Man pleads guilty to killing, burying woman in Colorado canyon 20 years ago

A man arrested twice and facing a third trial for his involvement in the murder and burial of a woman in Colorado two decades ago pleaded guilty last week and received a three-year prison sentence. 

Two previous trials against 57-year-old John Angerer ended in hung juries.

The guilty plea provided "a measure of accountability," the Boulder County District Attorney's Office stated in a press release. It also gave the family of Angela Wilds some closure.

The nude body of a woman later determined to be Wilds was found by hikers on June 4, 2006, about 3.3 miles southwest of Lyons. A ring on her left hand became the first puzzle piece leading to her identification, according to a case document. A friend also contacted police about not seeing or hearing from Wilds for five months. 

DNA testing confirmed the body was Wilds a month after that. However, forensic work was unable to determine an official cause of death. That work was complicated by damage and decomposition to the body, according to the case document. The body had been pulled from a rock- and branch-covered grave, presumably by a large predator. Then-Boulder County Coroner Dr. John Meyer noted the body's lack of gunshot wound, broken bones, and other obvious signs of lethality. But the subsequent damage around the face and neck from the presumed predator did not allow him to accurately study whether the dead woman was strangled. 

Instead, investigators turned to neatly folded ski pants, sleeping bag and pillow that were piled near the woman's grave. DNA testing over the next three years on those items, along with witnesses who saw Angerer and Wilds together months before her death, linked Angerer to her death.

By this time, Angerer had moved to Anchorage, Alaska. He was interviewed by local police in August 2009, then by Boulder County investigators a month later, and denied both times knowing anyone in Colorado named "Angela" or "Angie." He also did not recognize her in photos presented by detectives, according to the grand jury indictment.

He also told detectives he had not been in the area since March 2006 and never camped in South St. Vrain Canyon, the area of Wilds' gravesite. But detectives, according to the indictment, had conflicting evidence to those statements. In particular, Angerer's relatives spoke of a cave he frequented about three or four miles outside Lyons in that very canyon. One relative had dropped him off there, another had hiked with him in the area, according to the indictment. 

Angerer was eventually arrested in 2010 and charged with murder. But a judge ruled the evidence did not support the charge, and dismissed the case. Angerer was released. 

The case remained stymied for a decade. 

It was in 2020 that additional DNA from the ski pants was sent for further testing. The improved testing techniques greatly narrowed the possibility the DNA came from Angerer. 

As well, two forensic pathologists re-examined the physical evidence and ruled another person was responsible for Wilds' death, thus labeling it a homicide. 

Also, a longtime girlfriend of Angerer changed her story. When initially interviewed in 2009, she told detectives that Angerer sometimes became violent during their relationship but never strangled her. In 2022, she admitted "that Angerer was jealous and possessive and often believed she was cheating on him" and "that Angerer had strangled her repeatedly throughout the relationship," as stated in the indictment.

The grand jury issued its indictment of Angerer in February 2023. Angerer was arrested in Anchorage and charged with second degree murder.

Since then, he's been tried twice. His first jury trial ended in an 11-1 vote, the latest one was deadlocked 6-6, according to the DA's office.

Angerer's guilty plea came after prosecutors made it clear they intended to pursue a third trial. He pleaded to criminally negligent homicide. Colorado law describes that count as applying to an unintentional killing caused by a suspect's failure to perceive a substantial and unjustifiable risk that a certain result, including death, could occur.

"Angela Wilds was a daughter, a friend, and a human being who deserved justice and dignity," District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated in his office's press release. "For twenty years, her family has carried the painful weight of not knowing whether justice would ever be done. Today's plea doesn't erase their loss, but it does represent a measure of accountability and a meaningful step toward honoring Angela's life. I am grateful to our investigators, prosecutors, and law enforcement partners who refused to give up on this case and their commitment to pursue justice in Boulder County's cold cases. Their commitment ensures that Angela is not forgotten. Under the circumstances, and following these two trials, today's outcome is justice."  

Tuesday, the judge in Angerer's case ordered him to serve a mandatory two-year parole following his release from prison.