Charles Vandoil Byrd, 50, will spend the next 35 years in prison. He killed his wife and hid her body inside their own home.
Byrd pleaded no contest to murder in a Bexar County courtroom. A no contest plea means Byrd did not admit guilt out loud. But the court still hands down the same punishment as a guilty plea.
State District Judge Benjamin Robertson accepted the plea deal. Prosecutor Lauren Scott and defense attorney Rafael Leal worked out the agreement together. In exchange for the no contest plea, prosecutors dropped two other charges. One was tampering with evidence. The other was tampering with a human corpse. Byrd also gave up his right to appeal the sentence.
If Byrd had gone to trial and lost, he could have faced life in prison instead.
Lawyers on both sides told the judge the deal would bring closure to the families. Judge Robertson was not convinced.
"I don't think 35 years is enough," Robertson said. He said sentences like this one usually run 35 to 40 years in Bexar County. "I am not happy with it," he said.
The judge did not stop there. "There is no certainty or closure," he said.
Here is what happened, according to the case against him. On June 16, 2025, which was Father's Day, Byrd strangled his wife, Angela Byrd, to death inside their home.
After she died, Byrd tried to cover up the killing. He wrapped her body in plastic and carpet. He used lye and baking soda, trying to hide the smell.
He kept her body inside the house on Pleasanton Road for more than a month before it was found.
Byrd is now a convicted murderer under Texas law. He gave up his right to appeal, so the 35 year sentence handed down by Judge Robertson stands.
