Aimee Ellen Willard Stabbed to Death in North Philly Pennsylvania

Aimee Ellen Willard was born on June 8, 1974, and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From an early age she displayed an extraordinary aptitude for sports, excelling in multiple disciplines throughout her youth. At the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur in Villanova, she starred on the soccer pitch and lacrosse field, earning regional honors and setting school records for scoring and assists. Her speed, agility, and unyielding competitive drive made her a standout athlete, and she quickly gained a reputation as both a gifted playmaker and inspirational teammate. Graduating with honors, she went on to attend George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where she majored in communications while continuing her athletic career. In 1996, as a junior, she led the Colonial Athletic Association in lacrosse scoring with fifty goals and twenty-nine assists, earning All-Conference recognition in both lacrosse and soccer, as well as All-American honors in lacrosse. Her plans for a professional future both on and off the field seemed bright, as she balanced top-tier athletic performance with academic ambition and community involvement.

The Fateful Evening

On the evening of June 19, 1996, Aimee spent time with friends at a local tavern in suburban Philadelphia. It was a warm, humid night, typical of mid-June in the region, and she left the establishment shortly before midnight. According to eyewitness accounts, she appeared in good spirits and friendly conversation with her companions. Before departing, she agreed to drop two friends at their homes along the Oxford Valley Road corridor, east of the city. Her planned route would bring her onto Interstate 476, the Blue Route, heading south toward her apartment. She never arrived at her destination.

Discovery of the Vehicle

At approximately 2:00 AM on June 20, motorists reported seeing a blue 1995 Honda Civic idling on the southbound exit ramp 5 of Interstate 476 in Marple Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. State police responded to the scene and found the car with its engine running, headlights illuminated, and the driver’s side door standing open. Blood spatter dotted the pavement, and a heavy tire iron lay on the ground nearby. No one was visible inside or around the vehicle. The scene immediately suggested foul play. Troopers secured the area, collected tire impressions from nearby tracks, and dusted the tire iron and door handle for prints, which later produced a palm print. Despite rain earlier that night, personal items such as a pair of Aimee’s tennis shoes and underwear were discovered half a mile up the ramp—dry and undisturbed—hinting at a rapid sequence of events.

Initial Crime Scene Findings

Investigators combed the exit ramp for evidence. Tire-track analysis indicated a compact, older-model vehicle had pulled alongside Aimee’s Civic before coming to rest. The tire iron bore traces of blood and microscopic tissue samples. The palm print on the door handle provided a partial but legible fingerprint. No shell casings or spent rounds were found, ruling out a shooting but pointing toward a violent struggle. Despite the abundance of forensic material, the scene yielded no immediate suspect. Troopers canvassed surrounding neighborhoods, interviewed early responders, and appealed to the public for tips, but concrete leads remained elusive for months.

The Search and Community Response

News of Aimee’s disappearance galvanized both local communities and her alma maters. Flyers plastered telephone poles and storefront windows across Delaware County and into Philadelphia. University classmates organized search parties along tributary roads and wooded embankments. Charitable organizations donated billboard space along major roadways. Local television and radio broadcast appeals for information, emphasizing the unusual brutality and daring nature of the abduction. Family members remained at the forefront, maintaining a 24-hour hotline and coordinating with law enforcement. Despite tireless efforts and public sympathy, the search yielded no sightings of Aimee alive beyond the blue Civic on the ramp.

Locating the Body

Late in the afternoon of June 20, a construction worker on his way to a job site in North Philadelphia spotted something disturbing in a vacant lot at the intersection of 16th and Indiana Streets. Upon closer inspection, he discovered the naked body of a young woman face-down in the dirt and debris. Philadelphia police secured the lot and confirmed the identity through dental records and personal effects. The coroner’s report detailed three massive blows to the skull, consistent with the use of a heavy, blunt instrument—matching the tire iron found on the ramp. There were no defensive wounds to her hands, indicating she may have been incapacitated or surprised before the final assault. The elapsed time between her disappearance and the discovery of her remains suggested she had been held captive for several hours under unknown conditions before being killed and transported across county lines.

Investigative Leads and Law Enforcement Challenges

Early in the investigation, detectives focused on reports of motorists who claimed to have seen Aimee’s Civic on local roads after midnight. Three men—each with law enforcement or impersonation backgrounds—emerged as persons of interest. One, Andrew Kobak, had a history of posing as a police officer and was found with handcuffs, a badge, and police-style flashlight in his home, but he produced an alibi that could not be disproven. A second, off-duty state trooper Harold Ryan Hutchinson, stated he saw a marked squad car following Aimee’s Civic, a claim later undermined by phone records placing him elsewhere at the time. A third, Philadelphia police officer David Buggy, admitted being in the vicinity but was convicted only of obstruction of justice after inconsistencies in his statements and a recorded phone call revealed his untruthfulness. None of these leads produced the definitive link required to bring criminal charges.

Breakthrough Through a Survivor’s Memory

Nearly two years into the investigation, a separate hit-and-run survivor stepped forward. In the spring of 1998, she had been the target of a staged collision on a rural stretch of road in Bucks County. The driver of the aggressor vehicle flashed a homemade police badge, causing her to pull over, but she recognized the scene as suspicious and memorized the license plate before speeding away. When the investigation into Aimee’s death remained open, detectives revisited cold-case files and interviewed the survivor, who provided the plate number. Records traced the plate to Arthur Jerome Bomar Jr., a paroled inmate from Nevada with a prior second-degree murder conviction.

Forensic Confirmation and Arrest

Police obtained a warrant to examine Bomar’s vehicle and found burn patterns on the passenger-side door matching scald marks on Willard’s back, consistent with contact against an oil pan. They also discovered Aimee’s blood and hair inside the car. Bomar was taken into custody without incident. A search of his personal effects turned up a police-style badge and the same model tire iron. Under questioning, Bomar refused to confess, but the forensic evidence proved overwhelming.

Trial, Conviction, and Sentencing

In October 1998, Bomar faced trial in Delaware County. Prosecutors presented a comprehensive case: tire-track comparisons, burn-pattern analysis, DNA and hair matches, the survivor’s eyewitness account of the fake badge and plate number, and evidence of Bomar’s parole status and criminal history. The defense argued mistaken identity and challenged the reliability of the burn-pattern science, but the jury found Bomar guilty of first-degree murder, rape, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and abuse of a corpse. At the sentencing phase, the jury weighed three aggravating factors—murder during the commission of a felony, a prior history of violent crime, and a previous murder conviction—against a single mitigating factor. They recommended the death penalty, which the judge imposed, ordering consecutive prison terms for the additional counts.

Appeals and Finality

Over the next decade, Bomar filed multiple appeals, challenging trial procedures, counsel effectiveness, and alleged prosecutorial misconduct. In 2003, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and death sentence, and in November 2014, the court denied his final state post-conviction relief petition. As of mid-2025, Bomar remains on death row at the State Correctional Institution in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Aimee’s mother, Gail Willard, has attended many hearings and expressed relief that the judicial process upheld the verdict, though she continues to grapple with grief and public attention.

Legacy and Legislative Impact

Aimee’s tragic death prompted national reflection on parole supervision and offender tracking. In 2000, Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act—popularly known as “Aimee’s Law”—which mandated stricter notification protocols when parolees travel across state lines and authorized additional resources for interstate crime task forces. In the sport community, US Lacrosse created the annual Aimee Willard Award to honor a collegiate female athlete who demonstrates outstanding leadership and athletic skill, preserving her memory in the game she loved.

Memorials and Public Remembrance

A modest roadside marker now stands at the I-476 exit ramp where Aimee’s car was abandoned, flanked by seasonal floral tributes. Each June, friends and teammates gather there for a remembrance ceremony, reading poems and sharing stories of her kindness and competitive spirit. At George Mason University, a bench near the athletic complex bears a plaque commemorating her achievements and tragic end. True-crime television series and documentaries continue to revisit the case, emphasizing both the investigative breakthroughs and the lessons it taught about roadside safety, law-enforcement impersonation, and the importance of public vigilance.

Reflections on Safety and Trust

The murder of Aimee Willard remains a cautionary tale about the vulnerabilities every motorist faces. It underscores the need for clear protocols during traffic stops—knowing when and how to verify authority—and for travelers to trust their instincts in situations that feel staged or coercive. Law enforcement agencies nationwide have since revised policies for identifying legitimate officers and for public education on safe yielding practices. The case also highlights the necessity of interjurisdictional cooperation in tracking high-risk parolees and the power of a single eyewitness memory to crack open the coldest of cases.

Conclusion

More than a quarter-century after her death on June 20, 1996, Aimee Ellen Willard’s story resonates as both a deeply personal family tragedy and a landmark criminal investigation. Her life as a standout athlete and her brutal murder prompted reforms that have saved lives, and her memory endures through awards, legislation, and the heartfelt remembrances of those who knew her. While justice was ultimately served in the courtroom, the human cost remains incalculable—reminding us that vigilance, compassion, and shared resolve are crucial in preventing such crimes from ever happening again.