Man who kidnapped wife, buried her alive gets life sentence in Arizona

Nearly six years after he gagged, bound and buried his wife alive in a shallow grave 10 miles from their Arizona home, a man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors announced.

David Pagniano, 62, was convicted of killing Sandra Pagniano, whose body was discovered in a remote area 10 miles northwest of the couple's home near Prescott, the Yavapai County District Attorney's Office reported.

The city of Prescott is about 100 miles northwest of Phoenix.

The victim's body was found bound and gagged in packing tape in the hand-dug grave and a medical examiner determined she was buried alive, prosecutors said.

A friend filed a missing-person's report when the woman did not show up to a social gathering.

Her husband was initially charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, who disappeared on May 19, 2017, according to the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, and evidence collected after she vanished showed the woman had been harmed by her husband.

Her body was found several days later and, on May 31, 2017, a Yavapai County grand jury indicted Pagniano on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and forgery in her death.

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A guilty plea on the eve of trial

Pagniano was slated to go before a jury of his peers earlier this month, but on the eve of the trial beginning, he pleaded guilty to the felony offenses he was charged with, court records show.

Prosecutors planned to pursue the death penalty in the case "because of the horrific circumstances surrounding the abduction and murder of a young mother," District Attorney Dennis McGrane released in a statement after sentencing.

"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.

Evidence revealed the mother "vigorously struggled while she was in the grave" and was likely conscious for at least five minutes after being buried.

Arizona Department of Corrections online records show a judge sentenced her husband to life in prison on May 9.

"I hope the life sentence brings some closure to the victim’s family," McGrane said.

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'A contentious divorce'

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office began investigating the case after Pagniano’s wife "disappeared under suspicious circumstances during a contentious divorce."

At the time of her death, the couple was separated but still living in the same home with their daughters, then ages 8 and 12.

Cell phone analysis showed Pagniano was near the gravesite in the days before victim’s death as well as the night she vanished.

According to prosecutors, detectives found two notes filed in the divorce proceeding after the victim's disappearance, "purportedly written by Sandra," saying she was leaving and "giving Pagniano her vehicles, house, and custody of their children."

Investigators reported they later learned they were written by her husband.

Contributing: Adrian Marsh, formerly with the Arizona Republic.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.