Phoenix bus strangler sentenced to 40 years in prison after guilty plea
PHOENIX - A man was given a maximum 40-year prison sentence on Saturday, Dec. 13 for killing a woman on a city bus.
It happened May 6th near 27th Avenue and Baseline Road in south Phoenix.
The crime prompted a four-day manhunt to find the killer.
The judge gave Joshua Bagley the maximum 40 years in prison for 2nd degree murder and kidnapping.
Bagley accepted a plea deal to avoid a death penalty case.
Bagley apologized to the Craig family today in court.
Surveillance video showed the murder
On May 6, 2022, Phoenix Police said 41-year-old Diane Craig, who was known as "Bubbles" by her friends, was found not breathing on a city bus near 27th Avenue and Baseline Road. Investigators said Craig showed signs of strangulation.
"She was loving. We have a big family and she loves to have fun laughing. She was the life of the party," Adrienne Craig, Diane's sister said.
Craig was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
A few days later, Bagley was arrested in connection with Craig's death.
Joshua Bagley and Diane Craig
Police said surveillance video showed a man strangling Craig before pushing her to the floor. The man stole personal items from Craig after strangling her.
According to court paperwork, Bagley and Craig boarded the bus together and were the only passengers on the bus. They were sitting in the back.
At one point, the bus driver told police he heard a noise coming from the back. He later pulled over at a gas station to use the restroom and found Craig unresponsive.
Bagley got off the bus and fled the area.
"He couldn’t do nothing. He was guilty. He was guilty. He did it. So I knew it was coming," her brother, Edward Craig said.
Suspect was released from jail days before Craig's murder
Joshua Bagley
Authorities in Mohave County were looking for Bagley, who was accused of stealing a car. He also had warrants in Lake Havasu and Goodyear.
Additionally, Bagley had been arrested and released in Maricopa County just days before Craig's murder.
"The counties are responsible, too, because he should never have been released. This man should’ve been behind bars, and if the bus driver and the county would’ve done their job, Diane Craig would still be alive today," attorney Benjamin Taylor said at the sentencing.
Several family members expressed anger, feeling they’d been cheated out of a trial.
"The plea deal that he received wasn’t enough for us I mean 40 years like my sister only lived to be 41 years old so he’s like Libby. She doesn’t have the opportunity to be 80 years old the years he’s gonna end up living in prison," Erica Craig said, the victim's sister.
Bagley, 29, apologized to the Craig family in court and said he didn't know what he was doing at the time. He implied he was on drugs when it happened and said he felt he shouldn't be let out of prison.
The Craig family filed a civil suit against the bus company as well.