Remembering Conner Bachuss

 

A Fateful Morning

On the morning of December 5, 2010, two-year-old Conner Bachuss woke up and wanted his mommy. Connor’s older sister brought him into his mother’s room. Ms. Bachuss was suffering from a kidney stone that resulted in severe bouts of pain, and she had finally fallen asleep. Ronald Saunders, Ms. Bachuss’ boyfriend, told Conner’s sister that her mother was sick and to let her sleep. Saunders then took Conner to the living room. A few hours later, Ms. Bachuss woke up and was feeling better. She planned on making breakfast and taking the children to church. Saunders came into her room and asked her if Conner had fallen the previous night. Ms. Bacchus told him “no” and Saunders left the room. Within a few minutes Saunders came back in the room carrying Conner’s lifeless body.

Conner’s mother immediately knew something was wrong. She started screaming for Saunders to help Conner. She then called 911. By this time the other children were in the bedroom and started crying and screaming. Ms. Bachuss told them to get their coats and shoes on and go to the living room. She then called the children’s great-aunt and uncle to pick up so the children so they would not have to see what was happening. When Ms. Bachuss came back into the room, Saunders had moved Conner to the bathroom floor and Conner was turning blue. Ms. Bachuss called 911 again and begged them to hurry. The ambulance arrived minutes later and took Conner to the hospital.

Fatal Injuries

After Conner arrived at the hospital, doctors found multiple injuries, including bruising on his face and neck, internal bleeding, severe brain damage and two large bruises on his back. He also had 114 small puncture wounds, and doctors also removed a thumbtack from the top of Conner’s stomach. Conner fought to live for five days and his family kept a vigil by his bedside. After a MRI was conducted, doctors told Conner’s mother that he was brain dead and asked her permission to pull Conner off life support. Conner’s mother did not want him to suffer any longer and agreed. She asked to continue life support for one more day so the rest of Conner’s family could come and say goodbye. Conner’s mother stayed up all night with Conner and hoped for a miracle. There was no miracle. The next day, Conner was removed from life support. He died in his mother’s arms. She held him for several hours until the medical examiners office arrived to take Conner’s body.

A Child Killer Emerges

From the moment police were informed of Conner’s death, they had only one suspect: Ronald Saunders. Saunders was the only person who was with Conner when the injuries occurred. In order to strengthen their case, police did not arrest Saunders immediately. For the next several weeks Saunders remained free and continued to stalk Conner’s mother. He would call her continuously and he would also follow her in his car. He would even track her down at the children’s doctor appointments. By December 23, 2010, police had enough evidence and arrested Ronald Saunders for the murder of Conner Bachuss.

Saunders went to trial and blamed Conner’s death on everyone but himself. He blamed Conner’s daycare, Conner’s mother and Conner’s sisters. It was Saunders’ confession to a fellow inmate that explained what happened. Saunders stated he and Conner were lying on the floor sleeping and Conner had kicked him in the back. Saunders then went into a daze. The next thing Saunders remembered was using one of his hands to hold the back of Conner’s head down. He also said that he had one leg across Conner’s back and the other leg across Conner’s legs. He also stated he had a pin in his hand. Unfortunately, the letter from the inmate detailing Saunders’ confession was received on the second day of the trial and could not be admitted into evidence. The inmate agreed to testify if Saunders was retried. His only request was that he be protected from Saunders.

Unfortunately, since there were no witnesses to the crime, the jury deadlocked and did not convict Saunders. In order to ensure a conviction, the prosecutor allowed Saunders to plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter. He received a sentence of ten years in prison. Saunders took an Alford Plea, which means he refused to admit guilt, however he acknowledged there was more than enough evidence to convict him of Conner’s murder.

A Violent Past

Had the jury heard Saunders’ violent past, they may have voted differently. In 2005, Saunders was investigated by children’s services in North Carolina. Saunders was investigated after his girlfriend’s son missed three days of daycare. When the child returned to daycare, he had a bruised and bloodshot eye, bruising behind both ears, two swollen lips, and bruising on his forehead. The child was removed from the home and suffered no further injuries. Saunders was believed to have inflicted the injuries, however he was never criminally charged.

Saunders’ violent behavior continued in April and May 2007 while serving in the U.S. Marines. Saunders was convicted three times for assaults on fellow marines. Two assaults involved binding another marine and hitting him with his arms and fists. Another charge involved Saunders choking another marine until he was unconscious and then dropping him on a concrete deck, which fractured the marine’s skull. Saunders also had a charge dismissed that involved choking a fellow marine.

________________________________________________

UPDATE: Ronald Saunders was released 7/31/2015 at the completion of his sentence, which includes acquired time credits. Thank you to everyone who submitted a petition to keep him in prison for his full sentence. We continue to believe Saunders poses an imminent threat to children. We urge anyone who comes into contact with Saunders to keep him away from their children and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement immediately.Rest In Peace Conner Bachuss. You will never be forgotten.