A woman, who received a 10-year prison sentence for suffocating a Canadian tourist by forcing sand into his mouth, has been elected to the city council of Bangor, Maine—an area that inspired Stephen King’s horror works.
Angela Walker was elected to the Bangor City Council this week, marking her return after 22 years. She was found guilty of manslaughter alongside her brother, Benjamin Humphrey, in connection with the 2002 death of Derek Rogers, a Canadian tourist.
Her election sparked outrage among critics online, yet Walker expressed her hope to serve as an inspiration for others dealing with recovery from alcoholism and homelessness.
One particular post on X by Libs on Tik Tok drew thousands of views and negative remarks about her election.
“America is so broken. Maine voters elected violent murderer Angela Walker as their new City Council member,” someone commented, highlighting a sense of dismay. The criticism pointed to a perceived contradiction in progressive values.
Walker has resided in Bangor for 13 years and has not concealed her past.
“I want people to know that change is possible,” she stated in an interview with **Bangor Daily News**. “I was lost for a long time. It’s important for people to see another perspective.”
As a Sioux American Indian, Walker has been open about her recovery journey and works as a peer services coordinator at the Bangor Area Recovery Network, managing programs related to recovery coaching and justice.
According to a report from 2003, the manslaughter charges arose when Walker, then known as Angela Humphrey, and her brother encountered Rogers, a 47-year-old musician who had been drinking heavily, during a late-night walk in Old Orchard Beach.
What began as a seemingly friendly meeting quickly turned violent, with Rogers allegedly provoking Walker. Ultimately, he lost consciousness, and Walker suffocated him by forcing sand into his mouth.
At that time, she was 29. Her brother, who was 30, also pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a five-year sentence.
Bangor has no regulations preventing individuals with criminal pasts from seeking public office.
This Maine city, with a population of around 34,000, is known as the former residence of horror writer Stephen King, a vocal liberal and critic of Donald Trump.
Bangor is the real-life inspiration for the fictional town of Derry, which serves as a backdrop for several of King’s horror novels, including **It** and **Pet Sematary**.
