Washington Teacher in Complex Marriage Fatally Shot in "Case Loaded with Secrets, Sex and Obsession"
When middle school art teacher Desiree Sunford was gunned down in her home in Washington, wild revelations and allegations about her marriage surfaced, ultimately leading to a shocking killer.
When middle school art teacher Desiree Sunford was gunned down in her Washington home in 2013, her family couldn’t imagine who would have wanted the 30-year-old dead.
But the investigation into her killing would uncover a shocking case centered on “secrets, sex and obsession” that ultimately led investigators to unmask an “unexpected” killer, according to an all-new Dateline airing Friday, March 14 at 9/8c p.m. on NBC.
"Middle school art teacher Desiree Sunford is shot to death in the home she shared with her husband," a synopsis of the episode, titled “Deadly Entanglement," reads. "New evidence and testimonies poke holes in the story of a harmonious three-way affair between the couple and a mutual friend, who speaks exclusively with Dateline.”
The episode is reported by Dateline's newest correspondent, Blayne Alexander.
“There are a LOT of layers to this story," Alexander told NBC Insider. "Questions about marriage and romance are normal with any Dateline, but this story was about a husband and wife — then another woman — then another man... all of which led investigators down a strange road before finally getting to the truth. And many of Desiree’s friends we spoke with still don’t believe she’s fully gotten justice."
What happened to Desiree Sunford?
Sunford was fatally shot in April of 2013 in the Yakima County, Washington, home that she lived in with her husband.
“We’ve all had that fear. We hear a noise in a dark, empty house and the imagination runs wild," Dateline correspondent Blayne Alexander says in a voiceover in a preview of the episode. "Of course, we usually just go back to sleep and wake up the next morning, perfectly fine. This is not that story. Desiree Sunford had been shot to death during an apparent break in at her home."
Those who knew the middle school art teacher were shocked by the fatal shooting.
“Who would want to kill Dez? She had no enemies,” Desiree’s friend Kayla Lewis told Dateline.
Allegations about Desiree Sunford's marriage surface
But investigators soon began to believe that allegations about Sunford’s love life may have played a role in the slaying.
“Her name’s Paige. She’s a mutual friend,” Scott Sunford, Desiree’s husband, is seen telling investigators in video obtained by Dateline.
The "mutual friend," Paige Blades — who speaks out exclusively to Dateline about the case in the broadcast — told police that she was having a three-way relationship with the married couple.
“I had a relationship with both... slept in their bed,” Blades told police in one conversation obtained by Dateline.
Blades was also recorded telling authorities that someone "worships the ground I walk on."
It all leads to the arrest of a killer who "was as unexpected as the victim," Alexander says in a voiceover.
Others interviewed for the Dateline episode include Sunford’s brother Kasey Cast, along with her friends Kim Odell and Michelle Howell. The broadcast will also include commentary from former Sheriff’s Deputy Ed Levesque, former Sheriff’s Detective Dave Johnson, and Beth Maxwell, the ex-wife of the killer.
To find out the shocking conclusion to the case, watch Dateline on Friday March 14 on NBC at 9/8c p.m. or stream the episode on Peacock after it becomes available the next day.
And for even more Dateline, sign up for the show's official newsletter and check out its podcast.
