On April 2nd, 2013, 30-year-old Desiree Sunford and her 31-year-old husband, Scott Sunford (pictured above) were terrified when they discovered their house was broken into through a smashed window pane in the back door. Their possessions were scattered throughout the home. A firearm and electronic items were among the valuables stolen. The couple felt vulnerable. This was their first home, their place of refuge, and already they were the target of a burglary.
They had only settled into their home in Yakima, Washington, six months ago, and now they were concerned for their safety. They decided to double down on security and invested in a home security system, which they promptly installed. To give them a chance to get used to the new system, Desiree and Scott opted to only have alerts sent to their own cell phones, not the police, whenever the alarm was tripped up.
This would prove to be a colossal mistake…one that would cost a life.
Just a few days after the security system was set up, Scott left town on the morning of April 6th, driving some two hours away to the Tri-Cities in order to attend his aunt’s funeral. After the funeral service, he called his wife to tell her he would be coming home the next day to spend more time with relatives.
At 3:24 AM, Scott received a notification on his form that the alarm had been triggered. Just three minutes later, at 3:27, he received another alert. And then another one a minute later. Assuming his dog tripped up the alarm, he went back to sleep.
Scott began his drive back to Yakima the next evening and attempted to call his wife multiple times, but was unable to reach her. Now panicking, he pulled over to call police and request a wellness check. He ended up arriving home before the police showed up. When he did, he noticed something startling: the back door had been broken in again.
Soon, police arrived at the scene as well. There, they found Scott Sunford standing just outside the house with his pistol drawn. They wondered why Scott, a 6’4 ex military man, hadn’t bothered to enter the home himself. But Scott claimed he was scared of what he’d find.
Police ventured inside the home where they found Desiree's lifeless body, riddled with bullets, in the master room. She'd attempted to crawl away from her attacker before dying on the floor. They also found a bloody shoe print.
Police took Scott in for questioning. As he explained the events leading up to the discovery of his wife's body, he seemed relaxed and unbothered. He didn't seem to be mourning, nor did he even ask how Desiree had been murdered. He told police he was spending the night at a mutual friend's house, 23-year-old Paige Blades (bottom left), in Warden, WA. Paige had briefly lived with Scott and Desiree, where they developed a threeway relationship Scott claimed they were all satisfied with.
Scott's DNA did not match that of the DNA found at the crime scene, nor were his shoes a match to the bloody footprint. They spoke to Paige, who confirmed Scott had spent the night at her house, and that they were in a threeway relationship. It was also discovered that Paige recently found out she was pregnant. Paige's DNA also wasn't found at the crime scene, and both of their phones were not pinged anywhere near the Sunford home on the night of the murder.
The investigation hit a dead end, until a year later, when an anonymous tipster submitted information naming the culprit. The tipster was none other than Paige Blades. Quickly, police arranged an interview with her, where she explained her friend, 26-year-old Marty Grismer (bottom right), had just confessed to being responsible for Desiree's murder.
She described Marty as someone who was obsessed with Paige. Marty claimed he decided to kill Desiree for her after Paige fell pregnant, so that she and Scott could be together. Ironically, the baby was not Scott's.
Police began looking into Marty Grismer, a man with a squeaky clean record. Not only did they find the pair of shoes that matched the bloody footprint, gun parts were found in his workplace office. The gun barrel was the same one used to end Desiree's life.
Marty denied any involvement, claiming Scott and Paige were trying to set him up. Since the evidence placed him at the scene of the murder, he was charged for Desiree's murder. He entered an Alford plea, meaning he wasn’t necessary admitting to the murder, but he was acknowledging the prosecution had more than enough evidence to convict him.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
To this day, people still suspect Paige, Scott, and Marty all conspired Desiree's murder. Due to lack of evidence, Paige and Scott remain free.
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Facts about James Madison Vol. 1
(Because I’m bored and everyone should be enlightened with some James Madison)
James Madison walked with a small spring in his step, considerably to make himself appear slightly taller than he was
Because of the soggy and mushy climates surrounding William and Mary College in Williamsburg, James Madison instead went to the College of New Jersey (Princeton) for his health
James Madison, along with Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, created the Republican Party (also known as the Democratic Republican Party or Jeffersonian Republican Party) in 1792
James Madison’s wife Dolley Payne was gifted a pet parrot named Polly— who was notorious for being aggressive towards humans (thus biting Madison’s finger in front of guests during one occasion)
James Madison personally knew Aaron Burr and Philip Freneau ever since they were all in college
James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, reported by a girl walking down the street, could once be seen playing with a neighbor’s pet monkey
James Madison had a long-lasting five decade friendship with Thomas Jefferson
James Madison would eventually have a fall-out with not only Alexander Hamilton, but also George Washington over the belief of federal government and a national bank by the early 1790’s
While Thomas Jefferson in France, he and James Madison would enjoy measuring animals, comparing them to their counterparts (North American animals compared to their similar species in Europe), and telling each other of their findings
James Madison, while he was in college, would last on a five-hour sleep schedule due to studying until he collapsed from a breakdown (this made him stay at the college for an extra year to restore his weakened health)
James Madison had never been good with marital relationships (being allegedly rejected by Freneau’s sister Mary and dumped by Kitty Floyd in the 1780s), but eventually married the 26 year-old widow Dolley Payne in 1794
James Madison was a MASSIVE fan of ice cream, along with his wife Dolley, whose favorite flavor was oyster
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