Woman forced to dig her own grave escapes kidnap using friend's dead body

Daily Mirror

13-07-2025

Nine people - one a 'war hero' - were sentenced for their parts in the kidnap of two friends who were made to dig their own graves and thrown down a well, with one shot dead
A woman who was kidnapped and forced to dig her own grave has miraculously survived, but tragically her friend wasn't so lucky.
Melissa Pugh and Sarah Pasco were sitting in a car on a street corner in Stotts City, Missouri, when Gary Hunter Jr approached them and asked to get in the vehicle.
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Once inside he pulled a gun on them and made them drive to the home of Christina Knapp, according to reports at the time. Knapp was one of the eight accomplices who would eventually face charges over the horrific crime on 16 August 2020.
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Terrifyingly, they were forced to start digging their own graves in Knapp's backyard. According to local KOLR 10, all nine suspects involved in the kidnapping plot travelled together in two separate cars to a wooded area in Miller, Missouri.
Hunter then forced them to get into an abandoned well where he shot at them. Ms Pasco, who was 27, died instantly after being hit in the head by a bullet. Ms Pugh managed to survive further shots fired into the well by hiding under Ms Pasco's body and "playing dead" until the men left. She then climbed out of the well, ran for help and called 911. She was treated in hospital for gunshot wounds.
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Hunter admitted firing the weapon that killed Ms Pugh and his accomplices pleaded guilty. They were sentenced in 2022. However Steven "Chase" Calverley, 33, opted for a trial. He relied upon evidence given by Hunter, who claimed Calverley was not a 'willing accomplice' in the gruesome crime and had tried to talk him out of harming the women.
However, in October last year Christian County Judge Laura Johnson said the testimony was not credible. He was found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, kidnapping, assault, and four counts of armed criminal action. Calverley was sentenced to 40 years in prison, the same sentence given to Hunter.
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According to Springfield Daily Citizen, she told the court: "To me, it was clear what the plan was for these two women, that they were not coming out of that forest. Mr. Calverley was not the principal. He did not pull the trigger. He was there and he assisted."
Calverley had been awarded the Purple Heart - a US military decoration given to service members who have been wounded or killed in action. He served with the Marines in Afghanistan, where he was deployed in 2011. He was injured when his vehicle was blown up by an IED, and he was credited with saving the lives of his fellow servicemen.
His defense said he had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following his return to the US. They said this led to his "strange behavior" and the way he appeared to dissociate himself from what was happening around him, especially under police questioning.
After his conviction Calverley read from a letter he wrote to the families of Pasco and Pugh. According to the Daily Citizen, he said: "I'm not asking you to forgive me. But I want you to know I am sorry. I'm sorry I was a coward and didn't try harder to stop him. I'm sorry I didn't call 911 and report it. I'm sorry I didn't try to put myself between him and you guys."
At the time of sentencing, Ms Pugh testified against Calverley. She spoke via video link from prison, where she was on a parole violation, telling the jury she "forgave" him but didn't understand why he hadn't tried to help them. "I know God spared my life for a reason," she said. "But I don't understand why none of them tried to help us... Especially with Mr. Calverley being a war hero."
Megan Pasco, Sarah Pasco's sister, furiously slammed Calverley for his role in the terrifying incident. She said: "There were nine of you and not one of you called 911. You are supposed to be a war hero. You should have been held to a higher standard."