Rockdale man charged with murder of infant

Submitted by Cameron1 on

A Rockdale man is in custody for the suspected murder of a 20-month-old.

On Dec. 3 the Rockdale Police Department began an investigation upon receiving a 911 call from the residence. Patricia Ann Rader was pronounced dead at the scene. Shawn Vincent Boniello (aka Shayla Angeline Boniello), 30, was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the death.

Boniello was arrested and initially charged with abandoning/endangering a child. Bond was denied.

On Dec. 4, after police received preliminary autopsy results, the charge was upgraded to murder.

The Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department, an AMR ambulance crew and a Department of Public Safety trooper responded to the scene along with police to a report of an unresponsive child at 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 3.

Milam County District Attorney Bill Torrey said the investigation into this horrible tragedy is still on-going and his office has yet to see a report or any of the evidence against the defendant.

The defendant has been charged with capital murder of a child younger than 10 years of age.  The charge of capital murder, by statute, is punishable by death or life without the possibility of parole upon conviction.  

Torrey said that as of Monday, Dec. 10, his office had received two probable cause affidavits, capital murder and endangering a child - nothing else. He said that as such, no decision has been made on what punishment the Milam County DA’s office will seek at trial.  

Torrey said cost is not a determining factor for this office whether to proceed with a death penalty trial. Once the DA’s office has received the final reports and evidence from Rockdale Police Department Torrey will review the complete case. 

The DA’s office said that after review they will meet with the family of Patricia Ann Rader to discuss the case and what options there are for the trial. 

“Only after that meeting will our office know if we are seeking the death penalty for this heinous act,” Torrey said.  

Rockdale Police Department is handling the ongoing investigation of this matter.