In the historic mining town of Walsenburg, Colorado lived husband and wife antique store owners Ralph and Pam Candelario. In the early morning of January 15, 2014, Ralph came running out of the house, screaming that he’d been attacked and that his wife was inside. Pam had died of blunt-force trauma to the head. Police didn’t believe Ralph’s story about a home invasion and discovered that the couple was having marital problems.
Ralph Candelario was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for murder and tampering with evidence. There are many twists to the story including the disappearance of Ralph’s first wife, Dena Candelario (she’s been missing since 2004). One thing is for sure, Ralph went out of his way to play the victim. He wrote a lengthy “to whom it may concern” letter after the home invasion, which the local newspaper, The Huerfano World Journal, published unedited. It starts with Ralph detailing the evening before Pam’s murder. It started with dinner (Pam had made chicken and rice), which was followed by watching TV. Ralph said they watched Frasier, Star Trek Voyager, and White Collar. Dateline NBC will air its investigative report of the Candelario muder on April 15 at 10pm.
