YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. – An Arizona man was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to murdering his wife by burying her alive seven years ago.
David Pagniano, 62, acknowledged murdering his wife Sandra Pagniano, who was 39-years-old when she was buried alive near the couple’s Prescott home in 2017, according to Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane.
“My office pursued the death penalty in this case because of the horrific circumstances surrounding the abduction and murder of a young mother,” McGrane said.
Sandra Pagniano vanished while in the process of divorcing her husband in May 2017, officials said.
Although the two were “separated,” they continued living in the same home with their two young daughters, reported Fox News Digital on Monday.
A massive manhunt took place when the mother mysteriously went missing, leading to a criminal investigation by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.
Sandra Pagniano’s body was found in a hand-dug grave in a remote area near Prescott. The woman had been bound and gagged with packing tape before she was buried alive, according to the medical examiner.
“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 said.
Cellphone data revealed that David Pagniano was in the vicinity of the grave site where his wife was found just days before her death, as well as on the night she went missing, Fox reported.
David Pagniano pleaded guilty to murder on the night before his trial was expected to begin, McGrane noted.
Although the killer dodged the death penalty, the judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder as well as an additional 16 ½ years for kidnapping, forgery and fraud.
“I hope the life sentence brings some closure to the victim’s family,” McGrane said. “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.”
