Joshua Fury pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Tuesday.
As part of the plea, and due to the violent nature of the murder, Fury will be sentenced July 31, and is expected to get 38 years in prison, 12.5 years more than presumptive guideline sentencing.
At the plea hearing Tuesday, Fury, 28, of Maple Grove, admitted to the tortuous and inhumane manner in which he killed his wife. He stated that an argument between the two broke out, causing him to grab his wife’s neck and choke her until he heard a snap. Fury proceeded to tell the court how his wife was still breathing as she lay on the floor, and that he took a plastic bag, placed it over her head and duct taped it, causing her to suffocate.
Fury also described his attempt to hide his wife’s murder from investigators by digging a three-foot deep grave in the basement of the couple’s home, burying her body there to avoid detection and then filing a false missing person’s report.
Police continued their investigation after Fury was charged and learned the couple was having marital problems prior to the pandemic, and the Minnesota Stay-at-Home order and COVID-19 were exacerbating sources of frustration for the couple which may have contributed to the murder. They had been arguing about COVID-19 in the days leading up to her death.
Family members told police that Pew Weimelt planned to leave her husband because he was “controlling and possessive.”
