Current:Home > reviewsArizona man gets life in prison in murder of wife who "vigorously struggled" after being buried alive, prosecutors say -Prime Money Path
Arizona man gets life in prison in murder of wife who "vigorously struggled" after being buried alive, prosecutors say
View
Date:2025-04-17 23:43:29
An Arizona man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2017 death of his wife, who was buried alive in a hand-dug grave near their home while their children slept, authorities said.
Seven years after the murder, David Pagniano decided to plead guilty before his trial was scheduled to start and allowed a judge to determine his sentence without a plea agreement.
Pagniano, 62, also was sentenced on May 9 to a 16 ½-year prison term for kidnapping, forgery and fraud, according to the Yavapai County Attorney's Office.
County Attorney Dennis McGrane said in a statement that his office had pursued the death penalty because of "the horrific circumstances surrounding the abduction and murder" of Sandra Pagniano.
"Sandra was kidnapped from her home while her children slept nearby, bound in packing tape, driven to a remote location and buried alive," McGrane said. "The evidence revealed she vigorously struggled while she was in the grave, and was likely conscious for up to five minutes after being buried."
Authorities said 39-year-old Sandra Pagniano disappeared while she was in the process of divorcing her husband in May 2017.
They said she and David Pagniano were separated but still living in the same home with their two young daughters.
Sandra Pagniano's body was found bound and gagged in packing tape inside a grave in a rural area north of Prescott and the county medical examiner's office confirmed she had been buried alive.
County sheriff's officials said cellphone evidence showed David Pagniano was in the gravesite area days before his wife went missing and the night of the kidnapping.
Detectives recovered two notes that were filed in the divorce case after Sandra Pagniano's disappearance, purportedly written by her.
The notes said she was leaving David Pagniano and giving him her vehicles, house and custody of their children.
But authorities said a forensic examination of the notes revealed they were written by David Pagniano.
A grand jury indicted him on a charge of first-degree murder after his wife's body was discovered in a remote area 10 miles northwest of the couple's home near Prescott in north-central Arizona.
"I hope the life sentence brings some closure to the victim's family," McGrane said.
- In:
- Arizona
- Murder
veryGood! (98144)
Related
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- FDA approves gene-editing treatment for sickle cell disease
- Amazon asks federal judge to dismiss the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against the company
- Every college football conference's biggest surprises and disappointments in 2023
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is the first tour to gross over $1 billion, Pollstar says
- Ukraine’s human rights envoy calls for a faster way to bring back children deported by Russia
- How Gisele Bündchen Blocks Out the Noise on Social Media
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Massachusetts attorney general files civil rights lawsuit against white nationalist group
Ranking
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Nashville Police investigation into leak of Covenant School shooter’s writings is inconclusive
- Pope Francis makes his first public appearances since being stricken by bronchitis
- Biden administration announces largest passenger rail investment since Amtrak creation
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Robin Myers named interim president for Arkansas State University System
- Air Force grounds entire Osprey fleet after deadly crash in Japan
- Report: Deputies were justified when they fired at SUV that blasted through Mar-a-Lago checkpoint
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Trump gag order in 2020 election case largely upheld by appeals court
Polish truck drivers are blocking the border with Ukraine. It’s hurting on the battlefield
How sex (and sweets) helped bring Emma Stone's curious 'Poor Things' character to life
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
Exclusive chat with MLS commish: Why Don Garber missed most important goal in MLS history
Migrants from around the world converge on remote Arizona desert, fueling humanitarian crisis at the border
A ‘soft landing’ or a recession? How each one might affect America’s households and businesses