The Shocking Story of Colorado’s 11-Year-Old Killer Who Escaped Prison

Colorado is home to a lot of tragic stories where innocent victims lose their lives, but most of the time, the killers are over the age of 11. This is not the case for Anton Woode, an 11-year-old boy who murdered his hunting companion out of jealousy in 1892.

11-Year-Old Colorado Boy Murdered His Hunting Companion

In November of 1892, 11-year-old Anton Woode, a Denver businessman named Joseph Smith, and two others were on a rabbit hunting expedition when Woode, who was armed with a gun, turned the gun on his companion.

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After killing the man, Woode stole Smith’s gold watch and gun, which were later revealed to have been the motive behind the crime.

Colorado’s Anton Woode is Sentenced to Prison

After being arrested, Woode was charged with murder. During the trial, one juror held out on convicting the boy of first-degree murder, leading to a hung jury, but the boy, who was 12 at the time, was convicted of second-degree murder on March 24, 1893, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

On a side note, when Woode heard the term “hung jury,” he wept, believing that this meant that he was to be hanged.

Colorado’s Anton Woode Escapes from Prison

Roughly eight years into his sentence, which was being served at what today is the medium-security Territorial Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Woode, along with three other inmates, escaped.

The four allegedly stabbed one correctional officer to death while working on the boilers, tied up two others, and sabotaged the boilers so that the prison’s lights all went out.

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However, Woode and one accomplice were caught and returned to the prison, while another, on route to the prison, was captured and lynched by a mob. It’s unknown what became of the fourth prisoner, though it’s believed that he was lynched as well.

Colorado's Anton Woode Freed + Pardoned

Woode was paroled on September 13, 1905, fully pardoned in 1906, and passed away on March 8, 1950, at the age of 68 under the name Charles Henry Howard, in Minnesota, where he lived at the time.