Underwood trial set for fall

CODY (WNE) — After the prosecution and defense teams failed to reach a plea agreement, a jury trial in the Joseph Underwood case has been scheduled for this fall.

Underwood is currently facing four charges in relation to the alleged murder of Angela Elizondo in Cheyenne and transportation and disposal of her body near milepost 67 on the Meeteetse Highway. 

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 14 years and 6 months in prison, and include mutilation of a dead body and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

At a May 8 hearing, District Court Judge Bill Simpson issued a June 6 deadline for the two legal teams to work out a plea agreement. After an agreement could not be reached, Simpson scheduled a jury trial for October 11.

This development marks another continuation in the long trial of Underwood, who has been held in the Park County Detention Center since July 2022. 

His trial has faced significant delays. He initially faced a murder charge in Laramie County, until that case was dismissed in June 2022 after the court determined he was not mentally fit to stand trial.

This story was published on June 17, 2025.