Former Durham Lords star Slaughter dies at 26
Thu May 22, 2008

By: By Shawn Cayley

OSHAWA -- One of the most prolific three-point shooters in the history of Durham College has died at the age of 26.

Oshawa native Bonnie Slaughter died Tuesday after Peterborough County OPP and several fire rescue personnel responded to her Norwood home after a medical complaint was called in.

Slaughter, who graduated from Durham in 2004, was rushed to Campbellford hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

A post-mortem exam was to be performed on Wednesday, however, no other details are known at this time, though police indicated the death was not considered suspicious.

As a member of the Lords, Slaughter became best known for her three-point shooting prowess and still holds the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association record for most threes made in one season as she knocked down 43 in the 2002-03 campaign.

Ken Babcock, the athletic director at Durham, took some time Thursday to remember Slaughter and the impact she made on the women's basketball program during her four-year career.

"She was an exceptional student-athlete here at Durham College, a star women's basketball player," said Babcock. "Craig Andrews brought her into the program and worked really hard on her and she had just a stellar career here."

Slaughter still sits in third place on the all-time OCAA scoring list with 866 career points.

As much as Babcock tried to emphasize the positive, there was no ignoring the impact of the tragedy.

"It's a tragic thing. Life is too short sometimes and certainly in this case it was too short for Bonnie Slaughter and her family," he said in a sombre tone. "You really can't fathom it, 26-years-old with a young kid and a bright future ahead. It's one of life's unexpected turns."

Babcock says Slaughter's parents still live in Oshawa, while she is survived in Norwood by her two-year son Colton and fiance Bill Crowdis, a former standout with the men's basketball program at Durham and current coach of the men's team at Fleming College in Peterborough.

"Life is built on judging what is fair and what isn't," Babcock adds. "You deal with these things and people are dealing with this certainly in the Slaughter and Crowdis families and that's unfair."