Offender Record · OFF-2026-167
Robert Spangler (photo from the Radford University biography)
Robert Merlin Spangler
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
6'1"
Born
1933
Custody
Deceased
States
CO, IA, MO, AZ, US, PA
Distinguishing featuresPhysically attractive; no physical defects reported.
Custody
Died: August 5, 2001 (age 68 years), Springfield, Missouri.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Robert Spangler (January 10, 1933 – August 5, 2001) was a serial killer who confessed to murdering his first and third wives and his two children. He pleaded guilty in federal district court in Arizona to first degree murder for killing his third wife, and he also admitted to the killing of his first wife and his two children. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, and he died of cancer while he was incarcerated in federal prison, MCFP Springfield.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Dec 30, 1978, Littleton, Colorado
First degree murder
Federal District Court, District of Arizona · U.S. District Court, District of Arizona · Arrested Oct 03, 2000 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole
On the morning of December 30, 1978, Robert Spangler lured his wife, Nancy, into the basement with the promise of a 'surprise' and shot her in the head with a revolver. Going upstairs, he shot his teenage children, Susan and David; David was slow in dying, so Spangler smothered him with a pillow. Spangler then altered the scene to make it appear that his wife had shot their children and then herself.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Spangler, Robert; Robert Spangler; The Case of the Homicidal Husband
Offense date Apr 11, 1993, Grand Canyon, Arizona
First degree murder
Federal District Court, District of Arizona · U.S. District Court, District of Arizona · Arrested Oct 03, 2000 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole
On April 11, 1993, after Spangler's third marriage to 58-year-old aerobics instructor Donna Sundling went sour, he took her hiking in the Grand Canyon and pushed her off a 140-foot drop to her death. His wife's death was ruled an accident; he was never charged. He pleaded guilty in federal district court in Arizona to first degree murder for killing his third wife, and he also admitted to the killing of his first wife and his two children.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Spangler, Robert; Robert Spangler; The Case of the Homicidal Husband
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
4
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1978–1993
Victim profile
Family members, Partners or spouses, Children
Stated motive
Financial gain, Domestic or partner
Range from home
regional
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
bachelor
Marital history
Married, Divorced, Separated
Children
2
Died
2001-08-05 · natural
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Federal Bureau of Prisons - Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (MCFP Springfield) · MO
Incarceration facility where Spangler served life sentence and died August 5, 2001
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona · AZ
Prosecuted 1993 Grand Canyon murder; Jose de Jesus Rivera was U.S. Attorney
District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District (Arapahoe County) · CO
Charged Spangler with three counts of first-degree murder for 1978 deaths; filed charges October 16, 2000
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · US
Joint investigation beginning January 1999 with local authorities; conducted 2000 investigation leading to confession
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal District Court, District of Arizona · AZ
Venue for 1993 Grand Canyon murder prosecution; sentencing March 12, 2001
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) · US
FBI behavioral analysis unit that provided interview strategy and profiler consultation
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
National Park Service · US
Investigation of 1993 Grand Canyon death as federal jurisdiction crime in national park
Coconino County Sheriff's Office · AZ
Participated in cold case investigation of 1993 Grand Canyon murder
Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office · CO
Initial investigation of 1978 murders and reopened case in 1994; assisted in 2000 re-investigation and arrest
Source: Wikipedia
Arapahoe County Coroner · CO
Closed 1978 case as murder-suicide on January 3, 1979
Mesa County Sheriff's Office · CO
Held Spangler in Mesa County Jail at Grand Junction without bail pending federal proceedings
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
AZ
Grand Canyon, Arizona
approx. 1990 – 2000 · Hiking and backpacking
CO
Littleton, Colorado
1955 – 1978
Denver, Colorado
approx. 1970 – 1976 · Honeywell Corporation, camera and instruments division
Denver, Colorado
approx. 1976 – 1978 · American Water Works Association, public relations director
Durango, Colorado
approx. 1990 – 1998 · Country music radio station, morning personality
Durango, Colorado
1990 – 1998
Grand Junction, Colorado
1998 – 2000
Grand Junction, Colorado
approx. 1998 – 2000 · Applecrest Irrigation Company, Vice President
Grand Junction, Colorado
Oct 03, 2000 – Oct 03, 2000
IA
Ames, Iowa
approx. 1933 – 1951 · Adopted by Merlin and Ione Spangler
Des Moines, Iowa
approx. 1933 – 1933
Ames, Iowa
1944 – 1951 · Ames High School
Ames, Iowa
1951 – 1955 · Iowa State University, degree in technical journalism
MO
Springfield, Missouri
Oct 2000 – Aug 05, 2001 · Federal Corrections Medical Center (MCFP Springfield)
PA
Pennsylvania
approx. 1998 – 1998
US
United States
approx. 1955 – 1957 · U.S. Army · army
Timeline
1933
Adopted by Merlin and Ione Spangler and raised in Ames, Iowa.
Jan 10, 1933
Robert Merlin Spangler born in Des Moines, Iowa.
1951
Graduates from Ames High School and enrolls at Iowa State University.
1955
Graduates from Iowa State with a degree in technical journalism; marries Nancy Stahlman.
1955
Serves in U.S. Army for two years.
Nov 27, 1961
Son David Spangler born to Nancy and Robert Spangler.
Aug 14, 1963
Daughter Susan Spangler born to Nancy and Robert Spangler.
1976
Robert begins a secret affair with Sharon Cooper, a coworker at American Water Works.
Dec 30, 1978
Robert Spangler lures his wife Nancy into the basement with the promise of a surprise and shoots her in the head with a revolver; he then shoots his teenage children Susan and David; David is slow in dying, so Spangler smothers him with a pillow; Spangler alters the scene to make it appear that his wife had shot their children and then herself.
Jul 14, 1979
Robert Spangler marries Sharon Cooper.
1986
Robert Spangler's father Merlin Spangler dies; Robert inherits money and is able to retire.
Jun 24, 1988
Sharon and Robert Spangler divorce; Robert must pay Sharon $500 per month for three years and then $400 per month for seven years after that, plus an immediate $150,000.
Aug 18, 1990
Robert Spangler and Donna Sundling marry and move to a new home in Durango, Colorado.
Apr 11, 1993
Spangler takes his third wife Donna Sundling hiking in the Grand Canyon and pushes her off a 140-foot drop to her death.
Oct 02, 1994
Sharon Cooper dies of a drug overdose; Spangler inherits a life insurance policy from her.
Aug 12, 2000
Robert Spangler finds out he has inoperable lung cancer that has spread to his brain.
Sep 01, 2000
Robert Spangler and Judy Hilty marry.
Sep 15, 2000
Feeling pressure from Spangler's terminal illness, the team investigating Spangler's murders brings him in for questioning, and Spangler confesses to murdering his first and third wives and his own two children.
Oct 03, 2000
Robert Spangler is arrested.
Dec 29, 2000
Spangler pleads guilty in federal district court in Phoenix to first-degree murder in Donna Sundling's fatal fall in the Grand Canyon on April 11, 1993.
Mar 2001
Spangler is sentenced to life in prison.
Aug 05, 2001
Robert Spangler dies at 3:15 am in the Federal Corrections Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri at age 68.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Offender registry · Find a Grave ·
Robert Merlin Spangler (1933-2001) - Find a Grave Memorial“Spangler pleaded guilty in federal district court in Arizona to first degree murder for killing his third wife, and admitted to killing his first wife and two children; he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
Robert Spangler“Spangler pleaded guilty in federal district court in Phoenix to first-degree murder for Donna Sundling's death; he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in Arizona in 2000.”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Spangler, Robert“Robert Merlin Spangler, 'The Black Widower', confessed to murdering his first wife Nancy and their two children on December 30, 1978, and his third wife Donna Sundling on April 11, 1993.”
Law enforcement release · Federal Bureau of Investigation ·
FBI — The Vault — Robert Spangler“FBI investigative files on Robert Spangler's confessions and prosecution for murder.”
News report · AE Networks (A&E Television Networks) ·
Jack Reeves and Other Men Who Have Killed Multiple Wives“Spangler pleaded guilty to killing Sundling and was sentenced to life in prison in March 2001; as a condition of the plea deal, he was never tried for the murder of his first family.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Robert Spangler“Robert Spangler was a serial killer who confessed to murdering his first and third wives and his two children; he was suspected of murdering his second wife.”
Law enforcement release · Federal Bureau of Investigation ·
The Case of the Homicidal Husband“In December 1978, Spangler killed his first wife and their two teenage children in Littleton, Colorado; in April 1993, he pushed his third wife off a 160-foot cliff in the Grand Canyon; he confessed to murdering his first and third wives and his own two children.”
News report · Denver Post (via Google Groups) ·
Killer's stepkids sue over 2 homes“The 68-year-old Spangler pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal district court in Phoenix to first-degree murder in Donna Sundling's fatal fall in the Grand Canyon on April 11, 1993.”
Submit a Tip
Know something about Robert Merlin Spangler: a place they lived or worked, a vehicle, another name they used, or a connection to a case? Tell us here. Solve the Case passes information about this person to the right agency. If someone is in danger, call 911.
Discussion
Casual discussion about this record on the community forum. The facts live on this page: to add a place, a vehicle or a source, use the Edit record button under the photo so a moderator can review it. Please name no one else, never name a victim, and do not connect the person to any case not listed here.Open the topic on the forum
Corrections and removal. If a charge on this page has been dismissed, acquitted, overturned, pardoned or expunged, or any fact is wrong, tell us through the correction form. Corrections are free, reviewed within five business days, and a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed. Information here may not be used for decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and never to harass, threaten or harm anyone. Where a source is an offender registry, that information is reproduced as of the date shown and is subject to the conditions of use of that registry.