PRESCOTT, Ariz. — An Arizona man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2017 death of his wife, who was buried alive in a hand-dug grave near their home, authorities said.
“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’s body was found bound and gagged in packing tape inside a grave in a rural area north of Prescott and the county medical examiner’s office confirmed she had been buried alive.Budenholzer reminisces on Arizona past, but quickly turns to future leading the Phoenix SunsCounty sheriff’s officials said evidence showed Sandra Pagniano vigorously struggled while she was in the grave and may have been conscious for up to five minutes.