Man held without bail in shooting death of girlfriend
Sophia Bonfiglio and Tyler Cook were planning to relocate to Cape Cod this past Monday, family members said, but those plans were derailed when he allegedly shot and killed her on New Year’s Eve.
MANCHESTER, NH – Sophia Bonfiglio and Tyler Cook were planning to relocate to Cape Cod this past Monday, family members said, but those plans were derailed when he allegedly shot and killed her on New Year’s Eve.
Cook, 26, of 274 Amherst St., is being held without bail on a felony charge of manslaughter. He is accused of shooting Bonfiglio, also 26, in their apartment about 2 p.m. on Sunday.
A charge of manslaughter is a special felony which, on conviction, carries a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison and up to a $4,000 fine.
Cook, according to the complaint on file in Hillsborough County Superior Court North, is accused of recklessly causing her death when he shot her with a handgun.
He briefly appeared in court on Tuesday morning and entered a not-guilty plea. He did not contest the state’s request that he be held in preventive detention.
“She was a very beautiful young lady,” said Paul Bonfiglio of his daughter, after the hearing. “She was just about to move home and go to RN school.
She and Cook had been together for about eight years, he said. Sophia had worked at Dan O’Brian Kia but the company was sold.
“She didn’t like the way the company was structured. She had just lost her mother three months ago so we decided why don’t you come home, attend RN school and become a nurse,” he said.
She had been a CNA (certified nursing assistant) for a while, he said, and thought it was a good time to make the change.
Cook was accompanying her to Cape Cod, a move that was to take place yesterday, he said.
But on Sunday Sophia was shot about 2 p.m. and died about 2 1/2 hours later at the Elliot Hospital where she was taken for treatment.
Both her father and Nina Wright, her aunt and godmother, said they hadn’t had any concerns about her safety.
“He (her father) was very close to her,” Nina said. “He spoke to her daily.”
She said they saw the couple on holidays and special occasions because they lived in Manchester and her family made their home on the Cape.
Defense attorney Leif Becker of Portsmouth, when asked for a statement, said, “No comment. It’s very early in the process.”
Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Carl Olsen said the manslaughter case will remain with his office depending on the results of an autopsy which was being done Tuesday.
The charges are merely accusations, and Cook is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.