In 2017, a guy from Prescott, Arizona, admitted to killing his wife and burying her alive. He was given a life sentence without the chance of release.
Dennis McGrane, the Yavapai County Attorney, stated that David Michael Pagniano, 62, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Sandra Pagniano, 39, who was found buried alive in a hand-dug grave close to their residence.
“My office pursued the death penalty in this case because of the horrific circumstances surrounding the abduction and murder of a young mother,” McGrane stated.
Authorities reported that Sandra Pagniano vanished in May 2017 as she was finalizing her divorce from her husband. Despite their separation, the couple shared a house with their two young daughters.
Following a large manhunt, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office started looking into the circumstances behind Sandra Pagniano’s strange disappearance.
Sandra Pagniano’s body was discovered in a hand-dug grave in a rural area close to Prescott, gagged and bound with packing tape. The medical examiner reported that she had been buried alive.
Read Also: Mass Shooting in Savannah Leaves 11 Injured
“The evidence revealed she vigorously struggled while she was in the grave and was likely conscious for up to five minutes after being buried,” McGrane stated.
Investigators found two allegedly written messages by Sandra Pagniano that were filed in the divorce process following her disappearance.
According to the letters, Sandra Pagniano was moving out and giving David Pagniano custody of their kids as well as their cars and home.
After forensic experts reviewed the letters, it was determined that Sandra was the author.
Aggiano.Cellphone data that demonstrated David Pagniano was in the area of the grave site where his wife was discovered only a few days before she passed away and the evening she vanished was one of the additional pieces of evidence that was provided.
The night before Pagniano’s trial was scheduled to start, McGrane claimed, Pagniano entered a guilty plea to murder, giving the court discretion over his sentence.
David Pagniano received a life sentence for murder and an extra 16 and a half years for fraud, forgery, and kidnapping.
“I hope the life sentence brings some closure to the victim’s family,” McGrane stated. “I want to be clear that my office will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits a violent crime in Yavapai County, and we will continue to pursue the death penalty in appropriate cases.”
