The Murder of Anna Cardwell
For this case, I watched an episode of Murder Comes Home. It’s season 1 episode 4, titled ‘Stuck in the Middle.’
A 20-year-old woman is found dead in her home.
Background
Anna Catherine Cardwell was born on June 18, 1991. She was extremely close to her family, parents, Joe and Paula, and older brother. She even moved back to home to live with her family after being away for a year at Southern Union College. Anna still attended school, but drove the 1 1/2 commute back and forth.
Anna was described as happy, bubbly, and loved to make people laugh. When she wasn’t spending time with her family, she was spending time with her large circle of friends.
Anna Cardwell
The Discovery
On February 14, 2012, Anna had been spending Valentine’s Day with her new boyfriend, Nate. It was getting late, so Anna’s mom, Paula, said it was time for him to leave. Nate left around 2am, and Anna headed off to bed.
The next morning, Paula left the home around 9am to run some errands. Less than an hour later, she arrived home. She noticed that Anna’s car was missing, which was unusual, because Anna always told her if she was going to go somewhere. Paula tried calling her, but her phone went to voicemail.
Paula walked into the garage, and noticed a bloody handprint on the doorframe. She also noticed there was bloody on the wall, and a trail of footprints leading into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Paula found Anna lying in a pool of blood. She called 911, and said her daughter was dead.
The Cardwell home
The Crime Scene
Less than 15 minutes later, Lieutenant Troy Evans, of the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, arrived at the Cardwell’s 13-acre home.
The police walked to the back door, and noticed that there was no sign of forced entry. However, there had obviously been a struggle between Anna and her killer.
There was blood on the walls, a pool of blood in the entryway, and bloody bare footprints leading into the residence.
Anna had been shot in the head, but it was obvious that she had tried to get away from her killer. Anna had almost made it to the garage door, when she was dragged back into the home, and into the kitchen. The bloody handprint that Paula had found was her daughter’s.
There was no murder weapon found at the scene, except for a gun in the master bedroom. Paula said it was her gun, that she had received from her father. It was clear to the police that it wasn't the murder weapon. The police did find several shell casings from a .9mm gun.
The police also walked the large property, but there was no sign of any evidence. The police did learn from Anna’s family that nothing was taken from the home except for Anna’s Honda. A BOLO (be on the lookout) was sent out.
The Circle of Friends
After news of Anna’s death spread through the small town of Wetumpka, Alabama, her friends arrived at the Cardwell home.
The police and Anna’s family were suspicious when one person didn’t show up: Anna’s boyfriend, Nate. He was brought in for questioning. He told the police that he had left Anna’s around 2am, and was woken up at 6am by his step-mother telling him happy birthday. Nate said he went back to sleep until 11am, and went to the gym. He said he then was home alone all day after that.
While the police checked Nate’s alibi, they turned to Anna’s family to learn if there was anyone else who Anna had problems with. They did mention Anna’s ex-boyfriend, Mike, who Anna had still been in contact with. Mike said they were still on good terms. There was no evidence that he was involved, and he was released.
A Possible Connection
The police discovered that Anna had been shot a total of 4 times, 3 times in the back, and once in the back of the head with a .9mm gun.
The police wondered if Anna’s case had been connected to a home invasion that had occurred just months earlier.
A retired police officer named Larry Mann, had been recovering from a knee replacement. He had returned from the hospital that day, and had been asleep when he woke up to a gun pointed at him.
Several guns, including a .9mm gun was stolen from Larry’s home. Larry described his attackers as white males, probably in their early 20s.
A Motive
The police soon learned that there was another person that Anna had been having issues with. His name was Joshua Caspari, and he was the older ex-boyfriend of Anna’s good friend, Lacy.
Joshua was described as very controlling and aggressive. Many people wrote on Facebook that Joshua was probably the one who killed Anna because of his obsession with Lacy, and his steroid usage.
Anna had told her family that she was tired of being in the middle of Joshua and Lacy’s relationship. Anna had told Lacy to end things with Joshua, and it appeared to have pissed Joshua off.
The police discovered Anna’s Honda in the parking lot of a Winn Dixie. They also recovered energy drinks and cigarettes from inside the car. The police learned from Joshua’s mom that she had picked him up from that same parking lot on the morning of February 15.
The Search Warrant
The police also spoke to Joshua’s roommate, Cody Abernathy. Cody told the police that he had driven Joshua to an area near the Cardwell’s home on the morning of February 15. Cody took the police to the area where he dropped Joshua off. It was a lookout spot that directly looked at the Cardwell’s driveway.
The police didn’t know whether or not Cody knew anything about Joshua’s plans that day. Cody just told the police that everyone was afraid of Joshua, and did everything that he asked.
The police had enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for Joshua’s home. Inside, they found illegal steroids, $20,000 in cash, which was odd because Joshua had been unemployed at the time. They also found guns that had been stolen from Larry Mann’s home, and a card from Lacy. One of the .9mm had been used to kill Anna.
The Conviction
Joshua was arrested and questioned. As he walked into the interrogation room, he looked into the mirror and flexed his muscles.
Joshua did admit that he and Cody were the ones who had broken into Larry Mann’s home. Joshua was asked why he did it, and he said “because I like guns.”
The conversation then shifted. The police confronted Joshua about Anna’s death. Joshua said he didn’t have any issues with Anna. The police told him that they knew he had been at Anna’s on February 15.
Joshua said he couldn’t get over Lacy, so he went to speak to Anna. He said once he was inside the house, Anna saw the gun, and tried to take it away from him. He said the gun went off accidentally, which didn’t match the evidence.
Joshua minimized his role, but he was charged with capital murder. He pled guilty on October 13, 2013, and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Cody Abernathy was also charged with home invasion charges and hindering prosecution. The show on ID said Cody was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but I also saw that he was sentenced to 5 years.
Joshua Caspari
Cody Abernathy
Other
Joshua’s sister, and another woman, were both charged with trying to break Joshua out of prison. His sister, Jessica, was sentenced to 28 months in prison, and 3 years of probation.
Six years after Anna’s death, Paula opened up a restaurant called Anna’s Place. It has since been closed.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s very obvious that Joshua has shown no remorse for what he did. He’s a lowlife that deserves to rot in prison. Something tells me that his friend Cody knew about his plans, but I don’t think that will ever be proven.
My heart absolutely breaks for Anna's family and friends, especially Paula. Anna had her whole future ahead of her, and it was taken away by an absolute monster.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/anna-cardwell-murder-where-is-josh-caspari-now/
https://www.al.com/montgomery/2012/02/tallassee_man_charged_with_the.html
https://www.wsfa.com/story/23658437/caspari-enters-guilty-plea-in-cardwell-murder-case/
https://heavy.com/entertainment/2020/02/anna-catherine-cardwell-josh-caspari/
