Maple Grove man pleads guilty to murdering wife, faces 38 years in prison
Joshua Fury, 29, has pleaded guilty to killing his wife, Maria Fury, and burying her body in the crawl space of their Maple Grove, Minnesota home. (Hennepin County Jail / FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Maple Grove, Minnesota man accused of killing his wife and burying her body in a crawl space of their home has pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
Tuesday, 29-year-old Joshua Fury pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of his wife, Maria Pew Fury. As part of the plea deal, Fury is expected to be sentenced to 38 years in prison, which is 12.5 years more than the presumptive guideline sentencing. The longer sentence is due to "the violent nature of the murder," according to the attorney's office.
According to the criminal complaint, Fury reported Maria had gone missing from their home on April 30. Officers did a public search in the area, but after using a K-9 to search the couple's home, they eventually found her body buried in a crawl space. An autopsy report showed she died of asphyxiation from a plastic bag that had been duct taped over her mouth. In a police interview, Fury admitted to killing Maria on April 30 and hiding her body.
During the search, family and friends told police that the couple was having maritial problems and described Fury as "controlling and possessive."
Fury is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31.
Maria Fury was found killed in her home on May 2, 2020. (The Pew and Weimelt Families)
FAMILY REACTS TO PLEA DEAL
Maria Pew's family released the following statement in response to the plea deal:
“There are no winners in the horrible death of our dear angel, Maria. A sentence of 4 million months does not bring Maria back to us. So, we choose to be who Maria wants us to be……. kind, loving and inspired to use our pain to end domestic violence.
Maria is one of 15 intimate partner murders in MN already this year. 15. That just has to end. Those murders left thousands of families, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, first responders and caring communities of people violated and traumatized. This needs to stop.
Let’s use our Voice with Maria’s to make sure a home is a place of safety and love, not secreted in violence. We need your help to end this national pandemic. Please follow and like us on Facebook-- Maria’s Voice -- www.facebook.com/MariasVoice.org/ Our actions must change this acceptability of violence toward intimate partners.
Maria loves you. The Pew Weimelt families thank you for letting us know that you love her too. Despite our intense grief, we believe what Maria believed: Love always triumphs."