Karl Aaron Bemish Sentenced To Life In Prison After Admitting He Murdered Girlfriend Hilary Engel In 2020
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A Lakewood man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the murder of his girlfriend. Karl Aaron Bemish pleaded guilty on Jan. 14 to murdering his girlfriend Hilary Engel, 45, in 2020.
Bemish, 52, was sentenced to mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"We are thankful for the prosecution's work on this case, and that even though we continue to grieve the loss of Hilary, we believe this result was the best available outcome," Engel's family said in a statement through the First Judicial District Attorney's Office.
On Dec. 29, 2020, Engel was reported missing by her father after she was last seen dropping her son off at daycare the previous morning. Her body was later discovered in her home, hidden underneath a bed. Lakewood police said it appears Engel was strangled at a home in the 2100 block of South Coors Circle in the Green Mountain neighborhood.
Investigators tracked Bemish to a hotel in Trinidad, after he had driven Engel's car and used her ATM card to get money. As part of the plea agreement, Bemish admitted that he caused Engel's death by strangulation.
"This is not a case that my office felt appropriate to negotiate," Senior Deputy District Attorney Amanda Lessman told the court. "A plea to Murder One and its coinciding life sentence is appropriate."
