New documents reveal digital evidence in Kelly Paduchowski murder case

FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — New court documents are giving insight into the exact digital evidence Flagstaff police have in a homicide case that rocked the Flagstaff community this summer.

Kelly Paduchowski was first reported missing by her husband in late June.

He's been in custody since her remains were found. Authorities said Daniel Paduchowski confessed and led them to Kelly's remains as part of an unusually quick plea deal.

We already knew there was physical evidence in this case, including drops of blood and bloody footprints found outside the Paduchowski's home in Flagstaff.

But now we know the magnitude of the digital evidence in this case and what exactly the police have, including hours of interviews with Daniel Paduchowski before he takes police to his wife's remains in the woods.

These new details come just weeks before sentencing for the Flagstaff father and husband.

Police said Daniel Paduchowski led them on a cross-town search for his wife in early July before surprisingly leading detectives to her body days later and taking a plea deal the same day police announced he was charged with murder.

“In this day and age that's super rare,” said criminal defense attorney Russ Richelsoph, unaffiliated with the case.

Richeloph analyzed the unusual swift nature of a missing persons report, search, confession, and plea deal resolution all within a week.

Part of why a quick plea deal is surprising in this case is due to the amount of evidence.

A new court filing revealed the mountain of digital evidence Flagstaff Police has and exactly what that is.

We now know some of that includes:

• 40 hours of interview footage with Daniel Paduchowski
• 16 audio recordings, including 911 calls
• 165 ring door cameras
• 5 body camera videos
• 11 business surveillance videos
• 1,093 photographs

Richelsoph said this case specifically highlights the change in the kind of evidence law enforcement and attorneys have access to.

“Just the amount of digital evidence available over the years has gotten more and more,” said Richelsoph.

The court filing also revealed police began surveillance on Snowbowl Road on July 3, which was on the way up the mountain to where Kelly's body was recovered on July 5, and that they have 84 pictures alone from the body recovery scene.

So typically, Richelsoph said a case like this would take months, if not years, to play out because of this evidence.

“The attorneys really insist on having the time necessary to go through all the evidence,” he said.

But he said ultimately how a case plays out is decided by the defendant, and in this case, it was likely Daniel Paduchowski's guilty conscience that superseded any legal recommendations.

“When I saw this, I suspected the factors at play weren't really legal. I suspect the factors at play were emotional,” said Richelsoph.

The court filing also shows that of all the hours of video recordings they have, some of that includes Daniel leading officers to his wife's dead body and describing in detail what he did to her.

We are still waiting to learn what his motive is, where other evidence was found in addition to her body, and what the murder weapon was.

Daniel Paduchowski is set to be sentenced on Sept. 10.

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