Arizona Man Apprehended After He Allegedly Murdered Woman On Bus, Police Say

A man is behind bars after he allegedly recently strangled a woman to death on a bus in Phoenix, authorities said.

On May 5, Diane Craig, a 41-year-old mother, was found unresponsive aboard the bus around 8 a.m. She was transported to a local hospital, where she died, according to KPHO-TV.

Investigators named Joshua Bagley, 26, as a suspect in the case and launched a manhunt.

Phoenix police located the alleged killer on the evening of May 10 after they responded to a call about a suspicious person. Officers connected him to the fatal bus incident and placed him under arrest on homicide charges, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said.

KNXV-TV reported the suspect had been mistakenly released from the Maricopa County jail less than 72 hours prior to Craig’s strangulation death because of a series of miscommunications.

According to the station, Bagley was taken into custody several times over the past months, most recently after he was allegedly caught in a stolen vehicle and tossed a meth pipe out the window during a traffic stop.

Despite being charged with three felonies and multiple misdemeanors in the case, and although he had an extradition warrant in connection to an unrelated incident in Mohave County, a judge released him from custody, according to KNXV-TV.