Judge Sentences Daniel DeWild To 74 Years Behind Bars
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - The estranged husband of a woman killed 10 years ago is now on his way to prison for her murder.
It took years to build the case against Daniel DeWild for the killing of his wife Heather. The Edgewater woman disappeared in the summer of 2003 and her body was found weeks later in the foothills.
A judge sentenced DeWild to 74 years in prison, only a year shy of what the prosecution had requested.
DeWild agreed to a plea on second degree murder charges. His surprising deal happened shortly after a trial where the jury was hung on a first degree murder charge.
Thursday's sentencing was the end of more than a year of court appearances for DeWild. He showed little emotion in the courtroom before he was lead away in handcuffs wearing a grey prison jumpsuit.
The victim's family said DeWild lacked compassion and killed Heather for greed and ego. Heather's father David Springer said it was justice finally served.
"They covered everything up. They destroyed evidence. I always hoped that someday everything they hid in secret would be exposed. And now it is, and they've been sentenced for it," Springer said.
"In my mind, I'm pretty happy and satisfied with this," Heather's sister Rebecca Barger said. "Because it's something. Because they both admitted to some degree -- what they did."
DeWild will be up for parole, but only after his full sentence is served. At a previous hearing he said he planned to die in prison.
David DeWild, Daniel's twin brother, is serving 12 years in prison for his role in the murder. He agreed to testify against his brother in a plea deal and did testify in a trial that ended with a hung jury.
