Widow charged with aircraft mechanic's murder

The widow of an aircraft mechanic who was found shot to death in the desert near Johnson Lane was charged Thursday with his murder.

District Attorney Mark Jackson said Karen Bodden, 44, was charged with one count of open murder with use of a deadly weapon.

The criminal complaint alleges that Karen Bodden shot Robin Bodden, 50, in the head Aug. 16.

East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl set bail at $1 million cash.

Karen Bodden has been in Douglas County Jail since Sept. 11, 2006, charged with grand larceny and two counts of uttering a forged instrument, accused of stealing $30,000 from her husband's accounts.

"We believe the evidence shows the motive was financial gain," Jackson said.

Robin Bodden's badly decomposed body was discovered Sept. 10 in the desert after a family member reported him missing.

Karen Bodden told investigators she didn't report her husband missing because they were having marital problems and he had disappeared before. She claimed he left in a twin-engine plane with a man named "Ramos."

Robin Bodden's siblings said they believed his wife had murdered him.

A 29-page affidavit filed by lead Douglas County sheriff's investigator Ron Elges described numerous sets of tire tracks found inside the General Aviation Services of Nevada hangar at Minden-Tahoe Airport, Robin Bodden's business.

Jackson said tire tracks matched those with two airplanes parked in the hangar and one set resembled the tires on Robin Bodden's pickup.

He said the evidence indicates that Bodden was shot twice in the head with a .22-caliber weapon. His body was bound and rolled up in a blanket. Then, a nylon tie-down strap was attached to the body and tied to a hydraulic lift in the hangar.

Using the hydraulic lift, the body was lifted off the ground and dropped into the back of the pickup truck.

"A child could do it," Jackson said. "It takes zero strength."

Jackson said investigators believe Karen Bodden acted alone.

The murder weapon has not been recovered, Jackson said.

He said Robin Bodden kept two .22-caliber handguns at his shop and one is missing. The gun on the premises was not used in the murder.

Jackson said he was preparing a motion to dismiss the theft charges against Karen Bodden. She had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was set for trial beginning Wednesday before District Judge Dave Gamble.

"The basis is the evidence that the (embezzlement) case is part of the motive in the murder case," Jackson said.

"Karen previously was convicted of embezzlement and has done a lot of things in the past for her own financial gain. She filed false reports for claims to commit insurance fraud for money. A lot of times the primary motive in a murder committed by a family member is greed," Jackson said.

Karen Bodden was convicted in 2004 of embezzling $44,000 when she was employed by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. She was sentenced to probation.