Kevin Pacheco, the former roommate of Joseph C. Underwood, who stands accused of murdering Angela Elizondo in 2019, has expressed his belief that Underwood is not insane, Cowboy State Daily reports.
Pacheco, who spent time with Underwood at a halfway house in 2018, suggests that Underwood is attempting to manipulate the justice system with his insanity plea.
Underwood, 50, has pleaded both “not guilty” and “not guilty by reason of mental illness” to charges, including disposing of a dead body to conceal a felony. Pacheco, however, paints a different picture of the man he knew, describing Underwood as someone who has “played the system too many times.” He believes that Underwood is not mentally ill, but rather a manipulative individual who has been released from custody too many times and should remain in prison, not a mental institution.
The charges against Underwood stem from an alleged incident on November 1, 2019, when he reportedly picked up Elizondo, his romantic interest, and took her to his home. According to court documents, they had an argument, and Underwood claims to have blacked out, only to regain consciousness to find himself sitting on her chest. Further allegations suggest Underwood committed a sexual act with her body before driving her body to a rural area in Park County, Wyoming, where he disposed of it in a ravine. Following this, Underwood led authorities on a chase, ending in a standoff and his subsequent arrest.
Pacheco recalls that during their time at the halfway house, Underwood often boasted about his ability to avoid accountability. He described how Underwood would talk about ways he had previously beaten charges, and how disturbing it was to hear him bragging about his actions. Pacheco believes Underwood’s actions reflect a calculated effort to avoid responsibility for his alleged crimes.
In the years following their time at the halfway house, Pacheco interacted with Elizondo, who worked at a restaurant where Pacheco also worked for a time. He recalls that Elizondo became increasingly uncomfortable with Underwood’s repeated visits and asked Pacheco to walk her to her car after work for safety reasons. Pacheco suspects that Elizondo’s reluctance to speak up about her concerns was rooted in her desire to avoid escalating the situation, not wanting to put Pacheco at risk.
Though Underwood has claimed that Elizondo was his girlfriend, Pacheco disputes this characterization, stating that Elizondo had a brief fling with Underwood, later regretted it, and spent the ensuing months trying to distance herself from him.
Pacheco also expressed doubt over Underwood’s alleged insanity, especially regarding his decision to drive Elizondo’s body nearly six hours from Cheyenne to Cody, Wyoming. He finds it difficult to believe that someone deemed insane could carry out such a calculated act.
The legal process surrounding Underwood’s case has taken more than five years, with multiple court hearings and challenges related to his mental competency. In February 2024, the case was transferred to Park County District Court, where a competency evaluation is pending. Underwood has requested an additional evaluation by a doctor of his choosing, with two months to submit the name of the evaluator.
Pacheco, who now lives in South Dakota and focuses on staying out of trouble, expressed his sorrow for Elizondo’s family, describing her as a kind and sweet person. He lamented the prolonged legal proceedings, which have kept the family in limbo for years. Pacheco ended his interview with Cowboy State Daily by expressing his deep sympathy for the ongoing suffering of Elizondo’s loved ones.
