GOLDEN, Colo. — A Lakewood man accused of killing his girlfriend in 2020 pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to prison on Friday.
Karl Aaron Bemish, 52, pleaded guilty on Friday to the first-degree murder of his girlfriend, Hilary Engel, 45. He was sentenced to mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the First Judicial District Court.
The case began on Dec. 29, 2020, when Engel's father reported her missing. She was last seen dropping her son off at daycare on the morning of Dec. 28.
Her body was found under a bed in her Green Mountain area home on S. Coors Circle.
On Dec. 30, authorities tracked Bemish to Trinidad — about three hours south of the Lakewood area — and police took him into custody. Authorities said he drove Engel's car and used her ATM card.
In a plea agreement, he admitted to strangling Engel.
Engel was remembered by her family and friends as a loving mother, nurse and friend.
Engel's family provided a statement through the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office following the sentencing, which reads: "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."
