By: Joshua Miller
A “controlling and possessive” Minnesota man faked his wife’s disappearance after killing her and burying her in a crawl space beneath their home, prosecutors allege.
Joshua David Fury, 28, was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder with intent in the strangulation death of Maria Fury, who was preparing to leave the couple’s marriage, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Star Tribune.
“He said he strangled her during an argument about the victim leaving him,” court documents read.
The disappearance of Maria Fury prompted searches for the woman involving helicopters and K-9s. One of the police dogs detected the presence of human remains in the crawl space of their home Friday. Maria Fury’s body was found early Saturday, KSTP reports.
Joshua Fury had previously reported his wife missing, telling officers in Maple Grove that she left home for a walk on April 30 and never returned, according to a criminal complaint.
But preliminary results of an autopsy found she died of asphyxiation from a plastic bag duct-taped around her mouth and nose — which was still on her face when she was exhumed, the Star Tribune reports.
During an interview with investigators, Fury — who was “controlling and possessive,” friend and relatives told police — admitted to the slaying.
He initially blamed his wife’s ex-boyfriend for the killing, according to the complaint.
Joshua Fury also previously threatened to kill himself if his wife left him and attempted suicide following the murder, the newspaper reports.
Officers spent hours exhuming the woman’s body, which was buried in a roughly 4-foot-tall crawl space with a dirt floor, authorities said.
In a statement released Tuesday, Maria Fury’s parents said she should not be remembered as the victim of a “horrific, unthinkable” crime.
“Maria was so much more,” the statement read. “She was our daughter, our niece, our cousin, our friend; she loved her family and was fiercely loyal. A happy, strong, resilient, supportive, and caring individual, Maria did so much in her 28 years. But she also left behind hopes and dreams, and she left undone infinite possibilities.”
Prosecutors intend to seek $2 million bail for Fury during his initial court appearance Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune.
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