An Arizona man, David Pagniano, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Sandra Pagniano, in 2017. The horrific circumstances surrounding her disappearance and eventual death came to light during a lengthy investigation by local authorities.
Sandra Pagniano went missing while she was in the process of divorcing her husband. Despite being separated, they continued to live in the same home with their two young daughters.
On May 9, 2017, Sandra's body was discovered bound and gagged in packing tape inside a hand-dug grave near Prescott, Arizona. A medical examiner confirmed that she had been buried alive.
Evidence showed that Sandra vigorously struggled while she was in the grave and may have been conscious for up to five minutes after being buried.
Cellphone records indicated that David Pagniano was in the vicinity of the grave during the days before Sandra's disappearance and on the night she went missing.
Two notes, purportedly written by Sandra, were found in their divorce case. However, a forensic examination revealed that they were actually written by David Pagniano.
The Yavapai County Attorney's Office sought the death penalty for David Pagniano but he pleaded guilty before trial and received a life sentence along with an additional 16.5 years for kidnapping, forgery and fraud schemes.
David Michael Pagniano.Yavapai County Sheriff's Office “My office pursued the death penalty in this case because of the horrific circumstances surrounding the abduction and murder of a young mother,” County Attorney Dennis McGrane said in a statement.
Sandra Pagniano was a young woman who disappeared under suspicious circumstances during her divorce from her husband, David Pagniano. Her body was later found bound and gagged in packing tape inside a hand-dug grave near Prescott, Arizona. A medical examiner determined that she had been buried alive.
The investigation into Sandra's disappearance began when she went missing in May 2017 while going through a contentious divorce from her husband. Despite being separated, they continued to live in the same home with their two young daughters.
Sandra's body was eventually found bound and gagged in packing tape inside a hand-dug grave near Prescott, Arizona. The medical examiner determined that she had been buried alive and evidence showed that she vigorously struggled while she was in the grave, likely conscious for up to five minutes after being buried.
Cellphone records indicated that David Pagniano was in the vicinity of the grave during the days before Sandra's disappearance and on the night she went missing. Two notes, purportedly written by Sandra, were found in their divorce case but a forensic examination revealed they were actually written by David Pagniano.
David Pagniano was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Sandra Pagniano. He also received an additional 16.5 years for kidnapping, forgery and fraud schemes.
