Man pleads guilty to strangling wife, burying her in crawl space

A Maple Grove man accused of strangling his wife and burying her in the crawlspace of a home pleaded guilty Tuesday.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said 28-year-old Joshua David Fury pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in the death of Maria Fury.

Fury is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31. The county attorney’s office is asking that he receive 38 years in prison.

According to the complaint, officers were called on the night of April 30 to a home on Red Fox Drive in Maple Grove on the report of a missing woman.

Charges: Maple Grove man strangled wife, buried her in crawl space

The complaint says Fury reported his wife was missing after she left the home for a walk.

Officers continued to search the surrounding area but were unable to find the woman. The complaint says officers noted that Fury appeared to be concerned about his wife’s well-being at the time.

According to the complaint, neighbors and relatives told authorities Josh and Maria Fury had been having marital issues.

On May 1, authorities conducted another search that included the use of K9s. A K9 was able to locate the presence of human remains in a crawl space of the couple’s home.

After a search warrant was executed, the victim’s body was found in the crawl space Saturday morning.

The complaint said an autopsy revealed she died of asphyxiation.

According to the complaint, after Josh Fury was arrested, he denied harming his wife. However, later in an interview with investigators, he admitted to strangling the victim, placing a plastic bag over her head and burying her in the crawl space.