Editing Robert Spangler (section)

===Confession and aftermath===
In Colorado, local law enforcement and the local FBI office supported investigators. Because any prosecution depends on the admissibility of a confession, the investigative team agreed to videotape the entire interview. Spangler's terminal cancer created special issues for the AUSA regarding mental competence and the voluntarism of giving a statement. For this purpose, the NCAVC provided a telephonic interview strategy: a medical doctor retained by their unit analyzed Spangler's medical records, confirmed his terminal condition, and gave advice regarding competency issues.

Investigators approached Spangler at home and he agreed to an interview at the local sheriff's office. The FBI agent and the Arapahoe County detective initiated the actual interview with the AUSA monitoring it from another room. The agent from the National Park Service observed the initial interview and participated on the second day. The first day of interviewing lasted about 4 hours. Spangler believed investigators when they told him that FBI profilers wanted to study him because he was a unique killer.

Investigators confronted Spangler with the 1978 murders of his wife and children, the drug overdose of his second wife, and the murder of his third wife in the Grand Canyon. At the end of the interview, Spangler told investigators, "Well, you're naming one too many, remember." He left, agreeing to contact investigators in the morning if he wanted to continue the interview. Contrary to expectations of the investigation team, Spangler telephoned the FBI agent the next morning and made an appointment to continue the interview. Rapport was the key communication link between Spangler and the investigators, allowing the interview to continue despite an overnight break.

During the second interview, Spangler told investigators how, while married to his first wife, he fell in love with another woman, then shot his wife and two teenage children to be with her. Further, Spangler said he smothered his son with a pillow after shooting him because the bullet wound was not lethal. He strongly denied involvement in the overdose death of his second wife and refused to discuss the death in the Grand Canyon because he feared a civil lawsuit from his third wife's grown children.

Investigators encouraged Spangler to talk about the Grand Canyon murder by telling him that killing several people at one time did not make him a serial killer. This approach worked on Spangler; after a period of silence, he said, "You've got your serial." Spangler then described how he masterminded the Grand Canyon murder and pushed his third wife over the edge while she was facing him.

The NCAVC officials provided a behavioral analysis and interview strategy directly applied by investigators in the Spangler case. Further, they accurately predicted several of Spangler's behaviors. Spangler was concerned about his public reputation. He had been a radio talk show celebrity and was well respected in the community. After confessing, Spangler sent the FBI agent a letter, pleading with them to minimize the publicity about the case. In this letter, Spangler argued that he was not like other serial killers who target people for race or sexual orientation, correctly assessing that some serial killers target groups they perceive as undesirable. Spangler's motivation to kill centered around the anticipated gain of eliminating his wives and children. During the interview, he told investigators that killing them was easier than divorce. The results of this investigation included Spangler's confession to four homicides— three were 22-year-old cases. Spangler pleaded guilty in federal district court in Arizona to the first-degree murder of his third wife, and he admitted killing his first wife and two children. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, and died of cancer while in federal prison, MCFP Springfield .
[[Category:Modern Villains]]
[[Category:Deceased]]
[[Category:Family of Victim]]
[[Category:Serial Killer]]
[[Category:Destroyer of Innocence]]
[[Category:Incriminator]]
[[Category:Sadists]]
[[Category:Liars]]
[[Category:Adulterers]]
[[Category:Homicidal]]
[[Category:Tricksters]]
[[Category:Charismatic]]
[[Category:Wolves in sheep's clothing]]
[[Category:Emotionless Villains]]
[[Category:Imprisoned]]
[[Category:Deaths in prison]]
[[Category:Mastermind]]
[[Category:Cowards]]
[[Category:Elderly]]
[[Category:Mentally Ill]]