John Angerer was sentenced to three years in prison and additional parole; he will avoid any more time behind bars due to credit for time already served

NEED TO KNOW

• John Angerer, 57, pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide in connection with the 2006 death of Angela Wilds in Colorado
• Angerer had been connected to the crime scene through DNA evidence and faced multiple trials before accepting the plea this month
• He was sentenced to three years in prison but will not serve additional time due to credit for time already served

A longtime suspect has come forward regarding a 2006 homicide in Boulder County, Colorado.

John Angerer, 57, pled guilty on July 28, 2026, to criminally negligent homicide in the case of a woman who was killed and discovered in the South Saint Vrain Canyon area by two hikers decades ago.

The body was found close to what appeared to be a shallow grave, apparently dragged free by a predator, in June 2006. It was initially unidentifiable due to heavy decomposition, and was completely nude except for a ring on its left hand, according to a news release from the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.

It wasn’t until November of that year that DNA analysis allowed the body to be identified as Angela Wilds, who would have been approximately 38 years old at the time of her death, per prosecutors. Investigators connected Angerer to the crime scene three years later.

According to The Longmont Times-Call, a related affidavit stated that DNA reports showed evidence that Angerer participated in sexual activity with Wilds, despite denying he knew her to police.

He was initially arrested under suspicion of second-degree murder in 2010, but the case was dismissed that same year because the judge determined the charge was not supported by probable cause. It has undergone reinvestigation through two trials in the years since due to the presentation of new evidence. The retrials resulted in a hung jury and a deadlock, respectively.

“That investigation has included identifying new witnesses, re-interviewing individuals previously known to law enforcement, consulting with forensic pathologists, and submitting further items to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for testing and DNA analysis,” said the district attorney’s office on its decision to reopen the case for the third and final time.

Amid the renewed cases, Angerer was extradited from his home in Alaska in both 2010 and 2023. 

He has a lengthy criminal history in Colorado and Alaska, including counts of disorderly conduct, resisting or obstructing a police officer, burglary, driving under the influence, trespassing, arson, assault and menacing, according to The Longmont Times-Call.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

With the prospect of a third trial on the horizon, Angerer came forward to accept a guilty plea for one count of criminally negligent homicide; a count of second-degree murder was dropped by the district attorney’s office as a part of the agreement, per The Daily Camera.

Angerer was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison with credit for time served, as well as two years of mandatory parole.

However, The Daily Camera reported that he was granted 1,375 days of credit for time previously served in custody between his two mistrials — meaning his three-year sentence has been exceeded and he will not spend any more time behind bars upon release.

“For twenty years, [Wilds’] family has carried the painful weight of not knowing whether justice would ever be done,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. “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.”

#Hikers #Woman #Nude #Shallow #Grave #Years #Man #Pled #Guilty #Killing