Boulder man arrested in Alaska for 2006 cold case murder of Angela Wilds

A Boulder man has been arrested in Alaska in connection with a cold case murder dating back to 2006. This is the second time John Angerer has been arrested for the murder of Angela Wilds. 

Wilds' body was found by hikers in the South St. Vrain Canyon in 2006, about 3.3 miles outside of Lyons in unincorporated Boulder County. Her body was nude except for a cross ring on her left hand. Investigators said the body appeared to have been dragged from a nearby shallow grave, presumably by a large predator. Deputies located a pair of yellow ski pants, a sleeping bag, a pillow in a pillowcase all neatly folded near the grave. 

Investigators said there was no information that identified the victim and she remained unidentified for months. In November of 2006, DNA confirmed the woman's identity as Wilds, who would have been 38 years old.

Angerer, 53, was initially arrested in 2010 but then released when a judge determined there wasn't enough evidence to link him to the crime. 

Since then, investigators with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office have continued to work on the case, including interviewing new witnesses, re-interviewing individuals, consulting with forensic pathologists and submitting items to the Colorado Bureau of Investigating for testing and DNA analysis. 

As a result, investigators said that "significant and new evidence has been developed" and the case was presented to a grand jury. On Feb. 16, the grand jury returned an indictment for Angerer on a second-degree murder charge.

"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 in a statement.