Craig Michael Titus

Case overview

Craig Michael Titus was an American former IFBB professional bodybuilder. He was born on January 14, 1965, in Wyandotte, Michigan. He lived most of his early life near Detroit, Michigan, in Riverview. His family background included a French mother and a Greek father. He had a younger brother, Kevin, and a younger sister, Nicole.

Background

Titus played high school football but quit because he was too small. He also wrestled at 132 lbs. After graduation, he decided to put on muscle by weight training.

When Titus graduated from high school, he was 5'6" and 140 lbs. By the age of 21, he was 5'9" and 185 lbs. Once he started seeing good results from weight training, he decided to become a bodybuilder.

Career

Titus’s first bodybuilding show was the 1988 Houston Bodybuilding Championships, where he won the Men’s Open middleweight class and the overall title.

He wrote a monthly column for Muscular Development from July 2003 until November 2005.

He was described as a past place-winner of international Mr. Olympia competitions.

Relationships and personal life

Titus was previously married to bodybuilder Kelly Ann Ryan. Ryan filed for divorce while both were in prison in connection with the murder of Melissa James. The divorce became final in December 2009.

Titus admitted to an affair with Melissa James, who was his personal assistant.

The offence

Melissa James, a personal assistant, died in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was found dead on December 14 in the back of Ryan’s torched Jaguar in the desert off state Route 160.

The prosecution said Melissa James was beaten, drugged, stunned with a Taser, injected with morphine, and strangled before she was “burned beyond anybody’s recognition” in the trunk of Ryan’s Jaguar. James’s head was encased in duct tape, and the court graphic photos showed a “death mask” formed by her face when it peeled away with the heavy tape during her autopsy.

Prosecutor Robert Daskas said:

“burned beyond anybody’s recognition”

and:

“death mask”

Daskas also said investigators could not say for sure whether James was still alive in the back of the red Jaguar caught on videotape outside a Wal-Mart, where Ryan bought charcoal starter fluid and a backyard barbecue set at 3:30 a.m., or at a gas station where Titus, Ryan and a friend, Anthony Gross, allegedly bought another $2.66 worth of gasoline. The barbecue set was later found burned in Ryan’s car.

Authorities said that Gross met Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan at the gas station and drove them back to Las Vegas after they set Kelly Ryan’s Jaguar ablaze in the desert outside Las Vegas.

Investigation and evidence

An autopsy showed that Melissa James had morphine and heroin byproducts in her system at the time of her death. It also indicated she had previously used methamphetamine. The cause and manner of death were officially listed as undetermined.

Defense attorneys received an opportunity to maintain the pair’s prior position that James died of a drug overdose and that they panicked and disposed of her body.

Investigators’ accounts included multiple versions given by Titus and Ryan to police. According to authorities, Titus and Ryan initially told police they did not know how James ended up dead in the car. Authorities said the couple then fled Las Vegas and were arrested outside Boston on December 23, where they told police James died of a drug overdose in Ryan’s car in their garage before they disposed of her body, burning it in the process.

A further scenario described by authorities was that Titus later agreed with an FBI agent’s premise that perhaps he was having rough sex with James and she died.

The autopsy report noted “opiate intoxicants” in James’s system. The report details included a coroner’s report that described a ligature around James’s neck and items placed around her head and face and around her neck. The body was badly burned with an accelerant, and Ryan was captured on a Wal-Mart surveillance video buying accelerant shortly before the body was found.

A defense attorney, Charles Kelly, commented on the autopsy results:

“The defense can make hay out of it”

A defence attorney Louis Palazzo and others involved were described as not commenting in one account.

Statements to police, FBI, and court

Titus’s statements in Boston

Titus told detectives in a taped interview in Boston:

“Found her (James) in the (expletive) car dead, stinking up my (expletive) car”

He also said:

“I panicked. That gets in the newspaper, we're ruined. Dead girl, car, OD'd, Craig Titus, Kelly Ryan. We're (expletive) ruined”

He stated that they put her in the trunk and burned it:

“Plus, not to mention that my car's ruined ... so I think OK, let's put her in the trunk and burn it and play stupid. That's what we did. Period. Finito. End of story.”

Titus’s statement to the FBI

In a third statement to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Titus agreed with an FBI agent’s suggestion. The FBI agent quoted Titus as saying:

“Yeah, we were having sex and she OD'd”

and:

“Let's go with that. That's a good story.”

After making that statement, Titus paused and then said:

“No more questions.”

Titus’s detailed account of duct tape and restraints

In a statement to police claiming James died of an accidental drug overdose, Titus said he duct-taped James’s face while her body was on the floor of his home. He said:

“Put a blanket on the ground, grabbed another blanket and I taped up her head”

“I didn't want to see her face. I didn't want to see her face.”

He said:

“I took the tie off one of my robes, and I put it on the back of her neck and pushed her knees up and tied her knees to her chest”

He said:

“Then we wrapped her up in a blanket and taped it up and put her in the trunk.”

He said:

“Then I put her in the trunk and dropped her a couple times”

Titus also said:

“Kelly was crying hysterically.”

and:

“She's my (expletive) friend man”

He continued:

“So (expletive) up. Now it's worse.”

Titus on wires around James’s neck

When asked by police to explain the wires around James’s neck, Titus said:

“You know, honestly, this is the honest to God truth, when I, when I was tying her up in the cocoon-like position ... I used duct tape and I used the robe ties ... but there was something else I used that broke. I can't remember what it was. A phone cord maybe.”

Statements about drugs

Titus addressed James’s drug use in his statement to police, which included:

“Crystal methamphetamines ... Oxycontins, crystal methamphetamine, Nubane, cocaine, morphine, which I didn't know till the end.”

In another interview account, Ryan acknowledged to police that she once used methamphetamine with James.

Statements about possible identities and flight

In the first statements hours after James’s body was found burning, Titus and Ryan suspected James might be stealing from them and perhaps planning to steal their identities. Ryan said:

“OK, one example, she went online and changed my pass codes.”

She said:

“OK. She requested new security information be sent to her and new banking cards sent to her.”

Ryan said she confronted James about suspicions James was stealing. Ryan told police James decided she was going to leave and head home to New Jersey for Christmas.

Ryan said the day before James was found murdered, she gave James a ride to a convenience store and dropped her off.

Assertions about James returning and involvement

Ryan and Titus speculated to police that James somehow returned to their house, snuck into their garage and stole Ryan’s car. They said they did not know what happened to James after that.

Titus suggested James was using methamphetamine and that a drug dealer named Eddie could be responsible for her death. Titus said:

“He's real cool, drug dealer, you know, 'Pay me, I'll kill ya' type, (expletive) idiot,”

Titus also said that if he found out who killed James before detectives did, he would hunt the person down and harm them. Titus said:

“I'll tell ya something right now,”

and:

“If I find this (expletive) guy before you guys do, I'm gonna (expletive) him up. I'll call you when I do.”

Statements after arrest and account of panic and disposal

After statements were given, authorities said Titus and Ryan fled across the country. They were arrested outside Boston, and on December 24 they gave additional statements to the FBI and Las Vegas police.

In that account, Ryan said:

“Craig and I started thinking, ah, she's got drugs in the house, ah, he (Titus is) a felon,”

She continued:

“Well, there's steroids.”

They said they dragged James’s body into their house, wrapped James’s face with duct tape, put her body in blankets, and put her in the trunk of Ryan’s Jaguar. Ryan said:

“She wasn't stiff,”

“She was very heavy. Very heavy. Very, very.”

She added:

“And I remember that she, she was (a) mess, and so heavy I think I probably ended up dropping her.”

Titus said:

“So, ah, it's real simple, guys.”

He said they took her out of the car and put her in the fetal position and then burned it. He said:

“We took her out of the car and put her in the fetal positionand put her in the trunk of my car and we burned it.”

He also said:

“Drug her in the house,”

“She (Ryan) is the number one fitness athlete in the world,”

“Highly respected in the sport, and if you think of fitness, Kelly Ryan. Period. ... And here we walk in our garage and our friend's OD'd in our (expletive) car. So if that gets out to the public, we're ruined.”

Ryan said she bought lighter fluid at a Wal-Mart, and Titus called Gross. Ryan said the trio then went to the desert off state Route 160 where Ryan said Titus set Ryan’s car on fire with James’s body in the trunk. Ryan said:

“We just basically got rid of a body, and how we gonna explain it,”

and:

“Um, you know, obviously if we thought that, you know, by burning the car it would get rid of ah, of the person completely. Um, I don't know, I don't know why.”

Assertions about lack of discovery

Titus said they could not have murdered James because if they had, they would not have burned the body in a car registered to Ryan. Titus said:

“If I really wanted to ... burn her and it was a murder, I would of dug a hole out in the desert and dumped her in the hole, and burned my car myself,”

He said:

“You know what I mean? It's that simple,”

and:

“Nobody ever found her. My car would be burned and stolen. End of story.”

He added:

“So I mean ... it doesn't take a (expletive) genius to know, well, you know, if you're gonna murder somebody, you don't put her in your car and burn her,”

and:

“Unless somebody panics,” a detective tells Titus.

Titus responded:

“Yeah, well, unless they're really stupid,”

Titus also asked police about steroids in his house, saying:

“Did you guys find my steroids?”

A detective responded:

“Yeah,”

and Titus said:

“You did find it?”

“(Expletive,) man. That's pretty good investigation.”

Discussion of sex and drug use

In yet another statement to authorities, an FBI agent said Titus told him that Titus, James and Ryan had all had sex together in the past. The FBI agent posed a possible scenario: Titus having rough sex with James and her dying. The FBI agent said to Titus:

“You admitted to placing a ligature around (James') neck and placing duct tape around her face,”

and:

“You'd previously admitted that the three of you had sex together. Also, you did drugs together. Could this have been a sex act gone bad?”

The FBI agent continued:

“You were having kinky sex together and something went wrong,”

and:

“You were having sex. You had her tied up. You were using drugs and maybe she OD'd.”

The FBI agent summarized Titus’s response:

“Titus responded words to the effect, 'Yeah, we were having sex and she OD'd. Let's go with that. That's a good story.'”

and:

“After making this statement, Titus paused for a moment and then stated 'No more questions.'”

Arrest and extradition

Authorities said Titus and Ryan fled Las Vegas and were arrested on December 23 outside Boston.

The FBI claimed intelligence that Titus and Ryan might have been trying to head to Greece. Greece was described as having no extradition treaty with the United States. Titus was described as of Greek descent.

In February 2006, after being extradited to Nevada from Boston, Titus and Ryan were denied bail.

Charges and legal proceedings

Anthony Gross was charged as an accomplice. Gross was described as charged with accessory to murder and arson in connection with allegations he helped dispose of James’s body.

Titus and Ryan were charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping, and third-degree arson. The indictment was unsealed in the courtroom of District Judge David Wall, and the indictment charged Titus and Ryan with those offences, while charging Gross with accessory to murder and arson.

On March 29, Titus and Ryan pleaded not guilty to a felony charge for killing their live-in assistant. The charge carried the possibility of the death penalty, though prosecutors said they had not decided whether to seek it.

Anthony Gross pleaded guilty in February 2009 and received probation.

Titus and Ryan, despite previous statements asserting innocence, pleaded guilty to various charges on May 30, 2008, just days before their murder trial was set to begin in Las Vegas.

Plea and sentencing

On August 22, 2008, Titus was convicted of second degree murder, kidnapping and arson. He was sentenced to 21 to 55 years in prison.

Titus’s age at one sentencing-related account was 44. In another account, Craig Titus pleaded guilty on May 30, 2008 to second-degree murder, kidnapping and arson, and the plea allowed him to avoid trial and avoid the death penalty.

In that same account, it stated Titus received a sentence of 21 to 51 years, and that he would not be eligible for parole until 2026-12-23. It also stated:

“Craig Titus will not be eligible for parole until 2026-12-23.”

Court statements at plea or related proceedings

Kelly Ryan said in court:

“I am truly, truly sorry,”

and:

“I know I did not kill. But I did aid in the events. I know I was not in a state of mind emotionally or physically to make the right decisions or to, oh God, to take appropriate control of what was happening.”

Craig Titus said:

“I am ashamed and sickened of my actions after Melissa (James) passed away. I let drug use get way out of control in my home,”

and:

“I failed my wife. I failed my family. And most regretfully, I failed Melissa (James), who was my friend.”

Appeals

In December 2008, Titus made a request for a sentence reduction. District Judge Jackie Glass denied the request.

Other criminal convictions (earlier convictions)

In April 1995 in Louisiana, Titus pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Ecstasy and 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.

Aftermath and incarceration details

Titus was serving his sentence at Ely State Prison, Nevada’s only maximum security prison.

A parole eligibility date was stated as December 23, 2026.

Anthony Gross and plea outcomes

In February 2008, Anthony Gross, Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan’s accomplice pleaded guilty in the Melissa James murder case.

Gross pleaded guilty to accessory to arson and accessory to commit first degree arson, which were described as felony charges. If Gross successfully completed probation, Gross would be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea to the two felony offences, plead guilty to the gross misdemeanor charge of Conspiracy to Commit 3rd Degree Arson, and receive credit for time served. If Gross did not complete probation, the two felony charges would remain.

Related details about Kelly Ryan’s sentencing and status

Kelly Ryan pleaded guilty to arson and Nevada’s equivalent of no contest to battery with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 6 to 26 years. The plea allowed Ryan to avoid trial and avoid the murder charge. She was serving her sentence at Florence McLure Women’s Correctional Center in Nevada. She would be eligible for parole as early as 2011.

Timeline

• April 1995 — Titus pled guilty in Louisiana to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Ecstasy and received 16 months house arrest via monitoring with an electronic anklet.
• July 1997 — Titus received 21 months in prison for violating probation by using anabolic steroids.
• December 14 — Melissa James was found dead in the back of Ryan’s torched Jaguar in the desert off state Route 160.
• December 23 — Titus and Ryan were arrested outside Boston.
• December 24 — Titus and Ryan gave more statements to the FBI and Las Vegas police.
• February 2006 — Titus and Ryan were extradited to Nevada from Boston and were denied bail.
• March 29 — Titus and Ryan pleaded not guilty to a felony charge for killing their live-in assistant.
• May 30, 2008 — Titus and Ryan pleaded guilty to various charges.
• August 22, 2008 — Titus was convicted of second degree murder, kidnapping and arson and was sentenced to 21 to 55 years in prison.
• December 2008 — Titus made a request for a sentence reduction; District Judge Jackie Glass denied it.
• February 2009 — Anthony Gross pleaded guilty and received probation.
• December 2009 — Titus’s divorce from Kelly Ann Ryan became final.

Other details

Titus and Ryan were implicated in the death of Melissa James in December 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ryan and Titus were described as having written or given multiple versions about James’s death, including explanations involving drug overdoses and rough sex.

In one account, it was stated that Titus admitted to an affair with James, and that he denied having an affair although he acknowledged having sex with her years ago.

It was stated that Titus and Ryan were in District Court on Friday to face charges stemming from James’s death in December, in connection with an indictment unsealed in the courtroom of District Judge David Wall.

It was stated that Ryan said she bought lighter fluid at a Wal-Mart.

It was stated that a barbecue set was later found burned in Ryan’s car.

Titus’s professional background included being described as a former IFBB professional bodybuilder. He was also described as a “fitness champion” alongside Ryan.

A listing of publications was included: Fire in the Desert: The True Story of the Craig Titus-Kelly Ryan Murder Mystery by Glenn Puit (Stephens Press, published February 2007).