How an Iowa woman became a key witness in her own murder

2 days ago 25

On the greeting of Oct. 8, 2022, the serene Mississippi River municipality of Bellevue, Iowa, colonisation astir 2,500, woke up to a calamity — quality of an evident homicide, the archetypal successful astir a decade.

Dozens of investigators from six antithetic instrumentality enforcement agencies were combing the transgression country astatine the Mississippi Ridge Boarding Kennels with assemblage cameras rolling. The pistillate who ran the kennels, Angela Prichard, 55, had been gunned down.

Her sister, Wendy Budde, believed she knew who was responsible: Angela's husband, Chris Prichard.

Wendy Budde (emotional): He knew however to get successful the beforehand door.

Jonathan Vigliotti | "48 Hours" contributor: In that moment, did you cognize it was Chris?

Wendy Budde: A 100 percent. One 100 percent, I knew it was him.

Budde says Angela had been trying to permission him for months — and lived successful fearfulness helium would termination her.

Ryan Kedley: This appeared to beryllium an assailant that knew her precise well.

Ryan Kedley and Dustin Henningsen are peculiar agents with Iowa's Department of Criminal Investigation. Bellevue's tiny constabulary force, with conscionable respective officers, invited the authorities constabulary to pb the investigation. While Angela's household was convinced Chris Prichard was the killer, the peculiar agents had to link each the dots.

ANGELA PRICHARD NAMES HER KILLER IN HER FINAL MOMENTS

Dustin Henningsen: We had received a connection that determination was a 911 telephone successful the morning.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Tell maine astir that 911 call.

Dustin Henningsen: Essentially, you're listening to the extremity of her beingness connected the 911 telephone …

911 OPERATOR: 911, wherever is your emergency?

ANGELA PRICHARD): Please … get retired of present ... I person customers coming in.

911 OPERATOR: 911

ANGELA PRICHARD: Please get retired of here.

911 OPERATOR: OK, wherever are you at?

ANGELA PRICHARD: Chris! (gunshot)

Those were the past words spoken by Angela – and the archetypal hint investigators had to place her killer.

Jonathan Vigliotti: She says the sanction Chris connected this call. Who is Chris?

Ryan Kedley: Chris Prichard, her estranged husband.

911 OPERATOR: Ma'am, wherever are you at?

Dustin Henningsen: As the dispatcher continues to inquire what's your exigency … you tin faintly perceive idiosyncratic say…

911 CALL (male voice): F*** you.

Jonathan Vigliotti: When you perceive to this 911 telephone … however bash you process what you were hearing?

Ryan Kedley: On a idiosyncratic level, it's a precise hard happening to perceive to someone's extremity of beingness moments. … On an investigative level, that was a pivotal portion of grounds successful the opening stages of the investigation.

Dustin Henningsen: It was a precise convulsive scene.

Ryan Kedley: Passing by the kennel doorway connected the close … and this is the country wherever we initially get a firsthand glimpse of Angela's deceased assemblage present connected the floor.

Pools of greeting airy illuminated pools of humor surrounding her body. Angela was lying look down successful the kennel's washroom wherever she bathed the dogs. Kedley photographed the scene.

Ryan Kedley: She has a precise ample important gunshot coiled to the chest.

Jonathan Vigliotti: At adjacent range.

Ryan Kedley: At, I would say, astatine precise adjacent range.

Ryan Kedley: There has to person been immoderate very, precise precocious emotions progressive successful that ...

Jonathan Vigliotti: You person Angela Prichard deceased here. You person Chris Prichard, a idiosyncratic of interest, obscurity to beryllium found. How bash you way him down?

The peculiar agents spotted a hardly disposable humor trail.

Ryan Kedley: Leading retired of this country and past into the canine kennel country done this doorway …

Ryan Kedley: We judge our assailant traveled from that country … near immoderate humor evidence, and past apt went retired this door, straight successful beforehand of us.

Ryan Kedley: We're surely trying to support an unfastened caput and find that, OK, if Chris didn't bash this, well, past who did?

Digging into Chris Prichard's life, the peculiar agents soon learned astir his volatile past with Angela, which included unit and violations of a restraining order.

Ryan Kedley: But astatine this point, each of the accusation seems to beryllium accordant with Chris being the feline that we request to locate.

Dustin Henningsen: As we proceed to enactment the probe … We began to found our timeline.

Investigators reviewed the footage starting astatine midnight the time of the shooting. For hours, determination was thing to see. But conscionable aft 4 a.m., determination was thing to hear.

Dustin Henningsen: You tin perceive dogs commencement to bark. … We had determined that was astir apt the constituent erstwhile helium arrived astatine the kennels.

Henningsen believes Chris Prichard entered the kennels and laic successful hold for astir 4 hours.

Dustin Henningsen (with Vigliotti astatine kennels): The archetypal video that they truly got was Angela coming down to enactment successful the morning.

Dustin Henningsen (pointing to show successful his office): And close up present you're going to spot Angela commencement to propulsion down … to the entranceway astatine the … Mississippi Ridge Boarding Kennels.

Dustin Henningsen (at kennels): Pulling up to the kennel astatine 7:34. You tin spot her get retired of her conveyance and she's gathering her belongings, and past walking into the kennel itself.

Angela Prichard had little than six minutes to live.

Dustin Henningsen (looking astatine show successful office) : At 7:39 and 43 seconds, we perceive a gunshot spell disconnected successful the video.

Jonathan Vigliotti (at the kennels): At immoderate constituent bash you intelligibly spot Chris connected immoderate of these surveillance cameras?

Dustin Henningsen: Yes. We judge we spot him leaving.

About 2 minutes aft the gunshot, astatine 7:41 a.m., the antheral they present suspected to beryllium her killer, Chris Prichard, appeared.

Dustin Henningsen (at kennels with Vigliotti): Actually walking from the kennel country down to the obstruction country … That makes america judge that this is the archetypal country that we request to check.

Outside the kennels, miles of heavy woods agelong to the skyline — an country of northeastern Iowa locals call, "The Wilderness." It was rugged terrain Chris Prichard knew well, says Budde.

Wendy Budde: He knows the outdoors. … I knew that helium could astir apt past retired determination for rather a portion successful hiding.

Dustin Henningsen: We person each assets astatine our disposal to effort and bash this manhunt. We person canines, we person airplanes, we person drones ...

Jonathan Vigliotti: This is your worst nightmare.

Wendy Budde (crying): Yeah. Yeah.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Everything you've been trying to forestall travel true.

Wendy Budde: Everything I've been trying truthful hard to support her and to support her safe, and helium got her. (crying) He got to her.

SEARCHING FOR CHRISTOPHER PRICHARD

The manhunt for Chris Prichard was widening.

Ryan Kedley: You've got a fugitive retired determination connected the run, perchance equipped …

TWO HOURS ON THE RUN

Dustin Henningsen: There's hundreds of acres present of farmland and woods, and we person the Mississippi River not acold away, truthful knowing that helium could person went immoderate absorption truly makes the hunt hard …

Fanning retired from the kennels, heavy equipped officers searched adjacent neighborhoods — location to house, barn to barn.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Angela was a parent and grandmother.

Wendy Budde: She was.

Jonathan Vigliotti: What benignant of parent and grandma was she?

Wendy Budde: I don't cognize that you would find idiosyncratic amended than her. You perceive a batch of radical say, radical enactment their kids successful beforehand of themselves. That was genuinely her.

Angela Prichard's satellite revolved astir family, particularly her 2 sons and six grandchildren.

Wendy Budde: They were the loves of her beingness — her kids and her grandkids.

And, with astir adjacent billing, Angela's 5 Huskies.

Wendy Budde: She ever was an carnal lover.

Joshua Close and CJ Hancock are Angela's sons.

CJ Hancock She was beauteous wrong and out. She liked to marque everybody happy, particularly her family.

Wendy Budde: She loved you truthful much, yea —

CJ Hancock: She loved to spoil the grandkids rotten (laughs) and they could bash nary incorrect successful her eyes.

Joshua Close: She loved doing arts and crafts. … She inactive decorated her histrion with the ones we made erstwhile we were kids.

And making memories with their ma aboriginal successful beingness was Chris Prichard – the precise antheral investigators were present chasing. Wendy Budde and her hubby Jim had known Prichard for years.

Wendy Budde: I would've trusted him with our children. … He was nice, friendly, sincere, a hard worker, amusive to beryllium around.

Chris Prichard, a longtime Bellevue resident, was an established electrician successful town. Soon Angela recovered her calling.

Wendy Budde: To beryllium a kennel owner, to bash thing with animals. … I was thrilled for her. It truly seemed similar everything was falling into place.

After dating for astir 2 years, they moved into a location in Bellevue, and adjacent got joined determination successful March 2019. The newlyweds were implicit the satellite for astir 8 months.

Jonathan Vigliotti: When did things change?

Wendy Budde: I genuinely deliberation that things started to alteration erstwhile helium mislaid his job. He got fired.

Fired and charged with first-degree theft, a felony, aft helium allegedly stole $36,000 worthy of supplies from the electrical institution wherever helium worked.

Wendy Budde: She was conscionable beside herself, what are we going to bash now? We request that income.

Awaiting trial, Prichard was retired connected bail and retired of work, says Budde.

Wendy Budde: He wasn't looking for work. He was decidedly drinking more.

Wendy Budde: As the … months went on, it conscionable was like, wow, he's truly benignant of changing.

Prichard yet took immoderate unusual occupation and helped Angela astatine the kennels, but successful the summertime of 2021, Budde says Angela discovered her hubby was utilizing methamphetamine.

Wendy Budde: And past I knew … that things are truly getting bad.

The simmering hostility reached a boiling constituent connected April 18, 2022.

Wendy Budde: She said, "Chris deed me."

CJ Hancock: She said … "he's drunk. He's connected drugs." … So I told her, we're gonna telephone the cops.

Bellevue Police responded, and the telephone recorded connected constabulary bodycam:

ANGELA PRICHARD (bodycam): He deed maine and past I just, I came successful the house.

Wendy Budde: She was crying. She was … visibly shaking … She had a people connected her face. And she said," I'm truthful scared."

Police didn't person acold to spell to find Chris Prichard. He was successful the garage.

BELLVUE OFFICER (bodycam): State of Iowa instrumentality requires that idiosyncratic goes to jailhouse …

CHRIS PRICHARD: I can't judge I'm going to jail.

BELLEVUE OFFICER: Well, she's got a people connected her look …

Chris Prichard was arrested and charged with home assault.

WENDY BUDDE (bodycam | successful kitchen): He's very, very, precise messed up connected drugs.

WENDY BUDDE: We've seen him alteration close successful beforehand of our eyes. Haven't we?

Chris Prichard spent the nighttime successful jailhouse and was released awaiting trial, staying with family. Angela Prichard sought and received a impermanent no-contact order.

ANGELA PRICHARD (bodycam): So helium can't travel backmost here?

OFFICER: Nope.

Jonathan Vigliotti: The no-contact bid present exists protecting your sister. But a fewer weeks later, it's lifted.

Wendy Budde: Even aft it happened … she said, I — I don't privation this. I privation our matrimony to work.

Each had been joined before, but had hoped this would beryllium their past marriage, says Budde. Angela withdrew the no-contact order.

Wendy Budde: I judge helium said everything that needed to beryllium said for her to driblet that order. …The drinking volition stop. He volition beryllium location much …

Promises helium failed to keep, says Budde.

Wendy Budde: She said, I'm frightened of him … particularly if he's been drinking.

Budde says Angela was furious erstwhile she recovered a tracking instrumentality successful her car, and 2 hidden cameras successful the house.

Wendy Budde: I told her … you request to get a divorce. You request to beryllium done with this, Ange.

FOUR HOURS ON THE RUN

Chris Prichard seemed to person vanished successful the immense wilderness. Even the constabulary dogs had mislaid his scent, says Henningsen.

Jonathan Vigliotti (outside astatine the kennels): How bash you find idiosyncratic that doesn't privation to beryllium caught?

Dustin Henningsen: This is wherever our section resources truly assistance us.

Right from the start, Henningsen had corralled authorities and section instrumentality enforcement agencies — adjacent farmers and hunters — to assistance find wherever helium mightiness be.

Dustin Henningsen: If we thought that Chris was going to marque his way, say, backmost to Bellevue, what's the astir apt path? … Where are his friends at?

Jeff Junk: It's a tiny town. Everybody talks.

Cattle husbandman Jeff Junk and his woman Kim Klein were erstwhile adjacent friends with Chris Prichard. Neighbors called them astir the rumor racing done municipality – Prichard had changeable his wife, Angela.

Kim Klein: Get outta here! I — I didn't judge it.

A Jackson County main lawman stopped by Junk's location to pass them Prichard was connected the tally and mightiness beryllium looking for assistance from his friends. Then, determination was a sound connected the door.

ANGELA PRICHARD'S DIARY OF DOMESTIC ABUSE

The sound connected their beforehand doorway — the 1 they'll ever retrieve — came astir 8:15 that October night, Kim Klein says. She and fellow Jeff Junk were not expecting company.

Kim Klein: When the 2nd sound happened … I says, "I judge it's Chris and you request to reply the door."

Jonathan Vigliotti: So you unfastened the doorway and what is it that you spot connected the different side?

Jeff Junk: I spot Chris …

12 HOURS ON THE RUN

Chris Prichard, their aged person — present a hunted fugitive suspected of execution — was lasting successful the dim airy holding a shotgun.

Kim Klein: Jeff goes, you request to manus that weapon to me, and helium did. No problem.

Junk and Klein knew they had to telephone the police, but until they could bash that safely, Klein says, they were playing along.

Chris Prichard told them he'd been moving each time from the cops and their dogs.

Kim Klein: Jeff said, "Hey dude, you cognize you changeable your wife?" "Oh yeah, how's she doing?"

The mates told him Angela was dead.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Did helium … explicit immoderate remorse?

Kim Klein: No.

Jeff Junk: Nothing.

Kim Klein: Nothing. He was sitting present laughing and drinking, and they were talking astir aged times.

The infinitesimal felt truthful surreal, Klein says, she snapped a photo.

Kim Klein: Just to amusement that no, helium wasn't having immoderate remorse. He ne'er talked astir her the remainder of the night. And past I took the 1 erstwhile helium was passed out.

And the clip was yet right, says Junk, to substance the main lawman who had stopped by earlier.

Jeff Junk: I said … "he's up present and helium is passed out. Come — travel get him."

When constabulary arrived astir midnight, Chris was inactive successful the La-Z-Boy chair, retired cold.

Dustin Henningsen: He didn't cognize what was coming.

CHRIS PRICHARD (bodycam | handcuffed, swears astatine officers): "What the f*** is incorrect with you guys? Jesus Christ, I was sleeping.

Ryan Kedley: He's verbally belligerent to officers that person arrested him.

Special Agent Henningsen collected the grounds Chris Prichard had near behind: a 20-gauge shotgun and his torn clothes.

Dustin Henningsen: He … took Angela's possessions, money, a cellphone with him.

Special Agent Kedley escorted Prichard to the Jackson County Jail.

OFFICER (bodycam): Do you privation your seatbelt, Chris?

CHRIS PRICHARD: I privation a slug successful the head.

Shortly aft 1 a.m. connected October 9, a despondent Chris Prichard was booked into the region jail, yet charged with first-degree execution and robbery. After hours connected the tally done Iowa's wilderness, Prichard recovered himself surrounded by factual and alloy — mostly enactment determination by the value of a azygous word.

ANGELA PRICHARD (911 call): Will you delight get retired of here! Chris!"

Wendy Budde says the time Prichard ended her sister's beingness followed months of progressively erratic behaviour and escalating rage, which Angela had documented.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Tell maine astir this diary and her words that lived on...

Wendy Budde: She was this "sticky enactment queen ..."

Dozens of Angela's brightly colored sticky notes told a acheronian story. The scribbled entries became Angela's diary of home abuse.

WENDY BUDDE (reading sticky notes):

"August 23rd substance message. Calling maine names. Saying it's gonna get existent f****** ugly."

"He's been stalking maine and watching me. … Very frightened of him …"

"I deliberation Chris is susceptible of thing …"

"Booze and drugs each time …"

"Said helium doesn't springiness a f*** if helium goes to jail."

"Always looking implicit my enarthrosis to spot if he's around."

Wendy Budde: Her words to maine are, "I'm done. … This is it. We're not surviving successful the aforesaid house."

Budde invited her sister to determination successful with her. Angela gratefully agreed.

Wendy Budde: I was like, you person a shadiness present due to the fact that I'm not leaving. … You're stuck with me.

The adjacent day, Angela requested a 2nd impermanent no-contact order, granted Sept. 1, 2022. A no-contact bid means conscionable that: nary contact of immoderate benignant with the protected person. In the State of Iowa, adjacent a azygous usurpation requires a mandatory arrest.

Jonathan Vigliotti: But that doesn't halt Chris.

CJ Hancock: No. … Once that 2nd no-contact bid got enactment successful place, I would accidental that's erstwhile things went truly downhill.

And it was in spot erstwhile Angela went backmost to the location she erstwhile shared with Chris Prichard to prime up a fewer things, says Budde.

Wendy Budde: I was with her.

Jonathan Vigliotti: You were with her on with police.

The Bellevue constabulary were determination conscionable successful lawsuit Prichard showed up. The tribunal had ordered him to determination retired temporarily.

Wendy Budde: We walked successful the beforehand door. … The location was destroyed.

Wendy Budde: There was ink and overgarment thrown everywhere.

CJ Hancock: Picture frames breached …

Wendy Budde: … furnishings was destroyed. … He had really taken the mattress disconnected her furniture and rubbed it successful canine feces.

Joshua Close: … guns helium placed them each implicit the location … to intimidate her.

Wendy Budde: I mean, we some conscionable started crying.

Jonathan Vigliotti: This is successful wide usurpation of the restraining order. What bash the constabulary do?

Wendy Budde: The constabulary … said, there's thing we tin do. This is his location …

Jonathan Vigliotti: There's thing we tin bash is what they accidental to you?

Wendy Budde: ... This is his location arsenic well.

Under Iowa law, with a no-contact bid successful place, Bellevue constabulary should have taken Chris Prichard's guns. But for reasons unknown, helium was allowed to support them. Angela's sister and sons say, passim September, the frightening violations continued — not carnal assaults, but intelligence terror.

CJ Hancock: Sitting extracurricular of her house, pursuing her, texting her, stalking her, going and cutting the writer astatine the kennels portion she wasn't there.

Bellevue constabulary arrested Chris Prichard conscionable once, on September 15, for sending Angela a substance message, different usurpation of the no-contact order. He spent 1 nighttime down bars earlier posting bail. The adjacent day, says Budde, helium resumed his flurry of offenses.

Wendy Budde: He had been driving by our location aggregate times.

One night, says Budde, Chris Prichard drove by six times successful 1 hour.

WENDY BUDDE (reading sticky note): "I don't consciousness harmless anymore anyplace – my sister's, my house, my sons, stores successful municipality ..."

Jonathan Vigliotti: You person a ticking clip weaponry connected your hands.

Wendy Budde: Yeah. … beauteous overmuch and that's what it felt like.

But alternatively of making arrests. the Bellevue constabulary were making excuses, accidental Angela's sons, for not enforcing the law.

CJ Hancock: They said that they'd archer him to sound it disconnected oregon person a speech with him. Nothing, thing was done, and she was terrified.

Jonathan Vigliotti: You're reaching retired to constabulary … They're not doing anything. Are you moving retired of anticipation here?

Wendy Budde: Yes. … What bash you bash erstwhile cipher is consenting to assistance you?

WENDY BUDDE (reading sticky note): I fearfulness for my safety. Fear for my life. He has guns.

Wendy Budde: The fear… It consumed our life.

THE CASE AGAINST CHRISTOPHER PRICHARD

It was 5 a.m. astatine the Jackson County Jail. Twenty-one hours aft Angela Prichard was recovered dead, Chris Prichard waived his Miranda rights and talked astir the brushwood astatine the canine kennels with peculiar agents Dustin Henningsen and Ryan Kedley.

Christopher Prichard constabulary interrogation

CHRIS PRICHARD (police interview): She said, "you gotta permission ... you gotta permission present oregon I'm gonna telephone the police." … I said "I conscionable privation to talk" ...and she shoved maine ... and I deed the cabinet. The weapon — I don't cognize what the weapon hit, but it went off.

Jonathan Vigliotti: So, successful truthful galore words, helium says, "I changeable Angela. It was an accident."

Ryan Kedley: Essentially, Yes.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Are you believing immoderate of this?

Ryan Kedley: No. … I'm lone believing the information that helium changeable Angela.

Chris Prichard pleaded not blameworthy to first-degree execution and robbery charges. His proceedings began connected Feb. 7, 2024.

Nicole Leonard: We believed that Mr. Prichard … planned this each retired and precise meticulously for that matter.

To beryllium premeditated murder, prosecutors Nicole Leonard and John Kies told jurors Chris Prichard enactment his program successful question connected Oct. 7, 2022, the time before he changeable his woman – the aforesaid time Angela's impermanent restraining bid became permanent.

Nicole Leonard: We judge that that was benignant of the snapping constituent for the defendant.

Nicole Leonard: … helium became much and much obsessed with the situation, and not letting her go.

CHRIS PRICHARD (police interview): … she wanted to resistance maine done the mud and marque maine a monster.

Before taking Angela's life, Chris Prichard took steps to screen his tracks, accidental the prosecutors. He borrowed a achromatic pickup truck, to debar utilizing his ain vehicle.

John Kies: So what we deliberation was … helium was mounting up an alibi.

Prosecutors accidental Chris Prichard secretly parked the borrowed motortruck wrong a barn belonging to Lori and Mike Blaser, conscionable a fewer miles from the Mississippi Ridge Boarding Kennels.

Mike Blaser: We locomotion in, you know, announcement this achromatic pickup motortruck ...

With a enactment from Chris Prichard saying helium had gone hunting: "Keys are successful the motortruck if you request to determination it. I'll beryllium back. Chris."

Lori Blaser: We knew Chris. … He would … archer america however overmuch helium loved Angela, however devastated helium was that determination was a restraining order.

The Blasers would soon go important witnesses for the prosecution. Shortly aft uncovering the motortruck and note, they heard the quality astir a shooting astatine the canine kennels.

Lori Blaser: We knew the infinitesimal that determination was a shooting astatine the kennel … thing had happened with Chris. …

Lori Blaser: We were acrophobic that this was a getaway conveyance for him successful present due to the fact that it was conscionable truthful odd, it had nary crushed to beryllium here. I called 911 instantly …

LORI BLASER (911 call): I spot that you guys are looking for Chris Prichard.

911 OPERATOR: Yes.

LORI BLASER: His motortruck is successful our store ...

Lori Blaser: It was precise aggravated due to the fact that astatine that point, helium was inactive missing ...

Lori Blaser: And we were frightened to death.

Prosecutors aboriginal viewed location surveillance footage from a camera connected the Blasers' spot showing Chris Prichard entering the barn wherever the Blasers kept their equine trailer.

Lori Blaser (inside the equine trailer): The infinitesimal we came successful the door, I knew that Chris Prichard had spent immoderate clip successful here.

Lori Blaser: He surely made himself astatine location here.

Chris Prichard near the equine trailer successful the mediate of the night, hiking done the dense woods to the kennels, says Leonard.

Nicole Leonard: We judge his adjacent quality is astir 4:00 a.m. connected October 8th astatine the canine kennels … successful which the dogs commencement to spell crazy.

Jonathan Vigliotti: And you judge from that constituent forward, he's wrong the kennel?

Nicole Leonard: Correct.

John Kies: I deliberation helium ever had the program to execution her.

To beryllium it, the prosecutors played audio clips from Prichard's constabulary interviews for the jury.

SPECIAL AGENT KEDLEY (police interview): You amusement up astatine a spot wherever you cognize she's gonna be. You've got a weapon with her. You cognize you've got a nary interaction bid … An statement breaks out. … She calls 911. She winds up dormant ... This wasn't conscionable immoderate accident.

Dustin Henningsen: If this was an accident, wherefore are you taking her cellphone, which is her lone means of survival? … Why aren't you calling for assistance yourself? Why aren't you rendering immoderate benignant of assistance for your wife?

And Prichard kept adding details to the communicative of the accidental shooting, accidental the peculiar agents.

Dustin Henningsen: The weapon was leaning up against the cupboards. … He went to retrieve a backpack and it fell and past that went disconnected and changeable her.

But astatine trial, an Iowa State aesculapian examiner testified the gunshot had a downward trajectory – meaning Chris Prichard had the limb successful his hands and was lasting erstwhile helium fired, accidental prosecutors.

CHRIS PRICHARD (police interview): It looked similar it deed her successful the arm. … How would you dice from that?

Angela was changeable dormant halfway successful the chest, testified the aesculapian examiner, and died successful seconds.

CHRIS PRICHARD (police interview): I would've loved to person stuck astir but Angie and her temper … I thought possibly it didn't adjacent truly deed her that atrocious 'cause … she was yelling astatine me, similar she wasn't adjacent hurt.

Ryan Kedley: And the information that he's saying that, aft the weapon went disconnected and it struck her – that she's yelling profanities backmost astatine him. Well, we person a 911 signaling of that conversation. That did not instrumentality place.

Prosecutors accidental Chris Prichard's past words connected the 911 telephone beryllium his actions were premeditated – a last detonation of violence.

Nicole Leonard: When you perceive his connection lasting implicit her dying assemblage connected that 911 telephone utilizing profanity.

911 CALL: (Chris Prichard's dependable successful background): "F*** you."

Joshua Close: You decidedly don't accidental what helium said astatine the extremity of the telephone call, aft you accidentally sprout someone.

Prichard's defence attorneys – who declined "48 Hours"' petition for an interrogation – maintained the shooting was accidental, and the lawsuit against Chris Prichard was a unreserved to judgement.

After 4 days of testimony, the lawsuit went to the jury.

Wendy Budde: We were extracurricular the courthouse, conscionable benignant of stretching, and you know, the assemblage is back!

Dave O'Brien was besides waiting for the verdict and already preparing for different proceedings – a national suit against the Bellevue Police Department. It failed Angela, helium says, clip and clip again.

Jonathan Vigliotti: If constabulary took action, would Angela beryllium live today?

Dave O'Brien: Absolutely.

COULD ANGELA PRICHARD HAVE BEEN SAVED?

In February 2024 – 16 months aft Angela Prichard's decease – her family's hold for a measurement of justness was over.

Wendy Budde: That's got to beryllium a bully motion that they are backmost successful little than an hour.

The assemblage recovered Chris Prichard blameworthy of first-degree execution and robbery.

Wendy Budde: When they said it, it was conscionable a large suspiration of relief.

In March, Prichard was sentenced to beingness successful situation without parole.

Wendy Budde: It volition ne'er bring her back. … But helium is going to walk the remainder of his beingness down bars.

Wendy Budde: I besides gave a unfortunate interaction connection and … I said to him … I anticipation portion you're down bars … you ever person to look implicit your enarthrosis and beryllium frightened for everything you do. … How she felt. I anticipation you conscionable consciousness a tiny spot of that, the mode you tortured her.

Civil rights lawyer Dave O'Brien represents Angela Prichard's family. She would beryllium live today, helium says, if the Bellevue Police Department had enforced a judge's bid of protection.

Jonathan Vigliotti: You filed a national suit against the metropolis of Bellevue and 3 officers, why?

Dave O'Brien: Because they didn't bash their job, and it's that simple.

That suit lists aggregate failures to apprehension Chris Prichard. O'Brien says this led to what's called a "state-created danger," meaning the officers' alleged inaction and indifference really accrued the menace to Angela Prichard.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Can a constabulary serviceman decide, should I apprehension him oregon not? Is that up to their discretion?

Dave O'Brien: Absolutely not. … Here successful Iowa … lone a justice tin amusement discretion not to enforce this restraining order.

Starting Sept. 1, 2022, erstwhile Angela's 2nd extortion bid was issued — until her execution 37 days aboriginal — O'Brien says Chris Prichard continued to interruption the no-contact bid with nary consequences.

Dave O'Brien: A twelve times during this applicable clip period, Angela Prichard called the Bellevue Police Department, and they failed to travel that law, that judge's order.

That's because, O'Brien says, the Bellevue constabulary officers showed Chris Prichard favoritism.

Dave O'Brien: We person crushed to judge that helium was affable with instrumentality enforcement officers.

Jonathan Vigliotti: To beryllium this … you indispensable beryllium that the constabulary officer's nonaccomplishment to enforce the extortion bid was intentional and reckless. How tin you bash that?

Dave O'Brien: Well, conscionable by the sheer fig of times that it was not enforced.

In October 2024, Chief Federal Judge C.J. Williams dismissed the suit successful its entirety. The Bellevue Police Department, helium ruled, "Did not enactment Angela successful a much unsafe situation," and the 3 officers, "simply did not perpetrate outrageous conduct."

The justice added determination was nary grounds of constabulary favoritism: "The alleged facts, adjacent taken arsenic existent … are a acold outcry from establishing that immoderate of the defendants were friends with Christopher."

O'Brien was granted a proceeding successful December 2024 aft learning, helium says, the 3 Bellevue officers had withheld grounds and made mendacious statements, allegedly concealing their friendships with Chris Prichard — accusations they deny.

O'Brien argued the officers were good alert Chris Prichard was a superior menace to his wife. Nine days earlier her murder, the Jackson County lawyer warned the Bellevue Police Department successful an email that Chris Prichard had 24 hours to crook himself in:

JACKSON COUNTY ATTORNEY EMAIL: "If helium does not study I volition beryllium requesting a warrant. I wanted each of you to beryllium alert arsenic I'm acrophobic helium mightiness effort to bash thing tonight."

The adjacent day, erstwhile Prichard failed to look astatine the region jail, the apprehension warrant was issued. Seven days earlier her murder, O'Brien says bodycam footage of a Bellevue constabulary serviceman speaking with Wendy and Angela confirms constabulary knew Angela was successful danger.

CHIEF SCHROEDER (bodycam | to Angela Prichard and Wendy Budde): "Because close present I warrant he's not reasoning straight."

WENDY BUDDE: No, not astatine all.

CHIEF SCHROEDER: That's my biggest fear. That's my department's biggest fearfulness is he's going to effort to wounded you and past wounded himself.

CHIEF SCHROEDER: My occupation is to support you astatine each costs.

During the last week of Angela's life, O'Brien says Bellevue police could have protected her by uncovering and arresting Chris Prichard. But they ne'er did.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Is it hard to find Chris?

Joshua Close: Shouldn't be. …Everybody knew his Jeep – had a customized tag that says "0Dark30" connected it. … So, you can't miss it.

Dave O'Brien: We person not been provided with immoderate grounds showing determination was immoderate effort made to enforce the apprehension warrant erstwhile it was issued connected the 30th of September.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Had that apprehension warrant been executed, would Angela beryllium present today?

Dave O'Brien: Absolutely. … He should person been successful jail.

At the December hearing, defence attorneys insisted the caller accusation presented by O'Brien was …… "improper, should beryllium stricken and not considered by the Court."

Dave O'Brien: Our perfect result would beryllium conscionable a implicit reversal of the judge's decision.

In January 2025, Judge Williams refused to reverse his dismissal. Bellevue Police Chief Dennis Schroeder issued this connection to a section newspaper, which work successful portion : "We are pleased with the determination … … We proceed to fortify our services and effect efforts to forestall home unit and supply enactment to those successful need."

Dave O'Brien: I've heard radical accidental that … no-contact orders aren't worthy the insubstantial they're written on. And successful this lawsuit that was true. But I firmly judge that they are worthy something, but they person to beryllium enforced.

Wendy Budde: I still, to this day, I person a batch of, um, I conjecture it's guilt, due to the fact that I deliberation successful my mind, what if I would've went with her that day? Maybe I could person saved her. … But portion of maine was truthful arrogant of her for similar being arsenic beardown arsenic she was successful that time. … She — she named her killer. And so, she helped them bring him to justice.

Chris Prichard's beingness condemnation besides helped bring her household immoderate comfort, and the courageousness to determination forward. They judge Angela would privation them to marque this nationalist plea.

Joshua Close: Maybe different constabulary departments that possibly are a small lenient connected stuff, won't beryllium truthful lenient adjacent time.

Angela's household has appealed the dismissal of their lawsuit.

According to the Violence Policy Center astir 3 women successful the U.S. are killed by an intimate spouse each day.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is experiencing home violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline tin beryllium reached astatine 1-800-799-7233.

Produced by Mead Stone. Iris Carreras Toneatto is the tract producer. Michelle Fanucci and Tami Weitzman are the improvement producers. Marcus Balsam, Diana DeCilio, and Mead Stone are the editors. Anthony Batson is the elder producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer.

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