontation. An altercation ensues and the Trooper, at gunpoint, is bound and gagged by Bonnie before being brutally slain by Tommy. Soon after the murder, the house is surrounded by a large police presence and after repeated warnings to surrender, a shootout ensues. The house is riddled with bullets and catches fire, the blaze soon becomes out of control. The police, unable to enter the building because of the searing heat, believe that Bonnie and Tommy have perished, but unknown to them the couple had managed to make a mysterious escape.

Sometime later, on a disused country road, Bonnie and Tommy, dishevelled and exhausted, see headlights blazing in the distance, they decide to flag down the car, it’s not until it stops that it is seen to be a police cruiser. Four armed police officers get out of the car and arrest the couple. The focus then moves forward to the final night of Bonnie’s incarceration where she relives many of her worst memories.

Bonnie writes in the diary to Alison, her daughter, but Alison is a figment of Bonnie’s imagination. Bonnie, confused and continually under the influence of drugs, was never fully able to accept the fact that her baby was stillborn, the death possibly due to Francine’s drug fuelled negligence. As Bonnie sits in her cell awaiting the 3am execution, she completes her diary, believing her story will create a legacy for her daughter.

Bonnie tries to purge her demons prior to her execution. On the gurney, Bonnie repents, but as her life ebbs away she appears to be possessed by dark forces who wish only to re-create death and mayhem. It appears that the Devil has taken Bonnie but maybe this is the final eradication of her demons.