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Anna Cardwell, a 20-year-old Southern Union College student, was found shot to death by her mother at her Alabama home on the morning of February 15, 2012. Reports later confirmed that she died of four gunshot wounds.
An ensuing investigation revealed that a Tallassee man named Joshua "Josh" Caspari fatally shot Cardwell during an argument that morning over a failed relationship with one of the latter's friends. He entered a guilty plea in October 2013.
ID's Murder Comes Home will revisit the decade-old gruesome case of Anna Cardwell in an episode titled Stuck in the Middle on March 6, 2023, at 7 pm ET.
The synopsis of the episode states:
"When Paula Cardwell returns from running errands, she finds her 20-year-old daughter, Anna Catherine, lying dead on the kitchen floor; the small town of Wetumpka, Alabama, is left stunned and determined to find the devil in its midst."
Holtville High School graduate Anna Cardwell was shot with a .9 mm gun four times
Born on June 18, 1991, Anna Cardwell grew up in her family home in Alabama's Wetumpka and graduated from Holtville High School in 2010. She later went on to attend Southern Union Junior College.
Sources state that by early 2012 Cardwell was in her sophomore year at university and lived at her family home, traveling nearly an hour and a half back and forth to college.
On February 14, 2012, Cardwell allegedly spent Valentine's Day with her boyfriend, Nate, who left around 2 am. The following morning, her mother Paula left the house around 9 am to run some errands and arrived home about an hour later to find a bloody crime scene and the 20-year-old's car missing.
Anna Cardwell was found in the kitchen, lying in a pool of blood. While there were no signs of forced entry, the crime scene suggested a struggle between the attacker and the victim.
Authorities arrived at the Wetumpka after Paula's call and noticed a bloody handprint (later confirmed to be the victim's) along with footprints and drag marks down the hall. Further examination confirmed that Cardwell was shot with a .9 mm gun at least four times, thrice in the back and the fourth in the back of the head.
They connected the weapon to a home invasion at retired police officer Larry Mann's house a few months ago. Many guns, including a .9mm pistol, were taken. Mann identified the burglars as white men, most likely in their early 20s.
Anna Cardwell's killer Josh Caspari was dropped off near her house on February 15
After initially suspecting Anna Cardwell's boyfriend, detectives learned about Josh Caspari, the ex-boyfriend of her friend, Lacy.
Cardwell and Caspari were allegedly not on good terms because the former did not approve of Lacy's relationship with the latter and had asked her friend to break it off with him. She even told her family that the 22-year-old did not seem happy about her judgment.
Authorities discovered Anna Cardwell's Honda in the parking lot of a Winn Dixie and found energy drinks and cigarettes inside the car. They learned from Caspari's mom that she picked him up from that same parking lot on the morning of the murder.
Furthermore, his roommate, Cody Abernathy, told cops that he drove him to an area near the Cardwells' home that morning. Reports state that Caspari had a lookout spot near that house.
After searching the suspect's home, detectives found illegal steroids, $20,000 cash, and stolen guns from Larry Mann's home. They also found the alleged murder weapon - a .9mm gun.
Josh Caspari later admitted to police that he and his roommate Cody Abernathy were responsible for the burglary at the retired officer's house. He also admitted to accidentally shooting Anna Cardwell during a struggle that morning inside her house.
Caspari was charged with capital murder and pleaded guilty in October 2013. Meanwhile, his roommate Abernathy was charged with home invasion and hindering prosecution.
Murder Comes Home airs on ID this Monday.
