Milton Sawyer was known around Elizabeth City, North Carolina, for his antique shop, The Treasure Hunter, and his ability to talk to just about anyone. A father of three, he had married Angel Sawyer in 2012, bringing together a blended family of seven children. Friends remembered how much he loved his wife and wanted their marriage to work.
On August 2, 2018, Milton was found dead inside their home. Angel said a masked intruder had attacked them during a robbery. In this episode, we follow the evidence that challenged her account and the confession that helped investigators determine who was responsible.
A Robbery Account That Raised Questions
Angel arrived at a neighbor’s door in the early morning with a head injury and duct tape still attached to her wrist. She described an armed man who demanded money and valuables, restrained the couple, and left Milton unresponsive. Officers found him on the bathroom floor, with his hands taped behind his back. The nearby bedroom had been ransacked.
Because Milton bought and sold jewelry, gold, and other valuables, investigators considered whether someone familiar with his business had targeted him. But the intruder’s apparent knowledge of a key near the back door raised another possibility. Detectives also learned that Milton had suspected Angel of having an affair with her physical therapist, Isaac Melcher.
An Affair and an Unexpected Call From Oregon
Angel and Isaac had met through her physical therapy treatment. According to Isaac’s later testimony, their relationship became an affair, then progressed to discussions about killing Milton. He said they considered both an apparent overdose and a staged robbery.
After Milton’s death, Isaac traveled to Oregon and confessed to people close to him, including his former youth pastor. That mentor faced a difficult decision about reporting someone he had known since adolescence. He eventually contacted investigators and agreed to help record conversations with Isaac.
Those recordings gave detectives evidence of Isaac’s involvement and raised questions about Angel’s role. Both were arrested in August 2018. While Isaac admitted killing Milton, Angel’s defense maintained that he had acted independently and that she had not agreed to the murder.
The Trial, Plea Agreement, and Appeal
At Angel’s September 2021 trial, prosecutors argued that she and Isaac had planned Milton’s death together. Her defense challenged Isaac’s credibility and emphasized that he stood to benefit from testifying against her. Jurors found Angel guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. She received life in prison without parole.
Isaac later pleaded guilty to second degree murder and received a sentence of 20 to 25 years. In March 2023, the North Carolina Court of Appeals found no error in Angel’s trial and left her convictions intact. We discuss those different outcomes while remembering Milton as the father and business owner whose life was taken.
Sources:
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA v. ANGEL MARIE SAWYER (2023) | FindLaw
https://courtdocket.org/dateline-righteous-obsession-the-milton-sawyer-murder-plot/
https://forensicfiles.com/episodes/righteous-obsession?t=3121
Melcher admits murder, says Sawyer helped plot it | Local News | dailyadvance.com
Isaac Melcher and Angel Sawyer Kill Her Husband Milton Sawyer
Beloved Vintage Store Owner Murdered By His Wife And Her Lover — How Were They Caught? | Oxygen
https://courtdocket.org/isaac-melcher-case-affair-killing-plea-and-sawyer-appeal/
Trial in death of Milton Sawyer gets underway with opening arguments
Elizabeth City woman now one of two facing charges in husband’s death
Wife and Lover’s Deadly Plot to End Husband’s Life | by The Crime Chronicles | Medium
