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Craig Titus

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Craig Michael Titus (born January 14, 1965, in Wyandotte, Michigan) is an American convicted murderer and former professional bodybuilder. He was convicted in Las Vegas, Nevada of the murder of Melissa James, his personal assistant, in December 2005.

Early life

Titus was born in 1965 in Wyandotte, Michigan and lived most of his early life in Riverview, near Detroit. He is of Greek descent. He has a younger brother, Kevin, and a younger sister, Nicole. Titus went to public schools. He played high school football but quit because he felt he was too small, at 5'6". He also wrestled in high school.

Career

When Titus graduated from high school, he was 5'6" and 140 lbs. By the age of 21, he was 5'8" and 185 lbs. He began to see good results from weight training and decided to become a bodybuilder.

His first bodybuilding competition was the 1988 Houston Bodybuilding Championships. He won the Men's Open middleweight class and the overall title. Over the next several years of placn competitions, he established himself by 1996 as accepted into the ing International Federation of Professional Bodybuilders. He continued to compete into the 2000s, often placing among the top ten in his class. (See list below.)

Criminal convictions

Titus had difficulties with controlled substances. In April 1995 in Louisiana, Titus pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute ecstasy. He was sentenced to 16 months' house arrest via monitoring with an electronic anklet. In July 1997, Titus was sentenced to 21 months in prison for violating his probation by using anabolic steroids.

Murder of Melissa James

In December 2005, the gagged and bound body of Melissa James was found in a burning car in the Nevada desert.

In December 2005, Titus and his wife Kelly Ryan were charged with homicide in Las Vegas, Nevada in the death of James, their live-in personal assistant. Titus had admitted to detectives of having had an affair with James. The couple fled cross-country and were arrested in Stoughton, Massachusetts, along with their alleged accomplice Anthony Gross.

In February 2006, after being extradited to Nevada from Boston, Titus and Ryan were denied bail. On March 29, both pleaded not guilty to a felony charge for killing Melissa James, their live-in assistant. The charge carried the possibility of the death penalty.

Days before their murder trial was set to begin in Las Vegas in 2008, both Titus and Ryan pleaded guilty on May 30, 2008 to various charges related to James's death as part of a deal to evade capital charges.

On August 22, 2008, Titus was convicted of second-degree murder, kidnapping, and arson. He was sentenced to 21 to 55 years in prison. He is incarcerated at Lovelock Correctional Center, a state prison in Nevada.

Ryan was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 3–13 years in prison.

Anthony Gross, also charged as an accomplice in the crime, pleaded guilty in February 2009. He received a sentence of probation.

Representation in other media

The murder of Melissa James is featured in Season 4, Episode 1 of the TV series, ‘’Deadly Sins’’.

Competitions and titles

  • 2005 IFBB Iron Man Pro—6th
  • 2004 IFBB GNC Show Of Strength—6th
  • 2004 IFBB Florida Xtreme Pro Challenge—7th
  • 2004 IFBB Grand Prix Australia—6th
  • 2004 IFBB Arnold Classic And Internationals—6th
  • 2004 IFBB Iron Man Pro—5th
  • 2003 IFBB Night Of Champions—3rd
  • 2002 IFBB GNC Show Of Strength—7th
  • 2002 Mr. Olympia—11th
  • 2002 Night of Champions XIV—5th
  • 2002 Southwest Pro—7th
  • 2001 British Grand Prix—9th
  • 2001 Mr. Olympia—12th
  • 2001 Arnold Classic—6th
  • 2001 San Francisco Grand Prix—2nd
  • 2001 Ironman Pro Invitational—5th
  • 2000 Toronto Pro—5th
  • 2000 Arnold Classic—10th
  • 2000 Night of Champions—11th
  • 2000 Ironman Pro Invitational—8th
  • 1996 NPC USA Championships—1st Heavyweight and Overall (earning pro card in the IFBB)
  • 1995 NPC USA Championships—2nd Heavyweight
  • 1994 NPC National Championships—2nd Heavyweight
  • 1994 NPC USA Championships—2nd Heavyweight
  • 1993 NPC USA Championships—4th Heavyweight
  • 1991 NPC Ironman/Ironmaiden—Overall
  • 1990 NPC Tournament of Champions—3rd Heavyweight
  • 1990 NPC Western Cup—Overall
  • 1989 NPC Houston Bodybuilding Championships—Overall
  • 1988 NPC Houston Bodybuilding Championships—1st Middleweight and Overall

Representation in other media

See also

References

  1. "Bodybuilding.com - Craig Titus Pro Bodybuilding Profile". Bodybuilders.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2006. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  2. ^ "Offender Detail Record". Nevada Offender Tracking Information System. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  3. Daniels, Lisa; Curreri, Frank (28 December 2005). "Bodybuilders accused of murder". NBC News.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  4. Curreri, Frank. "Craig Titus Murder Charge". Criticalbench.com. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  5. "Pro Bodybuilders Sentenced in Aides". News.aol.com.
  6. "Pro Bodybuilders Sentenced in Aide's 2005 Death in Vegas". Las Vegas, Nevada: 8 News NOW. August 22, 2008. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  7. "Bodybuilder, wife get prison in slaying". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 23, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  8. "Bodybuilders Plead Guilty In Gruesome Slay". CBS News. May 31, 2008.

Bibliography

  • Fire in the Desert: The True Story of the Craig Titus-Kelly Ryan Murder Mystery by Glenn Puit (Stephens Press, February 2007) ISBN 978-1-932173-74-1
  • Swift Injustice: The Craig Titus Story by Tracy Mitchell-Milam (TMM Publishing, published July 17, 2015) ISBN 978-0-578-16457-1

External links

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