A woman with a controversial past has secured a position on the city council of Bangor, a Maine city famously known as the inspiration behind Stephen King’s best-selling novel “It.”
Angela Walker, who spent a decade behind bars for a manslaughter conviction, was elected as a councilmember for Bangor this Tuesday.
Walker, now 51, and her brother, Benjamin Humphrey, admitted their guilt in the 2002 killing of Derek Rogers, a 35-year-old tourist from Canada. The incident took place in Old Orchard Beach, a coastal town in Maine.
The altercation reportedly began when Rogers used a derogatory term for a Native American woman against Walker, as reported by the Bangor Daily News.
Rogers was brutally beaten and sand was forced down his throat, leading to his suffocation. His lifeless body was later discovered by a fisherman.
Walker’s history of drug addiction and homelessness is a part of her past that she believes will offer a distinctive perspective in her role with Bangor’s city council.
Bangor was King’s inspiration for the fictional town of Derry, which served as the setting of his hit book, It.
The famed horror author is also known for his far-left, anti-Donald Trump beliefs, having spoken out about the president on several occasions.
While Bangor progressives have framed her recovery as a motivational comeback, many believe the city’s liberals have gone too far by electing a convicted killer.
Angela Walker, who served 10 years in prison for manslaughter, was elected as a Bangor councilmember on Tuesday
Bangor, Maine has a city council with nine members on it and one chair who serves as the mayor
Stephen King’s It was based on Bangor. Pictured: Pennywise from the It movie
‘America is so broken. Voters in Maine elected Angela Walker, a violent murderer, as a new city councilor,’ one man reacted on X.
‘The glittering pinnacle of progressive enlightenment.’
One woman wrote: ‘A woman who helped beat a man senseless and literally stuffed sand down his throat until he suffocated is now sitting on a city council, sworn to uphold the law and public safety.
‘Bangor voters knew every gruesome detail and still put her in power. That’s not redemption; that’s a middle finger to victims, to justice, and to basic decency.’
‘Bangor voters are insane,’ another conservative agreed. Someone else asked, ‘What happened to this state? There used to be good people here.’
One Maine resident pointed out that people are rejected at jobs from McDonald’s and Walmart for having felonies, but Bangor residents willingly elected a killer to run the city.
But Walker has responded to the backlash she has face, telling Bangor News Daily: ‘That’s my past. I don’t live there anymore and I’m a different person.
‘I want people to see that it’s possible that we can change. I was lost for so many years. I think people really need to see the other side of that.
There is no rule barring residents with criminal backgrounds from running for local government positions. City council members are not required to run with a specific political affiliation.
Walker was one of three new members elected to the nine-person council. She received the fewest number of votes among the nominees.
Walker said she will bring a unique perspective to the council
King has been outspoken about his left-leaning views and criticism of Donald Trump
Derry was the setting of It. Pictured: A scene from the It movie
The Maine Wire reported that she secured 2,231 votes, Susan Faloon got 2,512 votes and Daniel Carson garnered the most support with 3,951 votes.
Although there is technically no mayor in Bangor, the city council elects a chair who serves as the primary leader and performs the duties of a mayor.
Rick Fournier is the current chair, and an upcoming vote among the councilmembers will determine the next one.
