John Angerer was charged with the death of Angela Wilds in 2010 but the case was dismissed in a preliminary hearing. Thirteen years later, Angerer has once again been arrested for the same reason.
Wilds lived in the Longmont area but did not have a home or a steady job, according to Fox31News. She stayed with friends, sleeping on their couches. She was last seen in April 2006.
In June 2006, two hikers found a decomposing body in the South St. Vrain Canyon, outside of Lyons. The body was nude with only a cross ring on the left hand, according to a news release from the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.
Officials believed the body had been dragged from a nearby shallow grave where they discovered a pair of yellow ski pants, a sleeping bag and a pillow in a pillowcase, the news release states.
Boulder County officials were unable to identify the woman until a DNA analysis confirmed that the remains belonged to Wilds in Nov. 2006.
Angerer was arrested soon after and charged with second-degree murder. In July 2010, Angerer’s case was heard at a preliminary hearing. The presiding judge “determined that the charge was not supported by probable cause and, as a result, dismissed the case,” the news release states.
According to the news release, individuals charged with crimes can be arrested again and prosecuted at a later time if the case is dismissed during a preliminary hearing if “significant, new evidence is developed that supporters a renewed prosecution.”
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and the DA’s office never stopped working on the case. They discovered new witnesses, re-interviewed known witnesses and consulted with forensic pathologists to bring forth new evidence.
“As a result of their efforts with this investigation, significant and new evidence has been developed,” the news release states.
The new evidence was presented to a Grand Jury in February and an indictment of second degree murder was returned against Angerer.
Angerer was arrested on March 9 in Anchorage, Alaska for Wild’s murder. He is in the process of being extradited back to Boulder County, according to the news release.
“I am glad that we were able move our investigation into the homicide of Angela Wilds forward. I am proud that our detectives didn’t give up on this cold case, we know Angela’s family has been waiting a long time for this day to come. Her family is in our thoughts as we take the next steps in the judicial process,” said Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson.
