Woman Accused of Cooking Neighbor Faces 1st-Degree Murder Charges

A Deltona woman accused of killing her neighbor in April 2013 following a dispute over money faces enhanced charges after a Florida grand jury heard evidence in the case last week.

Investigators in the case say Angela Stoldt, 42, drugged 36-year-old James Shaeffer and took him to a cemetery where she stabbed him in the eye with an ice pick and strangled him, WESH reported. The woman is said to have then pulled out the ice pick to stab him in the other eye.

Once the limousine driver was dead, investigators say Stoldt brought his body back to her home where she stored it in the garage before dismembering the remains with a hacksaw. She then attempted to cook some of the body parts in pots and even tried putting a leg in her oven.

When the attempt to cook away the evidence failed, Stoldt is said to have taken the body parts to New Smyrna Beach where they were put into dumpsters.

“Thursday is when I was cooking him,” Stoldt was quoted by investigators as saying, according to the Sun-Sentinel. “Friday is when I was dumping him.”

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After hearing the evidence in the case, the grand jury upped charges against Stoldt from second-degree to first-degree murder. Jail records indicate she also faces abuse of a dead body and tampering with evidence charges. Stoldt is being held at the Volusia County Jail without bond until a trial is held.

Stoldt did try to claim self-defense in the slaying. Back in September her attorney filed a motion based on Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, the Sentinel reported. That request was denied based on the “unreasonable actions” taken following Schaffer’s death.

“I’m sorry, but I put Jimmie where he belonged, in my opinion at the time,” investigators quoted her as saying, WPTV reported.

It is unclear how soon Stoldt will stand trial.

Photo Credit: Angela Stoldt/Volusia County Jail