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A North Carolina man and owner of the Treasure Hunter in Elizabeth City's downtown, Milton Sawyer was brutally murdered inside his home in August 2018, in a crime that initially looked like a home invasion. Sawyer was alone in the house with his wife Angel when a burglar reportedly broke in and attacked the couple.
According to the authorities, the armed burglar entered the house, attacked the couple and stole money, jewelry, and other belongings. Sawyer was found dead in the bathroom and his wife, who suffered severe injuries during the invasion, was sent to a local hospital where she was questioned. An investigation later revealed a sinister plot that shocked the once-peaceful community.
An upcoming episode of Dateline on NBC will revisit the shocking and tragic death of the beloved antique shop owner, and the investigation that revealed that the incident was far from what it initially seemed. The episode, titled Righteous Obsession, will air this Friday, October 21, 2022, at 9 pm ET.
Milton Sawyer married Angel in 2012
Born in 1963, Milton Henry Sawyer Jr. grew up in a large extended family with siblings, step-siblings, and half-siblings, with whom he stayed close all his life. His father taught him the art of collecting, which developed into an early interest and he subsequently opened a prosperous antique shop in his hometown.
Milton had three young children from his first marriage before he met Angel Sawyer in 2011, who herself was on the verge of divorce and had four kids of her own. After her divorce was finalized, the two started dating as they shared their fair share of common struggles being single parents. They married in 2012, and she quickly settled comfortably in The Treasure Hunter, helping him organize the store.
Unfortunately, their seemingly perfect marriage came to an end on August 2, 2018, when a burglar broke into their home and attacked the couple. Angel, bleeding and distraught, reportedly knocked on a neighbor's door in the early morning hours, seeking help. The neighbor then called 911 when she informed them of the robbery and Milton Sawyer's death.
Angel Sawyer stated that the attacker pistol-whipped her
Sawyer's home doors were unlocked when authorities reached the crime scene and the master bedroom looked like it was raided, with clothes all over the floor. Cops found the 55-year-old laying face down on the bathroom floor and he was declared dead on the spot. There were clear indications of a scuffle, and the crime scene seemed to fit a burglary-gone-wrong scenario.
Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Major Aaron Wallio reported that,
"Milton Sawyer was lying face down in the bathroom with both his hands taped up behind his back."
Authorities believed the burglar used a key to enter from the back door while the couple were home alone that night. Angel stated that the attacker whipped her using a pistol, leaving her disoriented. She was reportedly tied up but managed to escape. However, Milton was already dead. The wife tried to pin the murder on a man who she alleged tried to sell them a stolen good that night.
Angel told authorities in a statement that,
"He [the burglar] had a gun and he had a mask and he was just screaming. He was cussing a lot. He said, 'Get on the effing ground,' and 'Give me all your effing money.'"
She added,
"He took him to the bathroom. He forced Milton down on the ground. He tied his hands. And he just kept telling me, 'You need to get the eff down, b**ch.'"
Milton Sawyer died from suffocation caused by severe neck injuries
The investigation proceeded and unraveled a sinister murder plot orchestrated by Milton Sawyer's wife Angel and her boyfriend Isaac Melcher after their affair surfaced. Three weeks after Milton's death, the pair were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Melcher testified as a state witness against Angel and detailed their whole plot to get Milton out of the way to have a future together.
Isaac confessed that he tied up Sawyer and took him to the bathroom from the bedroom and attacked him with a "rear naked choke." State medical examiner Dr. Karen Kelly stated that Milton died from suffocation caused by severe neck injuries.
In September 2021, Angel Sawyer was convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Isaac Melcher was given a 20-year jail term after entering a guilty plea to a lesser charge of second-degree murder for his role in Milton Sawyer's murder.
NBC Dateline airs this Friday, October 21, 2022 at 9 pm ET with Milton Sawyer's tragic murder story.
