Angela Prichard's Fight for Her Life

Summary

48 Hours Podcast Summary

Episode: Angela Prichard's Fight for Her Life

Host: CBS News
Air Date: June 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of "48 Hours" investigates the tragic killing of Angela Prichard in Bellevue, Iowa, and explores the harrowing escalation of domestic violence that led to her death. Through interviews with Angela’s family, friends, law enforcement, and legal experts, the episode examines not only the events of October 8, 2022, but also the months-long struggle for protection against her estranged husband, Chris Prichard. The case reflects critical failures in the legal enforcement of protective orders, the challenges facing domestic violence victims, and the pursuit of justice after Angela's murder.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Angela Prichard’s Life of Fear

• Angela endured ongoing harassment and threats from her husband, Chris Prichard.
• Angela’s family and friends recount numerous instances of stalking, hidden cameras, and a tracking device being found in her Jeep (00:53).
• Despite frequent calls to police (“My mom was calling the cops almost on a regular basis. Nothing was done. And she was terrified.”—Family Member, 00:37), enforcement and protection were lacking.
• Angela’s escalating fear is immortalized in her diary and sticky notes, which described Chris as “capable of anything” due to “booze and drugs every day” (23:58).

2. The Day of the Murder (October 8, 2022)

• Angela left for work at the Mississippi Ridge boarding kennels, as she did every day.
• Sirens sounded in the small community. Angela’s sister Wendy, upon hearing about “shots fired,” rushed to the scene (01:18–03:07).
• Police found Angela dead in the kennel's washroom with a gunshot wound to the chest at close range (07:12).
• A 911 call records Angela’s last moments, including her naming Chris as her assailant (06:28).

3. The Hunt for Chris Prichard

• Chris evaded police by escaping into nearby woods, an area he knew well (10:31).
• Law enforcement employed canines, drones, and enlisted the community in a massive manhunt, while the family feared he could survive in hiding for days (10:45, 13:17).

4. Failings of Law Enforcement and Legal Protections

• Angela had multiple no-contact orders against Chris. Police failed to enforce them, often claiming “There’s nothing we can do. This is his house as well.” (26:04).
• Despite clear signs of escalating abuse, stalking, and threats, police actions were limited to minor interventions.
• Chris continued harassment even after briefly being arrested for a restraining order violation.

“I fear for my safety, fear for my life. He has guns. The fear, it consumed our life.”
—Wendy Buddy, Angela’s sister (27:50)

5. Chris Prichard's Apprehension and Arrest

• On the run, Chris wound up at the home of neighbors and former friends Kim Klein and Jeff Junk, armed with a shotgun (20:51).
• He gave up his gun without protest but showed no remorse for Angela’s death.
• Police arrested him as he slept in a chair in the early morning (22:13).

6. The Investigation and Trial

• Investigators meticulously traced Chris’s movements through surveillance footage and interviews, establishing premeditation (09:53, 29:43).
• Prosecutors detailed how he borrowed a truck, concealed his vehicle to build an alibi, and lay in wait at the kennels (30:09).
• At trial, defense attorneys claimed the shooting was accidental. However, evidence and witness testimony proved otherwise.
• The jury swiftly found Chris Prichard guilty of first-degree murder and robbery; he was sentenced to life without parole (36:23, 36:46).

“Angela named her killer, and she helped bring him to justice.”
—Wendy Buddy, Angela’s sister (42:45)

7. The Civil Suit Against Police and the Larger Issue

• Attorney Dave O'Brien represented the Prichard family in a lawsuit alleging Bellevue Police failed Angela by not enforcing protective orders, increasing her risk (35:12–39:00).
• The federal lawsuit was dismissed, with the judge citing insufficient evidence that police action or favoritism contributed to Angela's death (39:05).
• New hearings raised allegations of police withholding evidence and masking relationships with Chris, though courts ultimately upheld the dismissal (39:37).

“No contact orders aren’t worth the paper they’re written on—and in this case, that was true. But I firmly believe they are worth something, but they have to be enforced.”
—Dave O'Brien, Civil Rights Attorney (42:26)

8. Aftermath and Moving Forward

• Angela’s family struggles with grief and survivor’s guilt but wants to raise awareness that protective orders must be enforced, and that more needs to be done to prevent domestic violence deaths.
• The episode closes by citing sobering statistics and offering the national domestic violence hotline for those in need (43:49).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She left the house that day at 20 after 7...I texted Ang a quick note. I didn't get a response. Then the sirens went off in town.”
  —Wendy Buddy, 01:38

• “100%. 100%. I knew it was him.”
  —Wendy Buddy, when asked if she immediately suspected Chris, 05:11

• “He shot Angela. It was an accident?”
  —Interview/Prosecutor exchange, 29:20

• “We believed Mr. Pritchard planned this all out and very meticulously ... We believe that [the restraining order] was sort of the snapping point.”
  —Prosecutors, 29:43, 30:09

• “My job is to protect you at all costs.”
  —Bellevue Police Officer (body cam), days before Angela’s death, 40:58

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Angela’s Fear and Prior Incidents: 00:37–01:55
• The Murder and 911 Response: 01:28–04:10
• Background on Angela & Chris’s Relationship: 15:05–17:02
• Domestic Violence and Law Enforcement Inaction: 23:41–28:10
• Chris’s Arrest and Interrogation: 28:51–29:33
• Trial and Verdict: 29:43–36:46
• Civil Suit and Police Failures: 35:12–42:26
• Aftermath, Advocacy, and Final Reflections: 42:45–43:49

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Conclusion

The episode delivers a detailed and heart-wrenching portrait of Angela Prichard’s life, her efforts to escape domestic abuse, and the tragic consequences of law enforcement’s failure to act decisively. It stresses the importance of enforcing protective orders and proactively safeguarding domestic violence victims. Angela’s family hopes that sharing her story will inspire systemic change, preventing similar outcomes for others at risk.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Transcript

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[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

My mom was calling the cops almost on a regular basis. Nothing. Nothing was done. And she was terrified.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

He's calling her every vile name he can think of. Sitting outside of her house, stalking her.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

She had found something in her Jeep. A tracking device. She had found cameras inside.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

He has no idea what I go

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

through every single day with him. No idea. I remember her saying, I don't know what else to do. I don't know where else to turn.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

It's been getting worse and it's been getting worse. I don't want him anywhere near me.

[Interviewer/Host]

You're describing a life lived in fear.

[Lori Blaser (Witness)]

Yeah.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Every time she was out of my sight, I was so scared for her.

[Interviewer/Host]

I know this is going to be difficult for you. Take me back to October 8th. When did you realize something wasn't right?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

She left the house that day at 20 after 7. Ange was working at the kennels. I texted Ang a quick note. I didn't get a response. Then the sirens went off in town.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Law Center 21, 21, go ahead. I'm approaching the kennel now. I do see one vehicle out front. One vehicle.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

And living in a small town, you're always kind of nosy and want to know what's going on.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

How far out is my assistance?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I got on my phone.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

I don't like this.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

And I looked and it said, mississippi Ridge boarding kennels. Shots fired.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Hello?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

And I immediately was hysterical.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Angie.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Because Angela Pritchard was my sister.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Angie, what do we got? I don't know what we got here, but it said possible shots fired.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

We actually got behind an ambulance on the way up there.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Law Center 21, we are going to enter the building. Law Center 21, we got. We got lady down, lady down.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

And I got out of the car.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Scene clear. Scene clear.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I went running down the hill. There was police officers there. And I remember walking up to him and I said, is she alive? And they said, no. I immediately fell to the ground. And I remember saying something like, I knew something like this was going to happen. I knew it was. I knew it was.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Law center. Make sure you get it now. Points out for a suspect,

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

you leave no rock unturned, you leave no building unchecked.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

Obviously, we're going to throw every resource that we have at our disposal to apprehending him.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

There was a knock on the door. I said, I'm not answering the door. He has a gun.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Jonathan Vigliotti reports. Could Angela be saved? On the morning of October 8, 2022, the serene Mississippi river town of Bellevue, Iowa, population about 2,500, woke up to a calamity. News of an apparent homicide, the first in nearly a decade.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Once you secure that out building.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Dozens of investigators from six different law enforcement agencies were combing the crime scene at the Mississippi Ridge boarding kennels with body cameras rolling. The woman who ran the kennels, Angela Pritchard, 55, had been gunned down.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

He knew how to get in the front door.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Her sister, Wendy Buddy believed she knew who was responsible. Angela's husband, Chris Pritchard.

[Interviewer/Host]

In that moment, did you know it was Chris?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

100%. 100%. I knew it was him.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Wendy says Angela had been trying to leave him for months and lived in fear he would kill her.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

This appeared to be an assailant that knew her very well.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Ryan Kedley and Dustin Henningson are special agents with Iowa's dci, the Department of Criminal Investigation. Bellevue's small police force, with just several officers invited the state police to lead the investigation. While Angela's family was convinced Chris Pritchard was the killer, the special agents had to connect all the dots.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

We had received word that There was a 911 call in the morning.

[Interviewer/Host]

Tell me about that 911 call.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

911, where's your emergency?

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

It's essentially you're listening to the end of her Life on the 911 call.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

Please get out of here.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I have customers coming in.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

9, 1, 1.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Please get out of here. Okay, where are you at? Those were the last words spoken by Angela and the first clue investigators had to identify her killer.

[Interviewer/Host]

She says the name Chris on this call. Who is Chris?

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

Chris Pritchard, her estranged husband.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Ma', am, where are you at?

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

As the dispatcher continues to ask, what's your emergency? You can faintly hear somebody say,

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

when

[Interviewer/Host]

you listen to this 911 call, how do you process what you were hearing?

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

On a personal level, it's a very difficult thing to listen to someone's end of life moments. On an investigative level, that was a pivotal piece of evidence. In the opening stages of the investigation.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

You guys turning in?

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

It was a very violent scene.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

Passing by the kennel door on the right, and this is the area where we initially get a firsthand glimpse of Angela's deceased body Here on the floor.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Pools of morning light illuminated pools of blood surrounding her body. Angela was lying face down in the kennel's washroom where she bathed the dogs. Ryan Kedley photographed the scene.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

She has a very large, significant gunshot

[Interviewer/Host]

wound to the chest at close range,

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

at, I would say very close range. There has to have been some very, very high emotions involved in that.

[Interviewer/Host]

You have Angela Pritchard, deceased here. You have Chris Pritchard, a person of interest, nowhere to be found. How do you track him down?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

The special agents spotted a barely visible

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

blood trail leading out of this room and then into the dog kennel area through this door. We believe our assailant traveled from that area through here, left some blood evidence, and then likely went out this door directly in front of us. We're certainly trying to keep an open mind and determine that, okay, if Chris didn't do this, well, then who did?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Digging into Chris Pritchard's life, the special agents soon learned about his volatile history with Angela, which included violence and violations of a restraining order.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

But at this point, all of the information seems to be consistent with Chris being the guy that we need to locate.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

As we continue to work the investigation, we began to establish our timeline.

[Interviewer/Host]

Some of the first video that places him on this property comes from this home over here.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

That's correct.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Investigators reviewed the footage starting at midnight, the day of the shooting. For hours, there was nothing to see, but just after 4am There was something to hear.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

You can hear dogs start to bark. We had determined that was most likely the point when he arrived at the kennels.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Henningson believes Chris Pritchard entered the kennels and lay in wait for nearly four hours.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

The first video that they really got was Angela coming down to work in the morning. And right up here, you're going to see Angela start to pull down to the entrance at the Mississippi Ridge, boarding kennels, pulling up to the kennel at 7:34. You can see her get out of her vehicle, and she's gathering her belongings, and then we're walking into the kennel itself.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Angela Pritchard had less than six minutes to live.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

At 7:39 and 43 seconds, we hear a gunshot go off in the video.

[Interviewer/Host]

At any point, do you clearly see Chris on any of these surveillance cameras?

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

Yes, we believe we see him leaving

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

about two minutes after the gunshot at 7:41, the man they now suspected to be her killer, Chris Pritchard, appeared actually

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

walking from the kennel area down to the fence area here behind me. That makes us believe that this is the first area that we need to check.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Outside the kennels, miles of thick woods stretch to the horizon, an area the northeastern Iowa locals call the wilderness. It was rugged terrain. Chris Pritchard knew well, says Wendy.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

He knows the outdoors. I knew that he could probably survive out there for quite a while in hiding.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

We have every resource at our disposal to try and do this manhunt. We have canines, we have airplanes, we have drones.

[Interviewer/Host]

This is your worst nightmare.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Yeah.

[Lori Blaser (Witness)]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Everything you've been trying to prevent come true.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Everything I've been trying to so hard to protect her and to keep her safe. And he got her. He got to her.

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[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

You've got A fugitive out there on the run, potentially armed.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

The manhunt for Chris Pritchard was widening.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

There's hundreds of acres here of farmland and woods, and we have the Mississippi river not far away. So knowing that he could have went any direction really makes the search difficult.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Fanning out from the kennels, heavily armed officers search nearby neighborhoods, house to house, barn to barn.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Is that the guy they're looking for right there? Chris Pritchard.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Has he been known to come out here every once in a while?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

I haven't seen him, though. Today.

[Interviewer/Host]

Angela was a mother and a grandmother.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

She was.

[Interviewer/Host]

What kind of mother and grandmother was she?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I don't know that you would find somebody better than her. You hear a lot of people say people put their kids in front of themselves. That was truly her.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Angela Pritchard's world revolved around family, especially her two sons and six grandchildren.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

They were the loves of her life, her kids and her grandkids. Look at how high we are.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

And with almost equal billing, Angela's five huskies.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

She always was an animal lover.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Angela's sons, Josh Close and C.J. hancock.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

She was beautiful inside and out. She liked to make everybody happy, especially her family.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

She loved you so much. Yeah.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

She loved to spoil the grandkids rotten. They could do no wrong in her eyes. She loved doing arts and crafts. She still decorated her tree with the ones we made when we were kids.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

And making memories with their mom later in life was Chris Prichard, the very man investigators were now chasing. Wendy, Buddy and her husband Jim, had known Prichard for years.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I would have trusted him with our children. He was nice, friendly, sincere, a hard worker, fun to be around.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Prichard, a longtime Bellevue resident, was an established electrician in town. Soon, Angela found her calling

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

to be a kennel owner, to do something with animals. I was thrilled for her. It really seemed like everything was falling into place.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

After dating for nearly two years, they moved into this Bellevue home and even got married here in March 2019. The newlyweds were over the moon for about eight months.

[Interviewer/Host]

When did things change?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I truly think that things started to change when he lost his job. He got fired.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Fired and charged with first degree theft, a felony, after he allegedly stole $36,000 worth of supplies from the electric company where he worked.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

She was just beside herself. What are we going to do now? We need that income.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Awaiting trial, Pritchard was out on bail and out of work, says Wendy.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

He wasn't looking for work. He was definitely drinking more. As the months went on, it just Was like, wow, he's really kind of changing.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Pritchard finally took some odd jobs and helped Angela at the kennels. But in the summer of 2021, Wendy says Angela discovered her husband was using methamphetamine.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

And then I knew that things are really getting bad.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

The simmering tension reached a boiling point. On April 18, 2022.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

She said, Chris hit me.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

She said, he's drunk. He's on drugs. So I told her, we're gonna call the cops.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Bellevue police responded the call recorded on police body cam.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

He hit me, and then I just. I came in the nose. She was crying. She was visibly shaking. She had mark on her face. And she said, I'm so scared.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Police didn't have to go far to find Pritchard. He was in the garage. State of Iowa law requires that somebody goes to jail and physical domestic.

[Chris Pritchard (Defendant)]

I can't believe I'm going to jail.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

Well, she's got a mark on her face.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Chris Pritchard was arrested and charged with domestic assault.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

He's very, very, very messed up on. We've seen him change right in front of our eyes, haven't we?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Krish spent the night in jail and was released. Awaiting trial. Staying with family, Angela sought and received a temporary no contact order.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

So he can't come back here.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

No.

[Interviewer/Host]

The no contact order now exists protecting your sister. But a few weeks later, it's lifted.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Even after it happened, she said, I don't want this. I want our marriage to work.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Each had been married before, but had hoped this would be their last marriage, says Wendy. Angela withdrew the no contact order.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I believe he said everything that needed to be said for her to drop that order. The drinking will stop. He will be home.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

More promises he failed to keep, says Wendy.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

She said, I'm scared of him, especially if he's been drinking.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Wendy says Angelo was furious when she found a tracking device in her car and two hidden cameras in the house.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I told her, you need to get a divorce. You need to be done with this. Ang.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Chris Pritchard seemed to have vanished in the vast wilderness. Even the police dogs had lost his scent, says Dustin Henningson.

[Interviewer/Host]

How do you find somebody that doesn't want to be caught?

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

This is where our local resources really help us.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Right from the start, Henningson had corralled state and local law enforcement agencies, even farmers and hunters, to help determine where he might be.

[Chris Pritchard (Defendant)]

I'll let you know if I see

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

anything or hear anything.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

If we thought that Chris was going to make his way, say, back to Bellevue, what's the most likely path. Where are his friends at?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

It's a small town.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

Everybody talks.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Cattle farmer Jeff Junk and girlfriend Kim Klein were once close friends with Chris Pritchard. Neighbors called them about the rumor racing through town Pritchard had shot his wife, Angela.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

Get out of here. I didn't believe it.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

A Jackson county chief deputy stopped by Junk's house to warn them Pritchard was on the run and might be looking for help from his friends. Then there was a knock on the door. The knock on the front door, the one they'll always remember, came around 8:15 that October night. Kim Klein says she and boyfriend Jeff Junk were not expecting company when the second knock happened.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

I says, I believe it's Chris and you need to answer the door.

[Interviewer/Host]

So you open the door and what is it that you see on the other side?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

I see Chris. Chris Pritchard, their old friend, now a hunted fugitive suspected of murder, was standing in the dim light holding a shotgun.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

Jeff goes, you need to hand that gun to me. And he did. No problem.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Jeff and Kim knew they had to call the police. But until they could do that safely, Kim says they were playing along. Chris told them he'd been running all day from the cops and their dogs.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

Jeff said, hey, dude, you shot your wife. Oh, yeah? How's she doing?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

The couple told him Angela was dead.

[Interviewer/Host]

Did he express any remorse?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

No, nothing, Nothing.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

He was sitting there laughing and drinking, and they were talking about old times.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

The moment felt so surreal. Kim says she snapped a photo just

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

to show that, no, he wasn't having any remorse. He never talked about her the rest of the night. And then I took the one when he was passed out and the time

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

was finally right, says Jeff, to text the chief deputy who had stopped by earlier.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

I said, he's up here and he has passed out.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Come get him.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

When police arrived around midnight, Chris was still in the La Z boy chair, out cold.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

He didn't know what was coming wrong

[Chris Pritchard (Defendant)]

with you guys, he says, Christ, I was sleeping.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

He's verbally belligerent to officers that have arrested him.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

Looks like he's got a cut to his left thumb.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Special Agent Henningson collected the evidence Chris Pritchard had left behind. A.20 gauge shotgun and his torn clothes.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

He took Angela's possessions, money, a cell phone with him.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

I think we're good to go in then. Special Agent Kedley escorted Pritchard to the Jackson County Jail. Do you want your seatbelt, Chris?

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

I want a bull in the head.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Shortly after 1am on October 9, a despotic Chris Pritchard was booked into the county jail, eventually charged with first degree murder and robbery. After hours on the run through Iowa's

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

wilderness, I'm gonna have you look right at me, okay?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Pritchard found himself surrounded by concrete and steel, largely put there by the weight of a single word. Wendy says the day Pritchard ended her sister's life followed months of increasingly erratic behavior and escalating rage, which Angela had documented.

[Interviewer/Host]

Tell me about this journal and her words that lived on.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

She was the sticky note queen.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

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

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

August 23rd. Text message, calling me names, saying, it's going to get real ugly. He's been stalking me and watching me. Very scared of him. I think Chris is capable of anything. Booze and drugs every day. Said he doesn't give a if he goes to jail. Always looking over my shoulder to see if he's around. Her words to me are, I'm done. This is it. We're not living in the same house.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Wendy invited her sister to move in with her. Angela gratefully agreed.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I was like, you have a shadow now, because I'm not leaving. You're stuck with me.

[Interviewer/Host]

The next day, Angela requested a second temporary no contact order. Granted September 1st first, 2022. A no contact order means just that. No contact of any kind with the protected person. In the state of Iowa. A single violation requires a mandatory arrest. But that doesn't stop Chris.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

No. Once that second no contact order got put in place, I would say that's when things went really downhill.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

And it was in place when Angela went back to the home she once shared with Chris Pritchard to pick up a few things. Says Wendy.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I was with her.

[Interviewer/Host]

You were with her, along with police.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

The Bellevue police were there just in case Pritchard showed up. The court had ordered him to move out temporarily.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

We walked in the front door. The house was destroyed. There was ink and paint thrown everywhere.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

Picture frames broken.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Furniture was destroyed. He had actually taken the mattress off her bed and rubbed it in dog feces.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

Guns. And he placed them all over the house to intimidate her.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I mean, we both just started crying.

[Interviewer/Host]

This is in clear violation of the restraining order. What do the police do?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

The police said, there's nothing we can do. This is his house.

[Interviewer/Host]

There's nothing we can do is what they say to you.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

This is his house as well.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Under Iowa law, with a no contact order in place, Bellevue police should have Taken Prichard's guns, but for reasons unknown, he was allowed to keep them. Wendy and Angela's son say throughout September, the frightening violations continued. Not physical assault, but psychological terror.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

Sitting outside of her house, following her, texting her, stalking her, going and cutting the grass at the kennels while she wasn't there.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Bellevue police arrested Prichard just once on September 15th, for sending Angela a text message. Another violation of the no contact order. He spent one night behind bars before posting bail. The next day, says Wendy, he resumed his flourish of offenses.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

He had been driving by her house multiple times.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

One night, says Wendy Pritchard, drove by six times in one hour.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I don't feel safe anymore. Anywhere. My sister's, my house, my son's stores in town.

[Interviewer/Host]

You have a ticking time bomb on your hands.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Yeah, pretty much. And that's what it felt like.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

But instead of making arrests, the Bellevue police were making excuses. St Angela's sons for not enforcing the law.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

They said that they'd tell him to knock it off or have a talk with him. Nothing. Nothing was done. And she was terrified.

[Interviewer/Host]

You're reaching out to police. They're not doing anything. Are you running out of hope here?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Yes. What do you do when nobody's willing to help you? I fear for my safety, fear for my life. He has guns. The fear, it consumed our life.

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[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Was 5am at the Jackson County Jail. 21 hours after Angela was found dead. Chris Pritchard waved his Miranda rights and talked about the encounter at the dog kennels with special agents Dustin Henningson and Ryan Kedley.

[Chris Pritchard (Defendant)]

She said, you gotta leave. You gotta leave now or I'm gonna call the police. I said, I just want to talk. And she shoved me. And I hit the cabinet. The gun, I. I don't know what the gun hit, but it went off.

[Interviewer/Host]

So in so many words, he says, I shot Angela. It was an accident?

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

Essentially, yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

Are you believing any of this?

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

No. I'm only believing the fact that he shot Angela.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Pritchard pleaded not guilty to first degree murder and robbery charges. His trial began February 7, 2024.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

We believed that Mr. Pritchard planned this all out and very meticulously for that

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

matter, to prove premeditated murder. Prosecutors Nicole Leonard and John Keys told jurors Pritchard put his plan in motion on October 7, 2022, the day before he shot his wife. The same day, Angela's temporary restraining order became permanent.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

We believe that that was sort of the snapping point for the defendant. He became more and more obsessed with the situation and not letting her go.

[Chris Pritchard (Defendant)]

She wanted to drag me through the mud and make me a monster.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Before taking Angela's life, Chris Pritchard took steps to cover his tracks, say the prosecutors. He borrowed this white pickup truck to avoid using his own vehicle.

[Interviewer/Host]

So what we think was he was

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

setting up an alibi. Prosecutors say Pritchard secretly parked the borrowed truck inside a barn belonging to Lori and Mike Blaser, just a few miles from the Mississippi Ridge boarding kennels. We walk in, you know, notice this

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

white pickup truck with a note from

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Chris Pritchard saying he had gone hunting. Keys are on the truck. If you need to move it, I'll be back. Chris.

[Lori Blaser (Witness)]

We knew Chris. He would tell us how much he loved Angela, how devastated he was that there was a restraining order.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

The Blasers would soon become crucial witnesses for the prosecution. Shortly after finding the truck and note, they heard the news about a shooting at the dog kennels.

[Lori Blaser (Witness)]

We knew the minute that there was a shooting at the kennel, something had happened with Chris. We were concerned that this was a getaway vehicle for him in here because it was just so odd. It had no reason to be here. I called 911 immediately. I see you guys are looking for Chris Pritchard.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

Yes, his truck is in our garage.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Let's just get this cleared first.

[Lori Blaser (Witness)]

It was very intense because at that point he was still missing. And we were scared to death.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

Clear in here, Jim.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Prosecutors later viewed home surveillance footage from a camera on the Blaser's property showing Chris Pritchard entering the barn where the Blasers kept their horse trailer.

[Lori Blaser (Witness)]

The minute we came in the door, I knew that Chris Pritchard had spent some time in here. He certainly made himself at home here.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Pritchard left the horse trailer in the middle of the night, hiking through the dense woods to the kennels, says prosecutor Leonard.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

We believe his next appearance is around 4am on Oct. 8 at the Dog kennels in which the dogs start to go crazy.

[Interviewer/Host]

And you believe from that point forward he's inside the kennel?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Correct.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

I think he always had the plan to murder her. To prove it, the prosecutors played audio clips, clips from Prichard's police interviews for the jury.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

You show up in a place where you know she's going to be. You've got a gun with her, you know, you've got a no contact order. An argument breaks out, she calls 91 1, she winds up dead. This wasn't just some accident.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

If this was an accident, why are you taking her cell phone, which is her only means of survival? Why aren't you calling for help yourself? Why aren't you rendering any type of aid for your wife?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

And Pritchard kept adding details to the story of the accidental shooting, say the special agents.

[Ryan Kedley (Special Agent)]

The gun was leaning up against the cupboards. He went to retrieve a backpack and it fell, and then that went off and shot her.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

But at trial, an Iowa state medical examiner testified the gunshot had a downward trajectory, meaning Pritchard had the weapon in his hands and was standing when he fired, say prosecutors.

[Chris Pritchard (Defendant)]

It looked like if you hit her in the arm, how would you die from that?

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Angela was shot dead center in the chest, testified the medical examiner, and died in seconds.

[Chris Pritchard (Defendant)]

I would have loved to have stuck around with Angie and her temper. I thought maybe it didn't even really hit her that bad because she was yelling at me like she wasn't even hurt.

[John Keys or Nicole Leonard (Prosecutors)]

The fact that he's saying that after the gun went off and it struck her, that she's yelling profanities back at him. Well, we have a 911 recording of that conversation that did not take place.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Prosecutors say Chris Pritchard's last words on the 911 call prove his actions were premeditated, a final explosion of violence.

[Kim Klein (Neighbor/Friend)]

When you hear his statement standing over her dying body on that 911 call, using profanity,

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

You definitely don't say what he said at the end of the phone call after you accidentally shoot someone.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Prichard's defense attorneys, who declined our request for an interview, maintained the shooting was accidental and the case against Prichard was a rush to judgment. After four days of testimony, the case went to the jury.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

We were outside the courthouse, just kind of stretching, and, you know, the jury's back.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

This man was also waiting for the verdict and already preparing for another trial, a federal lawsuit against the Bellevue Police Department. It failed Angela, he said, says time and time again, if police took action,

[Interviewer/Host]

would Angela be alive today.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

Absolutely.

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[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

In February 2024, 16 months after Angela's death, her family's wait for a measure of justice was over.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

That's gotta be a good sign that they're back. In less than an hour,

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

the jury found Chris Pritchard guilty of first degree murder and robbery.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

When they said it, it was just

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

how?

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

Big sigh of relief.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

In March, Prichard was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

It will never bring her back, but he's going to spend the rest of his life behind bars. I also gave a victim impact statement and I said to him, I hope while you're behind bars, you always have to look over your shoulder and be scared for everything you do. How she felt. I hope you just feel a tiny bit of that, the way you tortured her.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Civil rights attorney Dave o' Brien represents Angela Pritchard's family. She would be alive today, he says, if the Bellevue Police Department had enforced a judge's order of protection.

[Interviewer/Host]

You filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Bellevue and three officers. Why?

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

Because they didn't do their job, and it's that simple.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

That lawsuit lists multiple failures to arrest Chris Pritchard. O' Brien says this led to what's called a state created danger, meaning the officer's alleged inaction and indifference actually increased the threat to Angela Pritchard.

[Interviewer/Host]

Can a police officer decide, should I arrest him or not? Is that up to their discretion?

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

Absolutely not. Here in Iowa, only a judge can show discretion not to enforce this restraining order

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

starting September 1, 2022, when Angela's second no contact order was issued until her murder. 37 days later, Chris Pritchard died. Violated the restraining order repeatedly, says o'. Brien.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

A dozen times during this relevant time period, Angela Pritchard called the Bellevue Police Department and they failed to follow that law, that judge's order.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

That's because o' Brien says the Bellevue police officers showed Pritchard favoritism.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

We have reason to believe that he was friendly with law enforcement officers to

[Interviewer/Host]

prove this case, you must prove that the police officer's failure to enforce the protection order was intentional and reckless. How can you do that?

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

Well, just by the sheer number of times that it was not enforced.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

In October 2024, Chief Federal Judge C.J. williams dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety. The Bellevue Police Department, he ruled, did not put Angela in a more dangerous situation, and the three officers simply did not commit outrageous conduct. The judge added there was no evidence of police favoritism. The alleged facts, even taken as true, are a far cry from establishing that any of the defendants were friends with Christopher.

[Interviewer/Host]

Dave O' Brien was granted a hearing in December 2024 after learning, he says, the three Bellevue officers had withheld evidence and made false statements allegedly concealing their friendships with Chris Pritchard, accusations they denied.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

O' Brien argued the officers were well aware Chris Pritchard was a serious threat to his wife. Nine days before her murder, the Jackson County Attorney warned the Bellevue Police Department in an email. Chris Pritchard had 24 hours to turn himself in. If he does not report, I will be requesting a warrant. I wanted all of you to be aware, as I'm afraid he might try to do something tonight. The next day, when Pritchard failed to appear at the county jail, the arrest warrant was issued seven days days before her murder. O' Brien says this body cam footage of a Bellevue police officer speaking with Wendy and Angela.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

Because right now, I guarantee he's not thinking straight.

[Lori Blaser (Witness)]

No, not at all.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Confirms police knew Angela was in danger.

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

That's my biggest fear. That's my department's biggest fear, is he's going to try to hurt you and then hurt himself.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

During the final week of Angela's life,

[911 Dispatcher/Police Officer]

my job is to protect you at all costs.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

O' Brien says Bellevue police could have protected her by finding and arresting Chris Pritchard, but they never did.

[Interviewer/Host]

Is it hard to find?

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

Chris shouldn't be. Everybody knew his Jeep had a customized tag that said Zero Dark thirty on it. So I was like, you can't miss it.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

We have not been provided with any record showing there was any effort made to enforce the arrest warrant once it was issued on 30th September.

[Interviewer/Host]

Had that arrest warrant been executed, would Angela be here today?

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

Absolutely. He should have been in jail.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

At the December hearing, defense attorneys insisted the new information presented by o' Brien was improper, should be stricken and not considered by the court.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

Our ideal outcome would be just complete reversal of the judge's decision.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

In January 2025, Judge Williams refused to reverse his dismissal. Bellevue Police Chief Dennis Schroeder issued this statement to a local newspaper, which read, in part, we are pleased with the decision. We continue to strengthen our services and response efforts to prevent domestic violence and provide support to those in need.

[Dave O'Brien (Civil Rights Attorney)]

I've heard people say that no contact orders aren't worth the paper they're written on, and in this case, that was true. But I firmly believe that they are worth something, but they have to be enforced.

[Wendy Buddy (Angela's Sister)]

I still to this day have a lot of. I guess it's guilt, because I think in my mind, what if I would have went with her that day? Maybe I could have saved her. But part of me was so proud of her for, like, being as strong as she was in that time. She named her killer, and she helped him bring him to justice.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

Chris Pritchard's life sentence also helped bring her family some comfort and the courage to move forward. They believe Angela would want them to make this public plea.

[Family Member (possibly Angela's son or close relative)]

Maybe other police departments that maybe are a little lenient on stuff won't be so lenient next time.

[Jonathan Vigliotti (Reporter/Narrator)]

According to the Violence Policy center, nearly three women in the US Are killed by an intimate partner each day. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233.