Arizona man sentenced for burying wife alive in ‘hand-dug grave’
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YAVAPAI COUNTY, Arizona (WJW) – An Arizona man was sentenced to prison for the murder of his wife, who investigators say was buried alive in a “hand-dug grave” in 2017.
On May 9, a Yavapai County judge sentenced 62-year-old David Michael Pagniano, of Prescott, to life in prison without parole, the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office announced on Friday.
The investigation started in 2017, when his wife, Sandra Pagniano, disappeared under suspicious circumstances during their divorce, prosecutors say.
Investigators say her body was found “bound and gagged” in packing tape inside a hand-dug grave north of Prescott.
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A medical examiner determined that Sandra had been buried alive.
Detectives learned through cell phone data that Pagniano was in the area of the gravesite in the days leading up to her death and the night she went missing, according to prosecutors.
Through the investigation, detectives also looked into two notes supposedly written by Sandra, claiming she was leaving her husband the house, vehicles and custody of their children. Forensic scientists later revealed that he had actually written those notes, the attorney’s office said.
Pagniano pleaded guilty to her murder the day before his trial.
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In a statement on Friday, Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said his office was pursuing the death penalty in the case due to the “horrific circumstances surrounding the abduction and murder of a young mother.”
“The evidence revealed she vigorously struggled while she was in the grave, and was likely conscious for up to five minutes after being buried. I hope the life sentence brings some closure to the victim’s family,” Attorney McGrane said in the release. “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.”
Pagniano was also sentenced to another 16.5 years in prison for kidnapping, forgery and fraud schemes, prosecutors say.
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