Scots millionaire's son killed by ruthless Mexican Narcos torture gang who dumped body in car boot

Daily Record

13-05-2025

Adrian Bonar's decomposing body was found wrapped in plastic in the boot of a plush Lexus motor after it had been dumped under a bridge.
The army veteran son of a Scots tycoon was killed by a ruthless Mexican Narcos torture gang, it has emerged.
Adrian Bonar's decomposing body was found wrapped in plastic in the boot of a plush Lexus motor after it had been dumped under a bridge. His dad, entrepreneur Dr Brian Bonar, originally from Greenock, ran firms in the financial sector and restaurants in California.
‌
According to court documents, Adrian, 34, was killed by Martin Lopez Torres, who believed the Iraq War veteran-turned-dealer was stealing from him.
‌
The cartel member recently pleaded guilty to murdering Adrian and received 28 years to life in prison. The 44-year-old admitted shooting Adrian as part of a plea deal just before his trial was due to start.
It has taken US prosecutors six years to get Torres into the dock - and details of the horror treatment his ruthless gang dished out to their victims, including dad-of-two Adrian have now emerged.
Deputy District Attorney Nick Thomo in a pre-trial statement said Bonar was kidnapped and killed in October 2019 and a second victim was kidnapped and tortured in November of the same year.
He added that the pair's abductors 'focuses primarily on trafficking narcotics from Mexico throughout Southern California'.
On October 15, 2019, Anaheim police in California received a call of a suspicious car near Gypsum Canyon off the 91 and 241 freeways. The car was ticketed and police returned a couple days later after receiving more calls about it and noticed a foul odour from it. They then found the decomposing body in the trunk and the corpse was later identified as being Adrian.
‌
DDA Thomo added: "The second victim was tied to a chair, beaten, cut with machetes, and held at gunpoint. He was duct-taped to a metal ladder and had a gasoline-soaked rag stuffed in his mouth and his mouth was duct-taped shut.
"At some point during his imprisonment, he was taken to the bathroom. He was shaved and sexually assaulted'
‌
When the victim fought back he was locked in a closet until police rescued him.
Bonar served in the U.S. Army from 2005 till 2009, when he was honourably discharged. He saw combat in Iraq, but left the army after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
‌
At his funeral a picture was displayed showing him in full Highland dress while mourners wore thistles. Adrian's younger brother Cannon, who was just 27, took his own life the year after his sibling's murder, leaving his family devastated.
At the time his millionaire dad said: "As far as I'm concerned, the guys who killed Adrian also killed Cannon. They took both my sons. Cannon was a bright boy with natural intelligence.
"He couldn't get his head around how his brother died and it took him to a really dark place. He said he couldn't deal with the fact Adrian was no longer here. He really struggled."
Two co-accused in Adrian's murder Antonio Silva Lopez and Nicolas Colunga are still awaiting trial. Torres is the uncle of Silva Lopez, according to the trial brief from Deputy District Attorney Thomo.