A Missouri woman who survived a kidnapping and shooting by hiding under her friend’s dead body until her assailants fled has now testified against one of them in court.
The Springfield Daily Citizen reported that Melissa Pugh testified against Steven Chase Calverley, one of nine individuals charged in the August 2020 kidnapping that resulted in the death of her friend Sarah Pasco and nearly claimed her own life. Calverley was subsequently found guilty of second-degree murder and other related charges.
Pasco, 27, was fatally shot in the head after her kidnapper, Gary Hunter Jr., and eight accomplices forced her into a remote well in Lawrence County, Missouri. Pasco died instantly. To survive, Pugh made the critical decision to remain motionless beneath her friend’s body, waiting for the attackers to depart, assuming they were both dead.
In 2022, Hunter Jr. was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping charges, as reported by The Associated Press. Local outlet KY3 noted that he accepted a plea deal to avoid a potential death sentence. Authorities identified Hunter Jr. as the ringleader who initiated the kidnapping, which eventually involved eight other individuals believed to be part of a local gang.
Following a week-long investigation, all nine suspects were apprehended, according to KY3. Among them, Calverley, 33, was the only defendant to go to trial, per the *Daily Citizen*. During the trial, Pugh, one of the victims, stated she had forgiven Calverley but questioned why he, a Purple Heart-winning U.S. Marine, failed to intervene and stop Hunter Jr.
“I know God spared my life for a reason,” Pugh told the court, as reported by the Daily Citizen. “But I don’t understand why none of them tried to help us … especially with Mr Calverley being a war hero.”
The incident began in Stotts City when Hunter Jr. approached Pasco and Pugh as they sat in their vehicle, according to KOLR 10. He asked to enter their car, then brandished a gun and forced them to drive to the home of Christina Knapp, one of the accomplices. Knapp later pleaded guilty to robbery and kidnapping charges, as reported by KY3 and the Associated Press.
Over time, Hunter Jr. involved eight accomplices, threatening Pasco and Pugh and forcing them to dig their own graves in Knapp’s yard. The group eventually transported the victims in two cars to a wooded area in Miller, Missouri. There, Hunter Jr. forced the women into an abandoned well and shot Pasco, believing both victims were dead. However, Pugh survived by hiding under Pasco’s body, escaping the well, and calling 911 after the kidnappers left.
During his sentencing, Calverley expressed remorse, reading a letter addressed to Pasco and Pugh’s families, as reported by the Daily Citizen. “I’m not asking you to forgive me. But I want you to know I am sorry,” he said. “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.”