In a chilling case that shocked the state of Arizona, David Pagniano has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2017 death of his wife, Sandra Pagniano. Authorities revealed that Sandra was buried alive in a hand-dug grave near their home in Prescott.

The horrifying details of the case unfolded seven years after the murder when David Pagniano decided to plead guilty. By doing so, he allowed the judge to determine his sentence without a plea agreement. County Attorney Dennis McGrane expressed his office's pursuit of the death penalty, stating, "My office pursued the death penalty in this case because of the horrific circumstances surrounding the abduction and murder of a young mother."

During May 2017, Sandra Pagniano, 39 years old at the time, vanished while in the process of divorcing her husband. Although the couple was separated, they were still living together with their two young daughters. Tragically, Sandra's body was discovered bound and gagged in packing tape inside a grave in a rural area north of Prescott.

The county medical examiner's office confirmed that Sandra had been buried alive, revealing the heinous nature of the crime. Authorities discovered evidence indicating the vigorous struggle Sandra had put up while in the grave, suggesting that she may have been conscious for up to five minutes. Additionally, cellphone evidence indicated that David Pagniano had been in the gravesite area both before his wife's disappearance and the night of the kidnapping.

Further investigations found two notes supposedly written by Sandra and filed in the divorce case after her disappearance. These notes claimed that she was leaving David Pagniano and granting him custody of their children, as well as the vehicles and the house. However, forensic examination determined that the notes were, in fact, written by David Pagniano himself.

A grand jury indictment followed the discovery of Sandra Pagniano's body in a remote area, approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of the couple's home near Prescott in north-central Arizona. Consequently, David Pagniano was charged with first-degree murder.

With the finality of his sentence, David Pagniano will spend the rest of his life behind bars, unable to benefit from any possibility of parole. The tragic fate of Sandra Pagniano serves as a reminder of the heinous acts that can be committed within the sanctity of a home.