Teen pleads not guilty in Saugerties homicide; grandmother says she tried to get him help
Mark J. Wanchik appeared in Ulster County Youth Part Court, where his attorney entered the plea during his indictment arraignment.
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The 15-year-old charged in the killing of 88-year-old Elena Bonjolo pleaded not guilty Monday after being indicted on a single count of second-degree murder.
Mark J. Wanchik appeared in Ulster County Youth Part Court, where his attorney entered the plea during his indictment arraignment. Police say Wanchik is being prosecuted as an adult.
Outside the courthouse, Wanchik’s grandmother fought back tears as she described her grandson’s mental health struggles and the efforts she said she made to get him help before the homicide.
“I brought him to therapy. I brought him to doctors. I brought him to everything I could possibly do, and nobody helped him,” she said. “That’s what my problem is. Nobody cares.”
She said Wanchik had epilepsy, struggled with depression and had been prescribed medication she believes contributed to changes in his behavior.
“My grandson has deficiencies. He’s been getting in trouble since he’s been on the drugs that they were giving him,” she said.
Authorities have not commented on claims regarding Wanchik’s medical treatment or the effects of any prescribed medication.
Wanchik’s grandmother also said she knew Bonjolo personally.
“Elena was a friend of mine. We walked together,” she said through tears. “I don’t understand why Mark was like that.”
She said the morning of the killing, her grandson appeared unusually agitated.
“He just got fidgety. He was pacing the floor. He wanted to go outside. He went for a walk and that’s when it happened,” she said.
Police say Bonjolo died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck after she was attacked June 7. Police also say Wanchik and Bonjolo knew each other but were not related.
Bonjolo, a longtime area resident, was a mother of four and grandmother of three. Her obituary describes her as a devoted wife, loving mother and friend to many.
Police said Wanchik was brought to the Saugerties Police Department by family members before officers responded to 25 John Shultz Road, where they found Bonjolo dead outside an abandoned home.
Wanchik remains held without bail and is due back in Ulster County Youth Part Court on Sept. 10.
