Phoenix man allegedly strangled woman to death on city bus
05/11/2022 3:19 pm PDT
PHOENIX (TCD) -- A 26-year-old man was arrested after allegedly strangling a 41-year-old woman to death on a city bus.
Officers from the Phoenix Police Department responded to the area of 27th Avenue and Baseline Road on May 6 at approximately 8 a.m. to a report of an unconscious person on a bus, KSAZ-TV reports.
The victim, later identified as Diane Craig, was reportedly transported to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Court documents obtained by KSAZ say Craig was strangled and died from internal decapitation.
According to a press release from the Phoenix Police Department, authorities identified Joshua Bagley as the suspect and asked for the public’s assistance in finding him.
According to court documents obtained by KSAZ, the victim and suspect entered the city bus together near 22nd Avenue and Buckeye Road and were the only two people on the bus. They allegedly sat near each other toward the back of the vehicle.
The bus driver reportedly heard a noise coming from the back but didn’t think it was anything substantial. Later, KSAZ reports the driver stopped near 19th and Southern avenues and saw that Bagley moved toward the front.
Later, the bus driver allegedly stopped to use the bathroom at a gas station and locked the doors of the bus before entering the gas station. Outside, the driver reportedly saw Bagley standing outside the gas station, and he was last seen walking northbound on 19th Avenue.
Inside the bus, the driver located Craig on the floor of the bus unconscious with the straps of a bag twisted around her neck, KSAZ reports.
Surveillance video reportedly revealed Bagley strangling Craig with the bag straps and pushing her onto the floor. The man allegedly stole items from Craig before exiting the bus.
According to KSAZ, Bagley was eventually found and taken into custody in the area of 27th Avenue and Indian School Road. He was reportedly arrested and booked into jail on a charge of first-degree murder. He remains held on $2 million bond.
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