In Case of Missing Wife, a 'Stunning and Swift Resolution'

Arizona's Daniel Paduchowski pleads guilty to murder, is expected to get 16 years without parole
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 6, 2024 7:30 AM CDT
Man Who Reported Missing Wife Pleads Guilty to Murder
Flagstaff Police Chief Sean Connolly speaks in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Friday.   (Hattie Loper/Arizona Daily Sun via AP)

Less than a week after an Arizona man reported his wife missing, launching an expansive search that quickly turned into a criminal investigation, he admitted to killing her and pleaded guilty to murder, authorities announced Friday. As part of a deal with prosecutors in Coconino County, Daniel Paduchowski pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder in the death of his 45-year-old wife, Kelly, per the AP. He also pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence, concealment of a dead body, and possession of dangerous drugs, according to a copy of the plea agreement. The agreement, reached earlier Friday before the Flagstaff Police Department held an afternoon news conference, marks a stunning and swift resolution to a homicide case that was opened just days earlier and that could have otherwise stretched for years as it made its way through the legal system.

At the news conference, Flagstaff Police Chief Sean Connolly emphasized that it had been just six days since authorities were alerted to Kelly Paduchowski's disappearance. Authorities didn't provide any details about what might have led to the killing, nor did the plea agreement include information indicating a possible motive. Paduchowski's attorney didn't immediately respond to email and phone messages seeking comment. Michael Tunink, a senior attorney at the Coconino County Attorney's Office, said Daniel Paduchowski, 58, is expected to be sentenced to 16 years without the possibility of parole for the murder charge. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 10.

Authorities say Paduchowski called Flagstaff police on Sunday night, saying his wife never returned after leaving to go for a run and a swim at Lake Mary, southeast of Flagstaff. Police said they quickly began to suspect Daniel Paduchowski had been involved in his wife's disappearance. By Monday morning, police said, the missing-persons case had turned into a homicide investigation. The Flagstaff Police Department announced Daniel Paduchowski's arrest the next day. As part of his deal with prosecutors, Daniel Paduchowski provided authorities with information about his wife's remains and other evidence, including her cellphone, car keys, and a weapon allegedly used to kill her, Tunink said. Flagstaff police said they found Kelly Paduchowski's remains on Friday morning but didn't release the location, citing active "recovery efforts."

(More Daniel Paduchowski stories.)

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