The Deadly Entanglement: Scott Sunford’s Journey After Desiree’s Murder
The fatal slaying of Desiree Sunford in 2013 rocked the Yakima County community with a case that became a national sensation, leading to two crime documentaries, “A Time to Kill: Three’s Company Four’s a Crowd” and “Dateline: Deadly Entanglement.” This piece details that complicated case, which first involved hounding her husband, Scott Sunford, due to his affair with Paige Blades, all the way up to her home invasion death.
Investigators grappled with solving the case for more than a year until a shocking admission pointed to the real killer: Marty Grismer, one of Paige’s friends. We look at the investigation’s twists and turns, the messy dynamics between all the parties, and where Scott Sunford and Paige Blades stand today.
This case illustrates how circumstantial evidence can lead investigators astray, the peril of rushed conclusions in homicide cases, and how tragedy can change lives forever. In Scott’s story, we witness someone who has experienced profound loss yet perseveres, happy to live in memory of his wife, in retirement.
The Killing That Rocked Yakima County
It was spring 2013, and a quiet community in Yakima County, Washington, was slammed with terrible news. Desiree Sunford, a popular art teacher at Wapato Middle School, was found shot nine times dead inside her home. If they heard the crime was brutal, it suggested a crime of passion.
The discovery came after her husband, Scott Sunford, called 911 to request a welfare check. He was at a funeral in the Tri-Cities area when their home security alarm went off about 3:30 am. Scott first thought his wife had inadvertently triggered it while walking their dog. Hours later, he became scared when she didn’t return calls and texts.
When police reached the Sunford home, they found Scott outside with his weapon drawn and a flashlight directed toward the door. He reported that the back door seemed broken but that he hadn’t gone inside the house himself. Such behavior instantly raised alarm bells for the investigators. Why wasn’t her military-trained husband checking on his wife?
The couple installed the security system only days after being burglarized about six months after moving in. The break-in that preceded it had stolen valuables—everything from jewelry to a laptop. The system was intended to protect them, but instead, it gave the first indication that something had gone wrong.
Inside the house, the police found a horrific scene that would lead to a complex investigation lasting more than a year — and questions about the hidden complications behind the Sunfords’ marriage.
Scott And Desiree: From High School Sweethearts To A Complicated Marriage
Scott and Desiree were high school sweethearts who built their romance around shared passions, particularly their love for restoring muscle cars. The couple would take their 1969 Chevelle to car shows in the summer, sharing a mutual passion for motorcycles and automobiles.
Their love story began with marriage on 27 Nov 2003, in front of loved ones. They moved to Yakima, Washington, and started what seemed to be a happy life together. Scott, a former Army mechanic who had done two tours in Iraq, had returned to civilian life and taught at a local military base training center.
Desiree went on to be an art teacher, exploring her creative interests, and Scott had a background in the military, which gave him extensive knowledge of weapons and tactical skills. This training would subsequently raise the eyebrows of investigators regarding his behavior on the night of the murder.
By 2013, after almost a decade of marriage, the couple’s relationship had become more complicated than outsiders realized. Their diverging career paths and interests had put space between them. What investigators would soon learn was that Scott had entered into a romantic involvement with another woman, Paige Blades, adding a complication that would instantly make him the prime suspect in his wife’s killing.
The story of how they fell in love starkly contrasted the reality of their marriage in 2013, demonstrating how relationships evolve in ways that are not always clear to those looking in from the outside until it’s too late.
Paige vs. Scott And Desiree: The Complicated Affair
Scott initially told the authorities he spent the night of Desiree’s murder at a mutual friend’s home and Paige Blades — but did not name the housemate. He characterized their romance as platonic, but when investigators spoke to Paige, she said they had been having an affair.
Paige, a single parent and former member of the Army, was employed at a food manufacturing plant. When Paige confronted Scott about the statement, he admitted he had an affair but said Desiree was aware of it. Scott said the three were reportedly involved in a consensual relationship at some point.
However, text messages exchanged between Desiree and Paige told a different story. The messages indicated that Desiree had become uneasy with how close Scott and Paige got. This was the opposite of Scott’s argument—that they were in an open relationship, with his wife’s knowledge and consent.
In a 2018 interview with Crime Watch Daily, Paige offered an account of what had happened. Speaking anonymously with her identity obscured by a short blonde wig, she said she had been living part-time with the Sunfords and called their arrangement a “polyamorous relationship.” She maintained that both she and Scott cared for Desiree and had no reason to want her dead.
Paige also confirmed that she and Scott did date after Desiree’s death, though phone records and other evidence cleared her of involvement in the murder. Scott eventually ended his relationship with Paige, and by late 2014, the two were no longer together.
Tracing the complicated dynamics of the three-way relationship would be key to the inquiry, with police initially investigating whether the affair had given rise to a motive to kill. But the truth would be far more surprising than investigators had initially suspected.
The Investigation: The Suspicion, The Unexpected Truth
For more than a year, Scott Sunford was the main suspect in the murder of his wife. There were many things about his behavior that investigators found troubling: his decision not to go into the house, as he had been trained in the military to do; his apparent fixation on displaying his weapon rather than asking about the condition of his wife; the affair revealed with Paige Blades.
Scott’s phone records confirmed an alibi: He had been out of town during the murder, but suspicion lingered. Likewise, Paige’s phone records put her elsewhere at the time of the killing, clearing her as a direct suspect. Lacking any physical evidence linking either Scott or Paige to the crime, the case went cold for over a year.
And it was just the breakthrough from an unexpected source. In 2014, a bombshell revelation from Paige Blades — a suspected murderer in close quarters with the victim — rocked investigators: her coworker and friend Marty Grismer had reportedly admitted to Desiree’s murder. Marty had learned she was pregnant (not with Scott’s child as she had claimed) and, according to Paige, killed Desiree to help pave the way for Scott and Paige.
This was a significant game changer in the investigation. In November 2014, Marty Grismer was arrested for the murder of Desiree. However, it took until 2017 for him to enter what is known as an Alford plea, in which a defendant pleads guilty while not admitting guilt but acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict. Scott’s shoulders, this plea finally lifted the cloud of suspicion.
Grisme, in 201,8, received a 15-year prison term for killing Desiree Sunford. Some theories suggest he murdered Desiree out of obsession and to pin the blame on Scott, but others believe he had acted based on Paige’s pregnant clair, thinking he was aiding his friend to start fresh. The case highlights how investigations can take unexpected turns and that first impressions in homicide cases don’t always point to the truth.
Where Is Scott Sunford Now?
Having survived the traumatic murder of his wife and then years of being held in suspicion, Scott Sunford has instead opted for a quiet life, far away from the public eye. He is now retired in Kennewick, Washington, with family and friends who have stood by him through hard times.
Other careers included Director of Parts and Service, Customer Relations Manager, and Fixed Operations Manager. He worked with the Social Security Administration until he retired. He now jokingly calls himself a “Retired Howler Monkey Herder.” Scott has spent time woodworking outside of work, making photo frames, spoons, toys, and cribs for his granddaughters.
This art form appears to comfort him in the face of his losses. Scott was previously married to Deborah, which gave him three children. His daughter Melissa Sunford Rackham and son Scott Jr. lead happy lives with their partners.
Unfortunately, he lost his son, Jeffrey Alan Sunford, in 2019 at age 39, the latest in a string of devastating losses in his life, coming just six years after the murder of Desiree. Through these heartbreaks, Scott has endured, relying on the rest of his family. His passion for motorcycles and honoring the memory of his wife, Desiree, has led him to hold Remembrance Rides in her honor.
These bike rides from the Tri-Cities to Yakama to Moses Lake keep her memory alive while connecting him to the enthusiasm they once shared. Scott’s social media often posts throwbacks celebrating Desiree and Jeffrey’s lives, a testament that while he’s carrying on, he still keeps the people he’s lost very much in his heart.
Paige Blades: A Life Away From the Limelight
Since Desiree Sunford’s murder case was resolved, Paige Blades has all but vanished from public view. Since her 2018 interview with Crime Watch Daily, when she came on as an anonymous blonde wig-wearing figure, Paige has kept information about her private life under wraps.
In that interview, Paige described her relationship with the Sunfords as polyamorous, saying they all slept close together and sometimes in the same bed. She claimed that both she and Scott loved Desiree and had no motive to want her dead.
But when I asked if she and Scott were romantically involved after Desiree’s death, she said they dated. However, their relationship soured in late 2014. The fact that Paige wasn’t pregnant with Scott’s baby but one from an ex may have contributed to their breakup.
In light of the case’s sensitivity and notoriety, Paige’s decision to withdraw from the spotlight makes sense, as unwanted attention is likely what Paige would prefer not to be included in right now. The case received much media attention, including true crime documentaries on Investigation Discovery and NBC’s Dateline, bringing everyone involved under public scrutiny.
Reliable public records of Paige’s current location, occupation, or romantic engagement do not exist. This absence from public life points to a person who has decided to carry on privately, having been caught up in a tragic and complicated set of circumstances that ended in the death of someone she said she loved.
The Effects Of Tragedy: Honoring Memory And Carrying On
Desiree Sunford Ten years after her murder, a story of loss and change ripples out from her death The 2013 murder of Desiree Sunford TrailersIn the years after the 1998 birth of Desiree Sunford, her life was marked by tragedy and loss, from the family instability caused by her parents’ divorce to the gaping absence of her father, who died in a car accident when she was a toddler. For Scott Sunford, the experience has been especially harrowing — losing his wife to violence, then living under suspicion, and eventually losing his son Jeffrey in 2019.
Even with those devastating losses, Scott has managed to honor those he’s lost while still living his life. The rides he holds in her honor for Desiree manifest his desire to keep her memory alive through activities they once enjoyed. These motorcycle journeys become memorials in motion, and maybe the healing Scott receives by honoring his sister also helps others who cherished Desiree.
Scott’s woodworking hobby shows resilience. Making beautiful objects for family members shows his resolve to continue enriching other people’s lives despite personal tragedy. His artistry produces enduring things for his grandchildren, a legacy beyond sorrow.
Scott may never fully heal the space in his heart left by Desiree and Jeffrey, but it looks like he has found a way to honor their memory while living in the present. His life in Kennewick is one of someone who has endured tremendous grief but who still finds purpose through family ties and personal pursuits.
This case serves as a reminder that, even when justice comes, the legacy of violent crime can never be undone for those who are left behind. The strength it takes for Scott to build a life with the people that survive him while also keeping the memory of those he loves lost is a complex portrait to weave post-tragedy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Scott Sunford ever been formally charged with his wife’s killing?
No, Scott Sunford was never charged with Desiree’s murder. He was the primary suspect for more than a year because he had an affair with Paige Blades, and some of his behaviors triggered alarm bells for investigators, but the evidence was never strong enough to charge him. Details of his phone records showed he was out of town when the murder occurred.
How was Marty Grismer related to Desiree Sunford?
Marty Grismer was friends with Paige Blades and knew Desiree through her. He was also a close friend and coworker of Paige’s. According to investigations, Grismer may have become obsessed with Desiree or thought he was doing Paige and Scott a favor by ridding their lives of her.
What is an Alford plea that Marty Grismer entered?
An Alford plea is a guilty plea in which defendants declare their innocence but concede that prosecutors probably have enough evidence to get a conviction. In entering the plea, Grismer agreed to punishment without officially admitting to committing the crime.
Was Paige Blades charged in this case?
No, Paige Blades was not prosecuted. Her telephone records put her away from the scene at the time of the murder, and there was no evidence that she took part in planning or carrying out the crime. She gave authorities key details that led to Grismer’s capture.
How did Scott and Paige’s romance grow after Desiree died?
Scott and Paige dated for some time following the death of Desiree, which they both confirmed in interviews. However, their relationship had ended by the end of 2014, long before Marty Grismer was charged with murder. It also came out that Paige’s pregnancy was not with Scott’s child, as she had claimed.
Does Scott Sunford have a new wife after Desiree´s passing?
Scott Sunford does not appear to have remarried or become involved in another known serious public relationship since Desiree’s death, according to available information. He seems to concentrate on family connections with his surviving children and grandchildren.
What was Marty Grismer’s sentence for murdering Desiree?
In 2018, Marty Grismer was handed 15 years in prison for the murder of Desiree Sunford after he entered an Alford plea in 2017.
What has Scott done to honor Desiree’s memory since her death?
Scott has held several Remembrance Rides and motorcycle trips from the Tri-Cities to Yakama and Moses Lake in memory of Desiree and their shared love of motorcycles. He also commemorates her memory through social media posts and photographs.
Final Words
The murder of Desiree Sunford highlights how quickly assumptions can arise in homicide investigations and the complexity of truth. Scott Sunford lived under suspicion for over a year while the real killer, Marty Grismer, remained at large. This tragedy emphasizes the lasting impact of violent crime on everyone involved. Although Grismer was eventually convicted, Scott, Paige, and their families were forever changed.
Scott Sunford’s life today exemplifies resilience. After losing both his wife and son and enduring suspicion, he finds ways to honor their memory while embracing family, friends, and new pursuits. Whether through motorcycle rides in memory of Desiree or carving wooden toys for his grandchildren, Scott’s journey shows that even after unimaginable loss, there can still be meaning, connection, and moments of happiness.
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