5 Key details about Angila Wilder's death
Angila Wilder, a 30-year-old nursing student and mother of three, was found murdered in her Minot, North Dakota, home on November 13, 2015. She had been stabbed 44 times, sustaining fatal wounds to her neck, face, and upper chest, along with defensive injuries on her hands.
At the time of her death, she was pregnant with her fourth child, as per Minot Daily News, published December 14, 2016.
Angila Wilder's fiancé, Chris Jackson, discovered the crime scene after returning from work, finding the back door kicked in and their two-year-old son unharmed inside the house.
Suspicion quickly turned to Angila Wilder’s ex-husband, Richie Wilder Jr., due to their ongoing custody dispute, as reported on Jamestown Sun, August 8, 2020. Physical evidence, including DNA under the victim’s fingernails and a scratch on Richie’s face, linked him to the crime.
Richie was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Later, his wife, Cynthia Wilder, was also sentenced to life after admitting she assisted in planning the crime, as per KFYR-TV, May 31, 2018. Their case was explored in Snapped: Killer Couples in the episode titled Cynthia and Richie Wilder on Oxygen True Crime.
5 Key insights about Angila Wilder's death explored
1) The crime scene and initial suspicions
Angila Wilder’s fiancé, Chris Jackson, was the first to report the crime. Upon returning home from his overnight shift at Walmart, he discovered that the back door had been kicked in. Their two-year-old son was unharmed in his crib, but Angila was found brutally stabbed in her bedroom.
According to Minot Police Sgt. Dave Goodman, the victim, had been stabbed "around 40 times," as reported by Oxygen on September 9, 2021. Investigators immediately considered the possibility of a forced entry, but the focus quickly shifted to those closest to Angila.
2) The role of Richie Wilder Jr. in the murder
Richie Wilder Jr., Angila Wilder’s ex-husband, became a prime suspect early in the investigation. The two had been involved in a contentious custody battle, and there were prior reports of domestic violence against Richie, as per Minot Daily News, December 14, 2016. Physical evidence soon linked him to the crime scene.
- A drop of Angila Wilder’s blood was discovered inside a vehicle belonging to Cynthia Wilder, as per Minot Daily News.
- DNA under Angila Wilder’s fingernails matched Richie's Y-chromosome profile, indicating a struggle before her death, according to case texts of State v. Wilder, 2018.
- Richie was seen with a fresh scratch on his face after the murder, further suggesting he had been in a physical altercation with Angila, as reported in Minot Daily News on December 14, 2016.
Despite initially denying involvement and providing an alibi, Richie later changed his story multiple times. He falsely claimed that Chris Jackson had orchestrated the crime, but surveillance footage confirmed Jackson was at work during the time of the murder, as noted by Oxygen.
3) Cynthia Wilder’s role and confession
While the conviction of Richie Wilder Jr. seemed clear, it wasn’t until a surprising confession that his wife, Cynthia Wilder, was implicated in the murder. After Richie’s conviction, Cynthia rekindled a friendship with a former bartender, Matt Walters.
During their conversation, Cynthia admitted that she had helped plan Angila Wilder’s murder and surveilled her in the weeks leading up to the crime, as per Oxygen.
Walters agreed to cooperate with authorities and recorded a conversation in which Cynthia made chilling admissions. She described how she was "proud" of Richie but was angry, stating:
“I’m just pissed that he got caught, and that he got sloppy and impatient,” reported by Oxygen, September 9, 2021.
This recorded evidence was enough to arrest and charge her with conspiracy to commit murder.
4) The trial and convictions
The evidence against both Richie and Cynthia Wilder was overwhelming. Richie was convicted of murder in December 2016 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole as per Jamestown Sun, August 8, 2020.
Cynthia initially denied her involvement but later entered an Alford plea, acknowledging there was enough evidence to convict her while not admitting guilt. Prosecutors initially offered her a 25-year sentence, but Judge Stacy Louser, as per Oxygen, sentenced her to life in prison without parole, stating:
“You were the one person who could have stopped this nightmare,”
5) The aftermath and appeals
Even after their convictions, both Richie and Cynthia Wilder filed for post-conviction relief. Richie argued that his constitutional right to remain silent was violated due to the prosecutor's comments.
The North Dakota Supreme Court acknowledged that the comments were improper but ruled that they did not impact the final verdict due to the overwhelming evidence against him, as stated in State v. Wilder, 2018.
His original sentencing also included a restriction that prevented him from having any contact with his children until they turned eighteen. The court later overturned this part of the sentence because the trial judge did not have the legal authority to enforce such a condition, as noted in State v. Wilder, 2018.
Richie and Cynthia Wilder will remain in prison for life, which ensures that they will never be able to cause harm again. This case stands as a grim reminder of how custody disputes and unresolved conflicts can spiral into acts of extreme violence that leave families and entire communities in shock.
Stay tuned for more updates.
