diff --git a/checkpoint.go b/checkpoint.go
index a8a27f248..1f5f5e739 100644
--- a/checkpoint.go
+++ b/checkpoint.go
@@ -70,7 +70,9 @@ checkpointed.`,
 		err = container.Checkpoint(options)
 		if err == nil && !(options.LeaveRunning || options.PreDump) {
 			// Destroy the container unless we tell CRIU to keep it.
-			destroy(container)
+			if err := container.Destroy(); err != nil {
+				logrus.Warn(err)
+			}
 		}
 		return err
 	},
diff --git a/delete.go b/delete.go
index e8b92ae5a..fc8133438 100644
--- a/delete.go
+++ b/delete.go
@@ -18,8 +18,7 @@ func killContainer(container *libcontainer.Container) error {
 	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
 		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
 		if err := container.Signal(unix.Signal(0)); err != nil {
-			destroy(container)
-			return nil
+			return container.Destroy()
 		}
 	}
 	return errors.New("container init still running")
@@ -80,13 +79,11 @@ status of "ubuntu01" as "stopped" the following will delete resources held for
 		}
 		switch s {
 		case libcontainer.Stopped:
-			destroy(container)
+			return container.Destroy()
 		case libcontainer.Created:
 			return killContainer(container)
 		default:
 			return fmt.Errorf("cannot delete container %s that is not stopped: %s", id, s)
 		}
-
-		return nil
 	},
 }
diff --git a/libcontainer/container_linux.go b/libcontainer/container_linux.go
index 515755276..f36abaf10 100644
--- a/libcontainer/container_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/container_linux.go
@@ -874,7 +874,10 @@ func (c *Container) newInitConfig(process *Process) *initConfig {
 func (c *Container) Destroy() error {
 	c.m.Lock()
 	defer c.m.Unlock()
-	return c.state.destroy()
+	if err := c.state.destroy(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to destroy container: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 // Pause pauses the container, if its state is RUNNING or CREATED, changing
diff --git a/utils_linux.go b/utils_linux.go
index 633d6d68c..5de006284 100644
--- a/utils_linux.go
+++ b/utils_linux.go
@@ -88,12 +88,6 @@ func newProcess(p specs.Process) (*libcontainer.Process, error) {
 	return lp, nil
 }
 
-func destroy(container *libcontainer.Container) {
-	if err := container.Destroy(); err != nil {
-		logrus.Error(err)
-	}
-}
-
 // setupIO modifies the given process config according to the options.
 func setupIO(process *libcontainer.Process, rootuid, rootgid int, createTTY, detach bool, sockpath string) (*tty, error) {
 	if createTTY {
@@ -303,7 +297,9 @@ func (r *runner) run(config *specs.Process) (int, error) {
 
 func (r *runner) destroy() {
 	if r.shouldDestroy {
-		destroy(r.container)
+		if err := r.container.Destroy(); err != nil {
+			logrus.Warn(err)
+		}
 	}
 }