The sudden absence of a young woman after a date frightened and frustrated her family. Despite their best efforts, she was never found alive.
‘Web of Lies: Swipe Right for Murder‘ on Investigation Discovery follows the terrible case of Ashley Pegram’s death in April 2015.
The young mother died as a result of what was expected to be a nice night out, prompting officials to look for her assassin.
So, if you’re curious about what happened that night, you’re in luck.
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What Caused Ashley Pegram’s Death?
Ashley Nicole Pegram was born in April 1986 in South Carolina. She and her parents lived in Summerville, South Carolina, with their three children.
According to her loved ones, Ashley had a kind and helpful attitude, and she enjoyed spending time outside.
The 28-year-old left home for a date on April 3, 2015, probably after 9 p.m., but never returned. On April 4, her frightened relatives reported her missing.
The prospect of finding Ashley alive decreased as the days passed. Authorities in Harleyville, South Carolina, searched a wooded area after receiving a tip.
On May 9, 2015, they discovered Ashley’s rotting remains in a shallow grave. Her glasses were tangled in her hair, and she was just wearing a bra.
Her neck had fractures consistent with physical strangling & severe injury injuries to her skull, according to the autopsy. Homicide violence was indicated as the cause of death.
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Who Was The Killer Of Ashley Pegram?
Ashley’s family reviewed her messages on a cellphone she shared to her sister after she didn’t return the next day.
Ashley had been emailing a man called Edward Borilla using a messaging app at the time; they first met online in March 2015.
Edward was, in fact, the person she had gone out on a dinner with the night before. He apologised for leaving Ashley on the street because she was too drunk in a message received at 3:29 a.m. on April 4th.
This information was given to the authorities, who then summoned Edward for questioning. On the night of April 3, he reported having picked up Ashley and driven her to his brother’s house for a bonfire in his mother’s car.
Security camera footage from a petrol station saw Ashley entering and exiting the same vehicle sometime after midnight.
Edward initially claimed that he had left her at the petrol station but later modified his tale, claiming that she had been abandoned in a trailer park in Summerville.
The authorities scrutinised Edward more closely after being dissatisfied with his account of events.
Edward was working at a flooring company at the time, and surveillance footage from there showed him departing in one of the corporate cars, which an unidentified person had returned at roughly 10:55 p.m. on April 4.
When the authorities searched the automobile, they discovered blood traces that tested positive for Ashley’s DNA.
They were able to secure a warrant to search his mother’s automobile using this evidence. Ashley’s DNA was also found in the trunk.
At his trial, Edward claimed that the death was accidental. He was driving Ashley home after spending time at the bonfire, and she blamed him of stealing her mother’s phone & shouted at him.
Edward said Ashley walked away when he stopped to let her use the restroom. Then Edward decided to go, and his car collided with Ashley as he was backing up. He said Ashley had attacked him when he checked on her.
Edward grabbed her in a tight hug and claimed she died in his arms in an attempt to control her.
“Everything was occurring so fast at that point,” Edward explained. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone act like that.”
He placed Ashley’s body in the trunk of the car, dropped her on the side of the road, and then returned with the work vehicle. Edward wrapped a plastic bag around Ashley’s head and explained that she was bleeding.
Edward buried Ashley’s body in a small grave after travelling to a wooded location in Harleyville.
What Happened to Edward Bonilla & Where Is He Now?
Edward was the one who eventually told police officers where Ashley was dumped. He also acknowledged to sending a message to Ashley in order to deceive the investigators.
Additionally, mobile phone tower pings pinpointed Edward’s location in the region where the body was found.
He was convicted guilty of murder & sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in August 2016, when he was 31 years old.
According to prison records, Edward is still detained at the Perry Correctional Institution in Pelzer, South Carolina.