Maple Grove Man Pleads Guilty in Wife’s Murder

A Maple Grove man pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering his wife. Joshua Fury, 28, pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder. Maria Pew Fury, 28, was killed April 30.

Maria Pew Fury, 28, killed by husband

At Tuesday’s plea hearing, Fury stated an argument between he and wife broke out, which led him to grab his wife’s neck. Fury told the court he choked her until he heard a snap. He then proceeded to tell how his wife was still breathing when he took a plastic bag and placed it over her head and duct taped it, causing her to suffocate as she lay on the floor.

Fury initially reported his wife missing April 30. Court documents show he attempted to hide his wife’s murder from investigators by digging a three-foot grave in a basement crawl space of the couple’s home. Police dogs detected the buried body. Fury was charged in May.

During the investigation, officers learned the couple was having marital problems prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Minnesota Stay-at-Home order and COVID-19 exacerbated the issues. The couple had been arguing about COVID-19 in the days leading up to her death, authorities said.

Fury will be sentenced July 31. According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Fury is expected to receive a 38-year prison sentence, 12.5 years more than sentencing guidelines call for. The upward departure is expected because of the particular violent nature of the murder, prosecutors said.

Maple Grove