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Physical therapist Isaac Melcher confessed to plotting the 2018 murder of Milton Sawyer, with co-conspirator and Milton's wife, Angel Sawyer. Melcher also acknowledged his affair with Angel and detailed all about it in his confessions.
Melcher and Sawyer were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Later, Melcher pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder and agreed to testify as a state witness against former girlfriend Angel.
As part of the plea deal, he was given a 20-year prison sentence and is likely serving time in prison at the moment. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, who was convicted of first-degree murder, was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
On Friday, Dateline on NBC will devlve further into the murder plot orchestrated by Milton Sawyer's wife and the role her then-boyfriend and therapist, Isaac Melcher, played in the killing. The episode airs this October 21 at 9 pm ET.
How did Isaac Melcher murder antique store owner Milton Sawyer?
Isaac Melcher, a married father-of-three, was a physical therapist, and Milton's wife Angel Sawyer was one of his patients when their affair first started.
Melcher, who claimed to be in love with Angel, planned to get her husband out of the way after she fed him false information about Milton being a controlling and jealous man.
Prosecutor Kimberly Pellini said that Angel allegedly told Melcher that she would "not be free of him (Milton) unless he's dead." Pellini added:
"It was at this point he was so ready to be with her, he was like, 'I’ll kill him for you.'"
Throughout their affair, Melcher was seemingly much more involved than Angel, and he believed that it was his duty to protect her from her husband, who was Melcher believed was mistreating her.
Additionally, it was also said that Milton was suspicious of the affair and confronted Isaac, who denied it.
Isaac Melcher testified that on the night of the murder, he went over to the Sawyers' home after receiving a confusing message from Angel. He was concerned about her and thought that Milton had found out about their affair and murder plot. He claimed that he used the key to the house backdoor to sneak into the house and stood outside their room for a while.
As per their plan, Melcher then carried out the attack on Milton and pretended to do the same with Angel to make it look like a burglary gone wrong. He reportedly used a "rear naked choke" to strangle the husband and drag him all the way to the bedroom bathroom.
Speaking about Isaac Melcher's statement, Sheriff’s Major Aaron Wallio reportedly said that after Melcher tied up Milton, he went behind the victim and choked him till he was dead.
Meanwhile, Pellini added that Melcher then, on Angel's request, slapped and hit her. However, since he didn't hit her hard enough, she "came and took her head and hit her head on the side table."
How was Isaac Melcher caught and where is he now?
Authorities were tipped about Melcher's involvement in the murder by one of his friends who had recorded their conversations. This helped cops gather evidence against Melcher and Angel. Isaac Melcher was arrested August 21, 2018.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, it is unclear where he is serving his prison sentence.
Tune in to NBC Dateline on Friday, October 21, 2022, at 9 pm ET.
