Man charged with killing wife with hammer set for preliminary hearing

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a Kelseyville man charged with killing his wife last month with a hammer.

Travis Ryan Bonson, 46, has been charged with first-degree murder for the death of 44-year-old Ayano Bonson, his wife of 22 years.

Lake County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Travis Bonson on the morning of Jan. 16 after receiving a call from him at his Single Spring Drive home. Bonson told authorities he had physically assaulted Ayano Bonson.

Deputies found Ayano Bonson in critical condition. She was transported to an out-of-county hospital for medical treatment. She died four days after the attack.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Rotow, who is the prosecutor handling the case, confirmed to Lake County News that Travis Bonson used a hammer to kill his wife while she was in bed.

Based on the evidence, “I think it’s a reasonable conclusion, probably the only conclusion,” that Ayano Bonson was assaulted when she was asleep, Rotow said.

Bonson is a registered sex offender as the result of a 2012 felony conviction for committing lewd or lascivious acts on a child under age 14. Rotow said Bonson has not had any Lake County cases since completing his prior sex-related prison sentence. 

On Tuesday morning, Bonson was in Lake County Superior Court, where he entered a not guilty plea in the case before Judge J. David Markham.

He is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing and bail review on March 19.

Bonson remains in custody in the Lake County Jail. He’s being held without bail.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.