Lakewood Man Sentenced To Life In Jail For Killing His Girlfriend

LAKEWOOD, CO —A Lakewood man was sentenced to life in prison on Friday by the First Judicial District Court after pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend, a crime that took place in late December of 2020, the First Judicial District Attorney's office said.

Karl Aaron Bemish, 52, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 45-year-old Hilary Engle, a mother and nurse who was found strangled in her home in Lakewood's Green Mountain neighborhood, according to TheDenverChannel.com.

Bemish later was arrested at a hotel in Trinidad, Colorado, after he had driven Engel's car and used her ATM card to get money.

In the plea agreement, Bemish admitted that he caused Engel's death by strangulation. He was sentenced to a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, the DA's office said.

"This is not a case that my office felt appropriate to negotiate," Senior Deputy District Attorney Amanda Lessman told the court, according to a release. "A plea to Murder One and its coinciding life sentence is appropriate."

Hilary Engle's family released a statement after the guilty plea and sentencing.

"We are thankful for the prosecution's work on this case, and that even though we continue to grieve the loss of Hilary, we believe this result was the best available outcome," The Engel family said in the statement, which was released through the DA's office.

According to the DA's office, Engle was reported missing by her father on Dec. 29, 2020. She last was seen dropping off her 8-year-old son at daycare the previous morning. Her body later was discovered in her home hidden underneath a bed.

At the time of Engle's death, her friend Traci Butenbah told TheDenverChannel.com that Engle was "the most giving person" she had ever met.

"She did toy drives for kids. She'd adopt families at Christmas time. She's just the type of person that was always looking for ways to help people and help strangers," Buntenbah said.

Buntenbah added: "(Engle) was an amazing mother, and a nurse. She saved people's lives and she did not deserve this at all."