The Flagstaff man who confessed to murdering his wife after he reported her missing was sentenced to 16 years in prison Tuesday.
Daniel Paduchowski pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the killing of Kelly Paduchowski as part of a plea deal in July. In exchange, he led investigators to her body.
Police say he pretended Kelly was still alive when he reported her missing, leading to a multi-day search even though he knew she was already dead.
Multiple members of Kelly's family spoke during the sentencing. One sister described the impact her death has had on them and her two children.
"The way he put such sickening amount of hiding evidence plays repeatedly through my mind . . .," she said. "The way he lied to us and to his kids completely shocked and disturbed countless people who knew Kelly as a bright light."
Her parents and siblings told the court Kelly had informed her husband she planned to divorce him.
Paduchowski repeatedly apologized in an emotional statement that topped 23 minutes.
“I was in my weakest moment . . . I feel like some great and sinister evil controlled me — that an unconscious part of me had taken over because the conscious part of me would never be capable of doing such a thing," he said.
Prosecutors with the Coconino County Attorney's Office explained that they opted for a plea deal to help Kelly's family find closure and to avoid the risk of a jury finding Paduchowski guilty of a lesser charge.
The plea agreement mandates he must serve the entire sentence.
