Angela Wilty

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Snapped: Women Who Murder

Episode: Angela Wilty
Host: Oxygen
Date: February 1, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode of Snapped: Women Who Murder dissects the shocking murder of John Paul Wilty in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Through interviews with police, family members, and acquaintances, the episode lays out the complex and tragic case, tracking the unraveling of John’s marriage to Angela Wilty, the dark secrets hidden within their blended family, and the persistent police work that led to Angela’s conviction. The episode explores themes of manipulation, familial loyalty, infidelity, and the pursuit of justice in the face of deep betrayal.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Murder Scene & Initial Investigation

• Discovery: John Wilty is found shot dead (00:02). His body was beside his driveway, wallet intact, indicating this was not a robbery.
  • "There's a dead man laying at the end of my driveway. Looks like he's been shot." — Bradley Casey (00:08)
  • "It was very clear it was the deliberate design to affect the death of this person." — Detective (00:19)
• Crime Scene Evidence: Two gunshot wounds to John’s chest; his keys at the end of the driveway (11:08). His hands indicate he crawled before dying.
  • "It appears to me that he crawled. The skin was coming off of his knuckles." — Investigator (11:32)

2. John Wilty’s Background

• Early Life: Raised in Texas; early hardships after his father’s suicide (04:11).
• Family Life: Became a father young, had several relationships and children, but always dedicated to his kids (05:32, 06:04).
  • "His kids were everything. He wanted nothing but his kids to have the world." — Friend (05:42)
• Meeting Angela: Angela, herself with a troubled upbringing and multiple failed relationships, fits into John’s life as a stabilizing force (08:07, 09:00).

3. Angela Wilty: The Suspect’s Profile

• Early Troubles: Married young to escape home (09:00).
• Marriage to John: Despite their age gap, John and Angela quickly bond. Their blended family is large and chaotic (09:42, 09:59), but they eventually settle in an upscale subdivision.
  • "He had six biological kids and Angela had two sons. It was a lot on him to keep up and take care of all of them, all of us." — Family Member (09:59)

4. The Nature of the Killing

• Premeditation: The murder is quickly established as calculated (11:08, 13:01). A towel with bullet holes suggests a makeshift silencer was used.
  • "This was not random. It was very clear from the beginning that this had to have been a very planned murder." — Detective (11:08)
• Angela’s Reaction: Angela displays little emotion when informed of John’s death, drawing suspicion (14:47, 17:28).
  • "She didn't seem very surprised, didn't seem emotional at all." — Detective (14:47)

5. Digging Into Motive: Marital Strife and Infidelity

• Revelations: Police uncover numerous texts indicating Angela’s affairs and a volatile, argumentative marriage (18:12–19:49).
  • "There's multiple men that she has long conversations with on the phone." — Investigator (18:39)
• Suspicion: Focus falls on Angela's boss Neesom (20:44–22:28), but he is quickly ruled out after providing a solid alibi.

6. A History of Violence: CSO Norvell

• Stepfather’s Past: CSO Norvell, Angela’s stepfather, is revealed to have served time for a previous, eerily similar murder in defense of his daughter (24:15–25:09).
  • "Back in '92, CSO had murdered a man who had a volatile relationship with his daughter." — Neighbor (24:15)
• Protectiveness: Suspicions grow that Angela may have manipulated him into killing John for her (27:27).

7. The Break in the Case

• Stalled Investigation: Months go by without progress (27:03–28:06).
• Explosive Confession: During a domestic dispute, Angela’s son Bradley tells police he knows who killed John and where the murder weapon is hidden (32:19–33:07).
  • "She told me to kill John... I asked her was she involved and she said yes. She asked me to hide the gun." — Bradley Casey (32:38–33:07)

8. Evidence Recovery and Arrest

• Discovery of the Weapon: Acting on Bradley's tip, police find a .40 caliber handgun hidden in a cat litter bucket on CSO Norvell’s property (34:45–35:34).
  • "We find a handgun, a nylon holster, and some ammunition. It was a .40 caliber weapon, which is the exact style of casings that they located at the crime scene." — Detective (34:45)
• Charges Filed: Angela and CSO are arrested; Angela refuses to cooperate (36:34–36:56).

9. Motive Clarified: Life Insurance and Control

• Financial Gain: Investigators discover Angela had recently been made sole beneficiary of John’s $750,000 life insurance policy and filed a claim two days after his death (38:14–38:28).
  • "Our theory in all of this is she killed her husband for the $750,000 life insurance policy." — Investigator (38:28)
• Relationship Collapse: Family and friends reveal John was planning to leave Angela, suspecting her motive was layered — control, financial stability, and resentment (38:55–39:18).

10. Legal Outcomes

• Plea Deal: Angela accepts a plea, receiving 20 years in prison with possibility of parole in 2038 (40:46).
  • "She secures a reduced charge that would give her 20 years..." — Neighbor (40:46)
• CSO’s Trial: Despite Angela’s testimony, CSO is acquitted of murder but jailed for parole violations (41:32–43:00).
  • "The only evidence tying CSO Norvell to the murder... was the firearm being found on his property in addition to the testimony of Angela Wilty." — Legal Expert (41:32)
• Lingering Pain: John's family and friends express sorrow and disappointment over the outcomes, struggling to move on (42:14–42:41).
  • "It was devastating. He was a good friend. He was a good father... just one of the best persons you could ever meet." — Friend (42:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "She is a manipulator. She is only out for herself." — Investigator (01:08 & 38:47)
• "I asked her was she involved and she said yes." — Bradley Casey (01:19)
• "She told me to kill John... I asked her was she involved and she said yes." — Bradley Casey (32:38–33:07)
• "Back in '92, CSO had murdered a man who had a volatile relationship with his daughter." — Neighbor (24:15)
• "Our theory in all of this is she killed her husband for the $750,000 life insurance policy." — Investigator (38:28)

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Major Timestamps

• 00:02 – 03:47: Discovery of John Wilty’s body, initial reactions, and crime scene details
• 04:11 – 10:23: Background on John and Angela, marriage history, and family life
• 11:08 – 15:10: Police assess the crime scene and question Angela
• 18:12 – 20:44: Police analyze Angela's phone, revealing infidelity and potential suspects
• 24:15 – 25:09: CSO Norvell’s dark history
• 27:03 – 27:49: Case hits a dead end, motive built around infidelity and conflict
• 32:19 – 34:45: Bradley Casey’s confession leads to weapon discovery
• 38:14 – 38:28: Life insurance policy motive exposed
• 40:46 – 43:09: Legal outcomes for Angela and CSO; emotional aftermath and parole information

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Tone and Language

The narration is steady, serious, and methodical — focusing on procedural details, emotional interviews, and investigative logic. Detectives and family members speak candidly; quotes from Bradley Casey and investigators convey heartbreak, frustration, and tenacity.

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Episode Takeaways

• Angela Wilty masterminded her husband's murder, manipulating family (including a stepfather with a past homicide conviction) in pursuit of money and control.
• Persistent police work, the courage of a son coming forward, and forensic evidence brought the case to resolution — though not all involved saw justice as the family hoped.
• The episode starkly shows the consequences of toxic family dynamics, the reach of manipulation, and the pain left by unresolved loss.

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For listeners:
The episode provides a thorough, emotionally resonant exploration of the Wilty case — a cautionary tale about trust, betrayal, and the dark complexity that sometimes lies within seemingly ordinary families.

Transcript

[Narrator]

A hardworking family man is gunned down in his quiet Mississippi neighborhood.

[Bradley Casey]

There's a dead man laying at the end of my driveway. Looks like he's been shot.

[Narrator]

His wallet was still there.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Nothing was taken. This wasn't something just out of the blue.

[Detective]

It was very clear it was the deliberate design to affect the death of this person.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

Whoever wanted this man dead chased him to his death.

[Narrator]

A white's secret life offers a long list of suspects.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

There's multiple men that she has long conversations with on the phone.

[Detective]

He said you need to look into him because he's committed a murder before.

[Narrator]

The investigation reveals a troubling familial relationship.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

There's so many rumors, there's so many allegations. She told him a whole lot of things that she probably shouldn't have told him.

[Narrator]

Shocking revelations leading to a deceitful mastermind.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

She is a manipulator. She is only out for herself.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

She was losing everything and she didn't know how to handle it.

[Bradley Casey]

I asked her was she involved in. She said yes.

[Narrator]

Just south of the Tennessee border lies the tranquil town of Olive Branch, Mississippi.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Olive Branch is not too far away from Memphis and you go into this area where it's about family, raising your kids in a really great neighborhood and feeling safe.

[Narrator]

But just before dawn on March 23, 2008, a 911 call from a quiet neighborhood sends police to the scene of a disturbing crime.

[Bradley Casey]

Oh, man. 911. What's going on there? Sir, there's a dead man laying at the end of my driveway. Do you recognize him?

[Investigator/Police Officer]

Maybe from your neighborhood?

[Bradley Casey]

No, do not. Looks like he's been shot.

[Detective]

When first responders arrive on scene, they have to secure the area. They see the deceased male on the side of the road and a large pool of blood.

[Narrator]

Officers confirm the man is deceased and secure the crime scene for homicide detectives.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

As I arrive, I walk over to the area where the body was A middle aged man laying in the street, deceased. And he appeared to have two gunshot wounds to the chest. His feet were touching where the sidewalk was and his arms were down at his side.

[Detective]

They first looked to see if there was anything on his person and they were able to find his wallet in his pocket. He was identified as John Paul Willty and it had the address on his driver's license that went to the house two doors down.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

It appeared to us that whoever wanted this man dead chased him to his death. He did everything he could do to keep from someone killing him. How did this happen? Who did this to him?

[Detective]

At this point in the investigation. Law enforcement do know that it's a very personal murder.

[Narrator]

John Paul Wilty was born August 14, 1967 on the Gulf coast of Texas. He grew up in a loving family, but his childhood was marred by trying times.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

My father's father passed away when my dad was much younger. Between 7 and 8, he committed suicide. He was a very depressed man.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

John Paul was hurt by that. I know it devastated him. His mother told me that John Paul felt like he had to step up. She said it was like he changed overnight from a little boy to a man.

[Narrator]

Despite shouldering responsibility at such an early age, John did his best to maintain a positive attitude.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

If he could bring joy and humor and be funny and uplift somebody like that, he would do it.

[Narrator]

In high school, that desire to make people laugh turned John into a class clown. It also earned him the affections of a fellow classmate.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

When John Paul was in high school, he met Paula. They were young and she got pregnant and they got married.

[Narrator]

When John learned he was going to be the father of twin boys, he dropped out of school school and went to work.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

My father was a pipe fitter. He worked for a company that would contract out and do different jobs, made good money.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

John Paul as a father was hands on. His kids were everything. He wanted nothing but his kids to have the world.

[Narrator]

But as devoted as John was to being a father, the same couldn't be said for his marriage.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

I met him and I started hanging out down the street with his wife and we kind of became friends. I started noticing issues in the marriage between Paul and John Paul. John Paul was staying at my house a lot. I had got pregnant with Ashley and I told him he had a choice. You leave Paula and be with me or I raise this baby alone. And John Paula was like, well, I'm here. It was a little while before John Paul and Paula divorced.

[Narrator]

The couple shared custody of John's three year old twins and one year later had a second daughter together. Unfortunately, that partnership wouldn't last either.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

He weren't coming home. So I was at the house with my two girls and with his twins. And I finally had enough of that and said, okay, now it's time to be over.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

My parents love each other very much, but they were better as friends than a couple. After my mother, he met Mary, she was older and they end up having one child together. My baby brother, John Paul Jr.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

I have never got the full story of why John Paul and Mary split up. I never heard the reason for that.

[Narrator]

In 2001 at the age of 34. John had five children and three failed relationships. But he was convinced he would eventually find the right woman.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Spring of 2001. John is working on his truck and hurts himself. He has a really bad gash on his hand. While he's in pain, he looks across and he sees this woman and her name was Angela.

[Friend of John Wilty]

She lived in the trailer park he did, and she was a lot younger than him. I think he fell in love with her right off the bat.

[Narrator]

Like John, Angela Hinnard had a troubled childhood. Her father left when she was young, but thankfully another man stepped into the role.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

Angela's mother married CSO Norvell. He pretty much raised Angela and her sisters.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

Mr. Norvell's relationship with Angela Wilty was very deep. He took the father role through most of her life, most of her growing up.

[Narrator]

CSO Norvell was one of the only constants in Angela's life. By the age of 20, she'd already been through two failed relationships.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Angela married Michael Casey at 15 to leave home.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

She had Bradley at 16. Two years after Bradley was born, she had another son with another man.

[Narrator]

When Angela met John Wilty, she was a single mother raising two boys.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

When she met my father, it was stability for her. She had somebody that cared. I believe my father enjoyed the fact that Angela was a very family oriented person. She loved to be around her kids and enjoy her family as much as she could.

[Narrator]

Despite their 15 year age difference, John and Angela quickly bonded over their love of family. Their whirlwind romance led to the birth of a daughter in 2002. The following year, they got married.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

It was very chaotic at the house, so many kids. He had six biological kids and Angela had two sons. It was a lot on him to keep up and take care of all of them, all of us.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Angela's working as a contractor rebuilding and redesigning homes.

[Friend of John Wilty]

John was a maintenance mechanic at a chemical plant. He would work around the clock if that's what they needed. He was dedicated. He definitely made all the money he could for his family.

[Narrator]

As a blended family, John and Angela worked hard for the next 15 years and eventually were able to settle in the upscale neighborhood of Alexander's Ridge. But all hopes of growing old together are shattered when John is found shot to death in the street near their home.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We're looking at the totality of the whole scene and you've got Mr. Wilty who was in his driveway getting ready to go to work. His keys are at the end of the driveway.

[Detective]

His wallet was on his person. And the fact that nothing was stolen. This was not random. It was very clear from the beginning that this had to have been a very planned murder. It was the deliberate design to affect the death of this person, John Wilton.

[Narrator]

Coming up, gruesome details come to light.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

As I'm looking at his. It appears to me that he crawled. The skin was coming off of his knuckles.

[Narrator]

And an emotionless widow leads to a startling discovery.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We're taking a step back now, going, oh my God. They had a very rocky relationship.

[Narrator]

Detectives in Olive Branch, Mississippi are investigating the murder of 50 year old John Paul Wilty, found shot to death in his own neighborhood.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

As the coroner gets there, we pull Mr. Wilty's shirt up. We find that he has a gunshot wound on the left and right side of his chest. And as I'm looking at his hands, it appears to me that he crawled to where he ultimately died. The skin was coming off of his knuckles. After we marked all of our evidence and I walk the crime scene, I'm checking for any indication of how Mr. Wilty would have ended up houses down from his residence. And daylight comes. As I'm walking back, tracking and looking at things, I can see a blood trail that leads from his driveway where it looked like he had tried to flee the scene.

[Narrator]

Police find John's truck parked outside his house with the door open.

[Detective]

Officers located a black towel laying right below the truck. They also located a cartridge casing that they had to extract from inside the driver door.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

As we are collecting the towel that we find on the ground next to Mr. Wilty's truck, we realize it's got six bullet holes in it.

[Narrator]

Investigators theorize that the shooter ambushed John as he was leaving for work between 4 and 4:30am using the towel as a makeshift silencer.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

John Wilty was shot beside his truck and after being shot, crawled some ways down the sidewalk through a yard. Appeared to have possibly been followed by whoever the shooter was. And another shot was discharged near Mr. Wilty's body.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We found a live.40 caliber round and a spent shell casing.40 caliber round. To me that sounds like a gun stovepiped and it had to be racked to put a live round back in it.

[Detective]

Major driver assumes the gun had jammed and that's why we found a live.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

So now it's time to go and talk to the family.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

I asked where the wife was. The first responding officers were like, well, we haven't made contact with the house yet. So at that point that morning we made contact.

[Detective]

They had to knock several times and Angela Wilty came To the door. They tell her that her husband has been shot. And she didn't seem very surprised, didn't seem emotional at all.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

I explained to her what was going on and that we needed to talk to her at the station.

[Narrator]

While officers transport Angela to the station, others canvass the area, hoping to find other sources of information.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We looked for cameras, doorbell ringers, anything that we could find that would help us in what happened. We found one camera across the street and we were like, oh, wow, we got it.

[Narrator]

But their excitement is short lived.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We get the lady to the door and she said, I'm sorry, my son put it there. It's a dummy camera. It just crushed us at that point because we're back down to ground zero.

[Narrator]

At the station just after 9am, Angela tells police she has no idea what happened. She and John spent a quiet night at home, then went to bed.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

I asked Ms. Wilty where was she at at the time he got up and went to work. She said that she was in the bedroom asleep and didn't hear anything.

[Bradley Casey]

I was asleep. He leaves early this crap.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

He never heard the gun, he never.

[Bradley Casey]

Heard your husband scream.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

This was regular routine. She would be deep into sleep while he got ready to go to work. And it all happened every day at the same time.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

I asked Ms. Wilty if Mr. Wilty had any enemies. Did he have problems at work? Did someone not like him? Did they do drugs? Did they owe people money? And she couldn't think of anybody that would do anything to them, that they were financially stable and they didn't need anything. I asked her what Mr. Wilty did for a living, and she said that he worked for a company called PMC up in Memphis and was a manager there.

[Bradley Casey]

Anybody out there working? John's like, he's super nice. I can't see him having an altercation with anybody out there working.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

She had these good things to say about him, but at the same time there was something off. She showed no emotion as a widow.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

And when we run across someone that's distant from that and not really engaged with it and it's either they're in shock or they just don't want to talk about it or they don't care. And I couldn't read her at that point.

[Narrator]

Before she leaves, police ask Angela if they can download her cell phone contents, including text and emails. She willingly complies before being released.

[Detective]

Law enforcement doesn't have a lot of leads to go with, so having Angela give up her cell phone was important in the investigation to understand more of this family dynamic, will this lead to more individuals that we can question later?

[Narrator]

Text messages from a particular individual immediately stand out.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

As we're going through Ms. Wilty's phone, we notice there's a phone number in there that she's constantly in contact with, and it's CSO Norvell. This is her stepfather from years back.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

The messages with CSO are messages that don't seem speak of a happy marriage. There seems to be a lot of friction there.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

They fight over money. They fight over women that Mr. Wilty supposedly was seeing. She didn't tell us any of this in the interview. We're taking a step back now, going, oh, my God. They had a very rocky relationship. And now we've got to start checking into all these allegations.

[Narrator]

Sifting through hundreds of messages, investigators discover Angela did a lot more than just complain about her marriage.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

There's some infidelity. There's multiple men that she has long conversations with on the phone and text messages.

[Narrator]

One of those men is Angela's boss, Nissan.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Text messages between him and Angela seemed to be consistent, rather too consistent for this to be an employee, employer relationship. This seemed to be a relationship that was maybe even more than friends. So now they're trying to find out what's really going on.

[Narrator]

Less than 24 hours into the murder investigation of John Wilty, Angela Wilty's cell phone records have given Mississippi police potential leads, including someone who may be closer to Angela than she's letting on.

[Detective]

Neesom was Angela's boss. She essentially worked for him on a daily basis, and it seemed through their conversations that they were more than just friends.

[Narrator]

Investigators know if John's wife was having an affair, it's possible her lover might have wanted to get John out of the way.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

At this point, we know now we got to get him to the station and talk to him.

[Detective]

They called him and asked him to come to Lalle Branch Police department to answer questions, and he did so freely and voluntarily. He stated to law enforcement that him and Angela were just friends, that they confided in one another.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

Nothing had physically happened between the both of them, but they had an emotional bond.

[Narrator]

The morning John was killed, Neesom says he was at home before going to work. When Angela didn't show up for work, he started to worry.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

I tried to call Angela multiple times, but I couldn't get her on the phone. So I drove to her house to get her to come to work. That's when I saw all the police cars. So I just turned around and went back home. That, to me, Is not a normal reaction to not getting someone on the phone. I asked, why didn't you just come down there? Walked down to where the officers were and asked them what was going on. And he said, well, I couldn't get through. The officers had everything blocked off.

[Detective]

Law enforcement follows up concerning where he was the morning of the murder, and they were able to obtain video surveillance showing that he was, in fact, at his trailer when john was killed. Law enforcement clearly ruled him out from being the shooter, but we're still looking into motive and we're still looking into angela.

[Narrator]

As investigators struggle to identify the other men in Angela's texts, A few days later, they get another lead.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

On March 26, we got a phone call from someone who used to live in the neighborhood down the street from the wilty's and apparently was at. At some point in time, good friends with them.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

John had a bragging moment where he would tell him about some of the affairs that he was having.

[Detective]

It's clear here that they're not putting their marriage first. And we're gaining more insight into a potential motive.

[Narrator]

But the couple's former neighbor tells detectives he doesn't think a jealous lover killed John. He believes an overprotective family member is to blame.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

He said Angela did run her mouth a whole lot to her stepfather, Mr. Norvell, and told him a whole lot of things that she probably shouldn't have told him.

[Detective]

He said, you need to look into cso because he's committed a murder before.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We at that point, start looking into a criminal background check on Mr. Norvell. We were able to get a copy of that case file.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

Back in 92, CSO had murdered a man who had a volatile relationship with his daughter.

[Detective]

CSO drove to this man's house armed with a handgun, Knocked on the door, said, it's time to say goodbye, and shot him three times.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

He drove off, went home, and waited on the police to come pick him up. So he was ruthless. He was absolutely ruthless.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

He knew he did it. He admitted he did it, and he was going to take responsibility for that. He then entered a guilty plea.

[Narrator]

CSO Norvell was convicted of second degree murder and felony possession of a weapon. In 1992, he was sentenced to 61 years in prison, but he served just under 20 years before being released on probation five years ago.

[Detective]

We have the fact that these two individuals were killed at their home by handguns, and we learned that cso had done this previous murder for a daughter. Is he willing to do it for another.

[Narrator]

Five days After John Wilty's death. Detectives tracked down CSO to bring him in for questioning.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We went to the house where Mr. Norvell lives. We noticed there's lawnmowers out there and trash piled up. And at that point, his parole officer gave him permission to come to the station and give us an interview.

[Detective]

They asked if he would do anything for Angela. And he stated up to a limit. He said she was like a daughter. He held her as a baby. Law enforcement asked CSO his feelings about John, and he said that he didn't like John because of the way he did Angelo.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We asked him, was he involved in the murder? Did he shoot John? Did he know who shot John? And Mr. Norvell wouldn't nail down an answer for us.

[Detective]

When CSO was asked for an alibi, he stated that he was at home asleep. And when law enforcement said, who can verify this? He said, well, nobody. I have a roommate, but he sleeps pretty heavy. He's obviously a person of interest, maybe a potential suspect, but we don't have enough evidence at this point to charge him with anything.

[Narrator]

Coming up, detectives reach a dead end.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

At the six month mark of investigating this case. I was at a breaking point.

[Narrator]

Until an unexpected tip breaks the case wide open.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

He not only knows who killed John, but he also knows where the evidence is.

[Narrator]

Nearly two weeks have passed since John Wilty was shot, and investigators are no closer to finding his killer. But instinct tells them that the infidelity in his marriage was a key component.

[Detective]

We have information from Angela's people as to how their marriage is. We need to find individuals who speak with John, who are John's friends, see if we can get any information from them.

[Narrator]

John's co worker, Kyle, is happy to tell them what he knows.

[Detective]

When law enforcement speak to Kyle, they learned that Angela had had an affair and left John at some point and that John moved out and moved in with Kyle.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

Kyle said her and John had gotten into a big fight, and it ultimately ended up in the parking lot. And Angela had cut John's knee area open with a box cutter. The Memphis Police Department showed up, and they ultimately took John to jail because he said, hey, it's my fault. The kids are gonna need her. Just take me to jail. He was on probation for that, and that was sometime in 2015.

[Narrator]

But according to Kyle, there are rumors that wasn't the first time their relationship got volatile.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

Michael Casey used to be married to Angela Wilty. He said that Angela solicited Michael years ago to kill Mr. Wilty. So now we gotta check in to Michael Casey and see if this actually happened. And Michael Casey came in voluntarily.

[Detective]

Michael Casey told law enforcement that she approached him approximately 2014, 2015, and said that she wanted him to kill John.

[Bradley Casey]

Did she give a price or anything on how much she wanted to? A couple thousand dollars. She wanted me to get the gun and everything. I was like, no. Basically, it came out.

[Narrator]

Michael says he turned Angela down, but that didn't stop her from trying a different way.

[Detective]

What.

[Bradley Casey]

Y' all do know she did try to. How'd that come about? She told me out of her own mouth.

[Detective]

He said she had crushed up some pills at one point in time and John got sick but didn't die. And nobody was sent to the hospital.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

Just a totality of evidence points to Angela wanting John dead.

[Narrator]

Detectives surmise that Angela then turned to the one person she knew she could count on. Her stepfather, CSO Norvell.

[Detective]

Angela has a motive, and CSO may have, but that doesn't reach beyond a reasonable doubt to prosecute somebody. Until we can link these individuals to a murder weapon, we don't have enough pieces of the puzzle.

[Narrator]

The case remains unsolved for seven months. Then, in October 2018, a domestic incident breathes new life into the case.

[Detective]

Law enforcement gets called to olive branch for a domestic disturbance between Angela Wilty and Bradley Casey, their son.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

The officers arrived on scene, spoke with Angela, and spoke with Bradley Casey, who had been in a verbal altercation over Angela taking Bradley's vehicle away from him. He's on scene telling officers things about this homicide.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

In his anger over a car, he begins to spill the beans, stating that he not only knows who killed John, but he also knows where the evidence is.

[Narrator]

When detectives interview 20 year old Bradley, he is clearly emotional.

[Bradley Casey]

I didn't want to come up here to tell y' all everything because it's been bothering me. It's been throwing me to death.

[Narrator]

He confesses that three weeks ago, Angela told him the truth about John's murder.

[Bradley Casey]

He told me everything. Everything was like. She told me to kill John. He is so normal. I asked her was she involved and she said yes. She asked me to hide the gun. I knew where it was. Should have called it up.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

His mother wanted him to go to CSO Norvell's house and get the gun and throw it in the pond at the the back of CSO's house.

[Detective]

He told law enforcement that Angela told him specifically where it would be. Specifically in a cat litter bucket on CSO's property.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

He goes to CSO's house, he looks in the backyard. He sees this gun there. And at this point, he's like, I can't believe my mom had anything to do with this. And he breaks down and he tells her I can't. And that's when they get into the argument.

[Bradley Casey]

Not to deal with that bitch. And you never betrayed me. Betrayed me. Betrayed him.

[Narrator]

After the interview, detectives request a search warrant to return to CSO Norvell's property.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

It's not a quick process. We get up there a couple of days after the interview with Bradley. To our astonishment, we find out that the whole backyard's been cleaned up. All of the trash that was there before, it's all gone. Everything's cleaned up back there. We're just about getting ready to leave when one of the detectives said, let's look under the house.

[Detective]

When they open up the crawl space, they look in to the left and see this yellow tidy cats bucket with a red top, which is exactly what Bradley said it would be. So they pull this bucket out, and we find a handgun, a nylon holster, and some ammunition. It was a.40 caliber weapon, which is the exact style of casings that they located at the crime scene. Just visible on the gun, you could see what appeared to be blood spots. So law enforcement immediately bagged it for evidence and sent it to the FBI for DNA analysis.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

Ballistics show that the shell casings that we picked up from the crime scene matched this firearm. The blood that was on the firearm was John Wilty Sr. S blood. So now we have our match.

[Narrator]

When investigators trace the owner of the weapon, they don't discover it was purchased by Angela Wilty.

[Detective]

At this point in time, law enforcement is ecstatic because we can finally put the firearm in Angela Wilty's hands.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

I instantly felt relief. I knew that all the hours that we spent on this case and sleepless nights and worrying is coming to an end. We've got a.40 caliber handgun. Now we can make an arrest.

[Narrator]

On March 4, 2019, nearly a year after John Wilty was shot, his wife Angela is charged with plotting his murder. I'm not doing nothing.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We go to miss Wilty's house and pick her up. We arrested her and brought her to the station, and she refused to talk to us.

[Detective]

CSO Norval was also charged with condition conspiracy to commit murder with Angela Wilty and first degree murder of John Wilty.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

I would think that a jury would see right through her, especially her being there, but that's all we can pray for right now.

[Narrator]

Almost a year after the murder of John Wilty, Angela Wilty And CSO Norvell are behind bars while awaiting trial. Prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to prove how they did it. The question remaining is why?

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We talked to their HR department, where Mr. Wilty had worked. In 2015, Mr. Wilty had his children and his wife, Ms. Wilty, as beneficiaries, equal part on a $750,000 life insurance policy. And in 2015, all those beneficiaries changed.

[Detective]

We learned that online his primary beneficiary had been changed from all of his children to just Angela. And two days after the murder, Angela filed a claim on the life insurance.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

We can't say who did it, but our theory in all of this is she killed her husband for the $750,000 life insurance policy.

[Narrator]

Those close to the family believe Angela had other reasons as well.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

She is a manipulator. She is only out for herself.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

I was informed by my dad's that he was planning on leaving. He was going to wait until my little sister was of age, but he couldn't take it anymore.

[Friend/Close Acquaintance]

I believe Angela killed John because she was losing control of the situation. He was done.

[Narrator]

But investigators believe Angela was smart enough to get someone else to do the dirty work for her.

[Investigator/Police Officer]

CSO Norvell. He to us, appeared to be very protective of Angela and what was going on between her and John. I think she was pushing his buttons, knowing that he had a prior murder conviction, knowing that he would be capable of doing something in that manner.

[Narrator]

Anticipating a fierce legal battle, Angela assembles an expensive defense team. But prosecutors have something different in mind.

[Detective]

Because this is a circumstantial evidence case, the best case scenario for us is to have one of the two flip on each other. Early on, it was clear that CSO was never going to turn on Angela for any reason. But Angela, based on all of the facts of her case, it was in her best interest to cooperate with the state to get leniency.

[Narrator]

Angela immediately accepts the state's plea deal.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

She secures a reduced charge that would give her 20 years with the possibility of growth as she would go and she would testify against her stepfather.

[Narrator]

In May 2022, CSO Norvell stands trial for conspiracy to commit murder and first degree murder. But Angela isn't quite the star witness prosecutors were hoping for.

[Detective]

Angela never admitted to helping CSO commit the murder. There were several times where she just wasn't honest and wasn't forthcoming to the jury.

[Legal Expert/Commentator]

The only evidence tying CSO Norvell to the murder of John Wilty was the firearm being found on his property in addition to the testimony of Angela Wilty.

[Narrator]

In the end, it's not enough to convince the jury he was acquitted.

[Neighbor/Community Member]

He would serve time simply for having a gun. He's just not going to serve any time for using it.

[Narrator]

For John Wilty's loved ones, the outcome is disappointing.

[Family Member (Child of John Wilty)]

We try our best to move on. I don't believe we're really going to. I catch myself talking to him all the time, so I think I just got to keep moving. He would be mad at me if he knew that I was so upset and not living life to its fullest.

[Friend of John Wilty]

It was devastating. He was a good friend. He was a good father. I mean, just nobody can say anything bad about John. He's just one of the best persons you could ever meet.

[Detective]

CSO Norvell was subsequently jailed for parole violations. Angela Wilty is eligible for parole in September 2038.

[Narrator]

She will be 56 years old.