Viswa Vanapalli
Investigation Discovery’s ‘A Time To Kill: Three’s Company, Four’s a Crowd’ and NBC’s ‘Dateline: Deadly Entanglement’ delve deep into the murder of Desiree Sunford in April 2013. The 30-year-old school teacher was shot to death in her home while her husband, Scott Sunford, attended a funeral out of town. He alerted the police after calls to his wife went unanswered. As the authorities dug deeper, they realized that Scott was having an affair with Paige Blades around the time of the murder. Despite Paige’s friend, Marty Grismer, being convicted of Desiree’s slaying, questions have remained regarding the involvement of others in the case.
Paige Blades and Scott Sunford Were Engaged in an Extramarital Affair
Scott Sunford used to be a mechanic in the Army and was deployed on two tours to Iraq. He and Desiree were high school sweethearts who bonded over their shared passion for restoring muscle cars. During the summers, they would even take the 1969 Chevelle to car shows and have a lot of fun. Over time, they realized that they had much more in common than their mutual love for motorcycles. Therefore, the two lovebirds tied the knot on November 27, 2003, and began building a beautiful life together. The couple bought a home in Yakima, Washington, but there was a burglary in the house about six months after their move. While nobody was hurt, some valuables like a laptop and jewelry were reportedly stolen. Therefore, to prevent that, they got a security system.
Unfortunately, just days later, tragedy struck the Sunford household and Desiree was taken from the world. Scott was alerted to the security system tripping at around 3:30 am on April 7, 2013. He was out of town attending a funeral at the time. He just assumed it was Desiree who tripped it on accident. However, when he couldn’t get a hold of her later that day, he called 911 to report the alarm going off. When police arrived at the residence, they noticed that Scott was outside with his gun and a flashlight pointed at the door. He stated that the backdoor seemed to have been broken.
After Desiree was found shot to death inside, Scott was questioned, and he told them that he stayed the previous night with Paige Blades, a single mother who used to be in the Army. At the time, she worked at a food manufacturing plant. While Scott claimed they were just friends, Paige told them they were having an affair. Scott later admitted to it but claimed that Desiree knew of it, and they were allegedly in an open relationship. However, text messages between Desiree and Paige seemed to point to the fact that Desiree was uncomfortable with how close Paige and Scott were. Yet, according to the show, phone records placed Paige elsewhere around the time of the murder.
Since there was nothing else tying her to the crime, she was let go. More than a year later, Paige came forward with information about Marty Grismer being the killer, claiming that he confessed to her about it. According to her, Marty killed Desiree because he wanted Scott and her to have a fresh start together. She had told Marty earlier that she was pregnant with Scott’s child, but it was later revealed that another ex-boyfriend of Paige was the father. In the end, Marty took a plea deal and was sentenced to 15 years for Desiree’s murder in 2018.
Paige Blades Has Embraced a Life of Privacy
After the conviction of Desiree’s killer, Paige Blades opened up about her alleged relationship with the Sunfords in an interview with Crime Watch Daily in 2018. Her identity was concealed upon request, and she was referred to as “mistress” throughout the interview, wherein she appeared donning a short blonde wig. Paige reiterated that she and Scott had been having an affair for quite some time and had introduced her as the girlfriend of Scott’s friend. Gradually, she added, she and Desiree got pretty close. “I was living with them part-time, we all slept in the same bed,” she claimed.
Describing their equation as a “polyamorous relationship,” Paige urged that both Scott and herself loved Desiree and they had no motive to kill her. On being asked whether they dated after Desiree’s death, she confirmed: “Yeah. Yeah.” However, as of today, it seems that Paige and Scott are not together anymore. Since 2018, Paige has likely chosen to stay away from the spotlight to avoid garnering any unnecessary attention, given the nature of the case. Therefore, there is not much we can discern about her current whereabouts.
Scott Sunford is Enjoying His Retirement Today, Surrounded By Family and Friends
After losing the love of his life in such a heartwrenching manner, Scott Sunford mustered up all the courage he could to continue living on. In his expansive career, he filled diverse positions, such as Director of Parts and Service, Customer Relations Manager, Parts Counterman, Fixed Operations Manager, Direct Tool Distributor, Parts Advisor/Manager as well as eBay and Web Store Manager. However, it seems that the ex-Army mechanic didn’t actually pursue any significant professional ventures after 2013. He was also an integral part of the Social Security Administration but now refers to himself as a “Retired Howler Monkey Herder.” He is also quite skilled in making objects from wood and has carved several photo frames, spoons, toys, chopping boards, and cribs for his granddaughters over the years.
On the personal front, it does appear that the Pasco, Washington, native fathered three kids — a daughter and two sons — from his previous relationship with Deborah. While Scott and Deborah’s daughter, Melissa Sunford Rackham and one of their sons, Scott Jr., are leading a blissful life with their respective partners, Michael and Johnnie, their other son, Jeffrey Alan Sunford, passed away on September 29, 2019, at 39 years of age. Losing another loved one over six years after the death of his beloved wife, Desiree, turned Scott’s world upside down.
Nevertheless, Scott persevered because of the love and care of his other family members and friends, who adore him and have stood beside him through thick and thin. Though Scott will never be able to fill the void left by the passing of Desiree and Jeffrey, he is thankful for all the fun times he had with them and often posts throwbacks of the same on his social media profile. As of today, Scott Sunford is leading a content life in Kennewick, Washington, in the company of all the people and things he holds dear, all the while holding the memories of Desiree and Jeffrey in his heart.
Read More: How Did Desiree Sunford Die?
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