Snapped: Killer Couples Season 10 Episode 1
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00:00They were the queen and king of competitive bodybuilding.
00:06Kelly Ryan.
00:09Kelly was the pinnacle of the female fitness world.
00:12This is Craig Titus.
00:15Craig Titus was famous for his huge muscles and for his style.
00:21The relationship got heart and happy really fast.
00:24It was a very romantic and exciting time for him.
00:27But the flames of their passion would ultimately engulf them in a brutal crime.
00:34The body was very badly damaged from the fire.
00:37She had duct tape over her face.
00:40She had taser marks.
00:41She was beaten.
00:42The very nature of how this woman suffered and died was just heartbreaking.
00:48Had the couple's fame made them targets?
00:51They had a bunch of followers.
00:53Everybody wanted to be with her.
00:55Or would a murder investigation reveal a dark side to their romance?
01:01It wasn't unusual for couples to switch partners.
01:06When you have a competition, one person wins and one person loses.
01:11And the person who lost this one paid with their life.
01:13The world of professional bodybuilding has always been dominated by men.
01:36But in the 1990s, one of its most promising young stars was a woman.
01:44Kelly Ryan was the best at what she did.
01:47If you go back and you watch the tapes of Kelly Ryan doing her fitness routines, it's remarkable.
01:53I mean, she's an incredible talent.
01:54She could dance, she could flip, she can do everything.
02:00I mean, she just had a skill set that was above everyone else's.
02:03Kelly's bodybuilding career was born from the skills she developed from her first love, gymnastics.
02:13Kelly Ryan came from a very good family, moved around quite a bit as a young person.
02:17And she was deeply involved in gymnastics, and she was incredibly talented at it.
02:25She trained under Bella Caroli, and for someone my age, I knew exactly who that was.
02:30I remember the Olympics in Mary Lou Retton.
02:33Kelly's gymnastics career fell just short of the Olympics.
02:37But in college, her talent enabled her to become a leader of both the dance team
02:42and the cheerleading squad at the University of South Carolina.
02:46She was always the captain of the team.
02:49She was good at everything.
02:51And she always did the choreography for the team.
02:54After college, Kelly had her sights set on trying out for the Los Angeles Lakers cheerleading team.
03:01Until she happened to catch a women's bodybuilding competition on TV.
03:06From that moment on, Kelly was hooked.
03:09She entered into this fitness world that she loved, and it really took a hold of her.
03:18She's making her girl debut tonight.
03:20Let's hear it.
03:21Kelly Ryan is right.
03:25She easily blew those people away in the fitness division, of course,
03:30because she had a terrific routine because of the gymnastics skills.
03:32And she moved up to the professional ranks, and she became a top-tier competitor.
03:38She won the Miss Fitness USA Championship seven years in a row.
03:43She was that much better than everyone else.
03:46As successful as Kelly was, however, she'd never been quite as lucky in love.
03:52She was really busy with training and competing.
03:55When you focus on being the best, you don't always find time for dating.
03:58A lot of the guys were intimidated by her.
03:59But all that changed in 1999.
04:04While competing at an event in Las Vegas, Kelly caught the eye of another top bodybuilder.
04:1134-year-old Craig Titus.
04:13This is Craig Titus.
04:16Wow!
04:17Craig Titus was famous for his huge muscles, for his discipline in the gym, for his style.
04:24He got this reputation of having a hot temper, and I think he liked it.
04:29I think he wanted to be known as the bad boy of bodybuilding.
04:33He got the fact that you have to create a character for yourself and then play it out.
04:37And he played it great, you know, he really did.
04:40Craig was a ladies' man.
04:41He was strong and commanding, and I'm sure that was very attractive to a lot of these ladies.
04:47Craig was drawn to Kelly from the first moment he saw her.
04:55Unfortunately for Craig, Kelly seemed to be immune to his charms, at least at first.
05:02Craig Titus started asking her out, and she rejected his offers.
05:07In part because he had a reputation.
05:10Craig Titus did have some history with the law, and he was arrested for selling ecstasy.
05:18Craig violated his probation by doing steroids and ended up in jail between 1997 and 1999.
05:25Kelly Ryan was kind of a good all-American girl.
05:27And so I think she was a little reluctant at first because she feared that he was, in fact, a bad boy.
05:35But Craig assured Kelly that he was a changed man
05:38and was simply using the bad boy image to gain an edge over his competition.
05:45Instead of being ashamed of it, he used it as a marketing tool
05:49because in bodybuilding, there's a lot of really big guys, right?
05:53So what sets you apart when everyone is huge?
05:56It's your personality.
06:00Craig continued to pursue Kelly in hopes that his personality and persistence
06:05would eventually win her over.
06:08Craig Titus has the ability to charm people.
06:11I mean, he is a personable individual.
06:14And he just kind of stayed at it with her and kept asking her out.
06:18And they did eventually go out on a date, and they started to hit it off.
06:22As Kelly got to know Craig, she discovered that underneath his tough-guy exterior
06:28was a kind-hearted man from a solid working-class background.
06:33He grew up in Michigan, and he came from a blue-collar family.
06:38And he wanted to play football when he was in high school, and he was too small.
06:42And I think that that rejection right there, you know, he probably said,
06:45well, I've got to get bigger.
06:45That really opened the door to actually bodybuilding.
06:50But that small high school kid mentality stayed in this giant, muscular man
06:57where he still always felt like the picked-on boy,
07:01even though he was this big, massive pillar in the bodybuilding community.
07:06Craig showed Kelly he had a vulnerable side, and that drew her to him.
07:09The physical attraction was always there.
07:13So once Kelly let her guard down, the relationship got heart and heavy really fast.
07:18There's a budding romance.
07:20They're really in love with each other, by all accounts.
07:23But perhaps the thing Kelly loved most about Craig
07:26was a quality they both shared.
07:30Ambition.
07:31Craig Titus is a smart businessman in a lot of respects.
07:35He was a very smart promoter, and he was willing to work to get to where he got.
07:40She thought that he would be a good one to latch onto,
07:43that they could ride this wave together, that they could help each other.
07:48Together, Kelly and Craig took the bodybuilding world by storm.
07:53Kelly was driven to be the best.
07:54Craig was at the height of his career.
07:56For a good couple years, they were the power couple that everyone admired.
08:01They were rock stars.
08:02People treated them as true celebrities.
08:06Soon, the couple's ambitions began to reach beyond the world of bodybuilding.
08:11And in June of 2000, Kelly and Craig embarked on the next phase of their personal and professional lives
08:18by getting married.
08:20In the late 90s, Las Vegas was really growing.
08:24It was the hot town to be in.
08:26So Kelly Ryan and Craig Titus, they moved here, they got married,
08:30they bought a house in an upscale neighborhood.
08:32They were trying to open businesses.
08:34Most of their income came from promotions.
08:37It came from making appearances.
08:40They were also receiving sponsorships from health companies,
08:43fitness companies to promote their products.
08:47They were living in a hot town with a great career,
08:50a fan base, a great house.
08:52And really, the options were endless for this couple.
08:55The world was theirs.
08:56Unfortunately, the good times wouldn't last long.
09:02And Kelly and Craig's reign at the top of the fitness world
09:05would soon be upended by a terrifying crime.
09:09It all begins on December 14th, 2005.
09:16A truck driver is traveling on a highway outside of Las Vegas.
09:20He was driving when suddenly he was passed by two speeding cars,
09:25a Jaguar and a gray pickup truck.
09:29A few minutes later, the trucker sees one of the vehicles again.
09:33As he crested a hill, the truck, without its companion Jaguar,
09:41is traveling in the opposite direction, high range speed.
09:45And then he sees the Inferno off in the desert.
09:51He pulled up closer and saw that the Jaguar was on fire at the side of the road.
09:56He was worried that the driver might still be in the vehicle,
09:59so he called 911.
10:00Firefighters arrive within minutes and extinguish the blaze.
10:07At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anyone inside the vehicle
10:11until they open the trunk.
10:16They pried the trunk open and they found a body inside.
10:20It was burned to a crisp to the point that the hands and the feet were gone.
10:24Who was this person?
10:28And how did they end up in a torch sports car in the middle of the Nevada desert?
10:35The search for answers to those questions
10:37would lead detectives down a sordid path of sex and deceit
10:42and onto the trail of two sadistic killers who will stop at nothing to protect what's theirs.
10:50They had participated in horrible things.
10:53They made a conscious decision to cover up a killing.
11:00Coming up, an autopsy on the victim from the car yields disturbing results.
11:06They were beaten, tased.
11:09Just the very nature of how they may have suffered and died was just heartbreaking.
11:13In December of 2005, bodybuilders Kelly Ryan and Craig Titus
11:30are on top of the fitness world.
11:33They have the life.
11:35They are on the cover of magazines.
11:37They have big houses.
11:38They have fancy cars.
11:40But they would soon find themselves entangled in tragedy
11:44when Las Vegas police are called to the scene of a grisly crime.
11:50We hear the report of a car fire in the desert
11:54and that there was a body in the back of the trunk.
11:59The body was very badly damaged from the fire
12:03and it was very difficult to identify the body.
12:07Thankfully, the license plate was attached
12:09by some screw attachments.
12:12They melted, which allowed the license plate to fall,
12:14which meant that it wasn't completely incinerated
12:16and was still somewhat readable.
12:18Stroke of good luck.
12:20We were able to identify the car
12:22from the license plate and the VIN number
12:24and then trace it back to the registered owner, Kelly Ryan.
12:27Could this mean that the body inside the car
12:30belongs to Kelly Ryan?
12:32If you find, you know, Kelly Ryan's car in the desert
12:36and a woman's body burned in it,
12:38you assume it's the person who owns the car.
12:40As for the killer, the only lead detectives have
12:44is the mysterious gray truck
12:46spotted fleeing the scene by a witness.
12:49The truck driver is driving on the highway
12:52and he sees two vehicles go flying by him
12:56and he distinctly notices that one is a Jaguar
12:59and the other is a gray pickup.
13:02The body is transported to the coroner's office for autopsy.
13:07Meanwhile, detectives head to Kelly's home
13:10to notify her husband, Craig Titus, about what's happened.
13:14But when detectives knock on the door,
13:19the person who answers isn't Craig Titus.
13:24It's Kelly Ryan.
13:27You can only imagine their surprise
13:29when they're staring at the registered owner of the car
13:32who they thought was in the trunk of the car.
13:34Kelly and Craig don't seem entirely surprised to see detectives.
13:39In fact, Kelly claims that they were just about to call police.
13:44Kelly's story was, went to sleep last night
13:47when they woke up early in the morning
13:49and they walked to the garage and the Jaguar was gone.
13:52That's when detectives tell Kelly
13:54that the fire-gouged remains of her car have been found
13:57along with a dead body inside.
14:03To their surprise, Kelly has a theory
14:06about who the deceased person might be.
14:09There was this insinuation that
14:13this could be our personal assistant, Melissa James.
14:18Kelly Ryan tells the two detectives
14:20that Melissa James must have stolen the car
14:22and that if there's a body in the trunk,
14:26it was probably her.
14:27Kelly tells police that she and Craig
14:30have been worried about Melissa for some time,
14:33but it hadn't always been that way.
14:35A dancer and choreographer from New Jersey,
14:39Melissa James had moved to Las Vegas in 2001
14:43to get her foot in the door of the fitness world.
14:48Melissa met Craig one year
14:51when she was asked to work at a table
14:54for a bodybuilding contest.
14:57She had such great hopes and ambitions.
15:01That's when she hooked up with Kelly Ryan and Craig Titus.
15:05She was hoping they would give her a chance
15:08and give her some opportunities.
15:10They all liked each other,
15:11and I think she expressed some interest
15:14in living in Las Vegas,
15:15and they opened their doors to her.
15:17It sounded fun.
15:18It sounded exciting.
15:20And so I believe that's what drew her out there,
15:24an opportunity that she might never have had.
15:26Craig and Kelly offered a room in their home,
15:30and she became a housemate of theirs.
15:33According to Craig and Kelly,
15:35it didn't take long for Melissa
15:37to succumb to the temptations Sin City had to offer.
15:42By all accounts, Melissa wasn't perfect.
15:44She had her demons.
15:46There were times when she struggled
15:47with substance abuse and drugs.
15:49I knew she was not in the right place,
15:53and I was concerned.
15:56That poll I knew was going to be harmful for her.
16:02There were a couple of incidents
16:04where she was arrested for writing bad checks.
16:08Kelly claims she and Craig did their best
16:11to support Melissa
16:12as she struggled with her substance abuse issues.
16:15But it all came to a head
16:18when the couple caught Melissa
16:20stealing their credit cards.
16:22It started small sums, and it grew.
16:26They'd also claimed that Melissa James
16:27had taken documents of theirs,
16:29that she had their Social Security information.
16:32They portrayed Melissa as someone
16:34who was kind of engaged in criminal behavior
16:37and taking advantage of them,
16:39and that they'd booted her out of the house.
16:41Craig had gotten her a hotel room for two days,
16:46and they'd also bought her a plane ticket
16:48so she could fly home and move back with her mom.
16:52Kelly and Craig tell police
16:54that Melissa had dropped by the previous evening
16:57to pick up the last of her belongings.
17:00But they both suspect
17:02that wasn't the last time Melissa
17:05had been inside their house.
17:07They had said that,
17:10well, Melissa must have come back
17:12and stolen the car out of the house
17:14while we were sleeping.
17:18But if the body is in fact Melissa,
17:21how did she end up dead
17:23inside the trunk of a car
17:25she'd supposedly stolen?
17:28Kelly and Craig say they have no idea,
17:31nor do they seem to know anything
17:34about the mysterious gray truck
17:36seen fleeing the scene.
17:39They couldn't tell what happened.
17:42Their story on who Melissa James was
17:44really painted her in a bad light.
17:46It really made her sound like
17:49perhaps maybe she deserved what happened to her.
17:53Detectives thank Kelly and Craig for their time.
17:56Meanwhile, the Clark County Medical Examiner
17:59begins her autopsy
18:00and she soon makes an alarming discovery.
18:05You start removing some of the soot
18:07and then it became apparent
18:09that there was duct tape
18:10around the decedent's face.
18:12Once the duct tape is removed,
18:15the medical examiner is able
18:16to identify the body as female.
18:19But that's not all.
18:21Despite this intense fire,
18:24some of her facial features were preserved.
18:26And part of this was because
18:28someone had wrapped duct tape
18:31all over her face.
18:32We started to kind of peel back the layers
18:34and became clear it was a woman
18:36and also it was Melissa James
18:38in the trunk of the car.
18:41A DNA test confirms Melissa's identity.
18:45While a toxicology report
18:47appears to corroborate the information
18:49Craig and Kelly provided to investigators.
18:52The autopsy did find
18:54very significant amounts of narcotics
18:56in her blood.
18:58But the presence of drugs
18:59in Melissa's system
19:01isn't all that the autopsy reveals.
19:05She was beaten.
19:07She was tased.
19:09Just the very nature
19:10of how this woman
19:12may have suffered and died
19:13was just heartbreaking.
19:15The next day,
19:17detectives reach out
19:18to Melissa's mother in New Jersey.
19:20Contact was made
19:22with Melissa's mom,
19:24Maura James.
19:24She lived out of state
19:25so they made the phone call
19:26and as a parent
19:28I can't imagine
19:29the grief and the despair
19:31that I would feel
19:32if I received that phone call.
19:33I was numb
19:35and in shock.
19:36Maybe still having a little hope
19:38that it wasn't her.
19:40I was angry
19:41finding out
19:42there is no hope.
19:44That's her.
19:45She's gone.
19:46Similar to the information
19:48supplied by Kelly Ryan
19:50and Craig Titus,
19:52Melissa's mother
19:53confirms that she was scheduled
19:55to fly home to New Jersey
19:56the day before
19:58her body was found.
20:00However,
20:01Melissa's mother
20:02tells a very different story
20:04than Craig and Kelly
20:06about why her daughter
20:07wanted to leave Las Vegas.
20:10Melissa was flying home
20:12because she couldn't stand
20:13living with Craig and Kelly
20:15any longer.
20:16She was telling me
20:17that Kelly was accusing her
20:19of stealing things
20:20and I said,
20:22well, what kind of things?
20:23She said,
20:24I guess her jewelry
20:24and she said,
20:25you know, Mom,
20:26I would never do that.
20:28Melissa told me that
20:29it was really beginning
20:30to get grim
20:31and I think she was
20:32very uncomfortable there.
20:33To have all of that drama,
20:35she didn't want
20:36to be around that.
20:38Melissa was supposed
20:38to call me that night
20:39and give me
20:40her flight information.
20:41She didn't.
20:42I went to baggage claim.
20:43She wasn't there.
20:45So I tried calling her.
20:48It went right to voicemail.
20:51Melissa's mother
20:52says that she even
20:53left messages
20:54with Kelly and Craig.
20:57Nobody was calling me back.
20:59So I started thinking
21:00something's happened
21:01to all three of them.
21:02So I just really
21:03had no idea
21:04what was going on
21:05but I knew it wasn't good.
21:07All anyone knew
21:08is that Melissa
21:09did not get on that plane.
21:11They didn't know
21:12what had happened to her
21:13until they found her body
21:15in Kelly Ryan's
21:16burning jaguar
21:17hours later.
21:19After speaking
21:20with Melissa's mother,
21:21investigators turned back
21:23to the last people
21:24known to have seen
21:25Melissa alive,
21:27Kelly Ryan
21:28and Craig Titus.
21:29Police are wondering
21:31if Craig and Kelly
21:31are telling the whole truth.
21:33Are they hiding something?
21:37Coming up,
21:38investigators dig deeper
21:40into Craig and Kelly's lives
21:42and a surprise clue
21:45reveals there may have been more
21:47to their relationship
21:48with Melissa James.
21:49There's kind of this superficial
21:52sexual thing going on.
22:05Las Vegas detectives
22:07bring renowned bodybuilders
22:09Kelly Ryan
22:10and Craig Titus
22:11back in
22:12for a second round
22:13of questioning
22:14regarding the mysterious death
22:17of their former assistant,
22:18Melissa James.
22:21The hope is that Kelly
22:23and Craig
22:24can shed more light
22:25on a curious statement
22:27they'd made
22:28in their initial interview.
22:30They had said that,
22:32well,
22:33Melissa must have come back
22:35and stolen the car
22:36out of the house
22:37while we were sleeping.
22:39Police found this very curious
22:40that someone could come
22:42into your house,
22:43open the garage door,
22:44drive off in your Jaguar
22:47and you have
22:47no knowledge
22:49or never hear a thing.
22:51Another detail
22:52that's bothering investigators
22:53is the fact
22:54that Kelly and Craig
22:56had paid
22:57for Melissa's hotel room
22:58and airline ticket
22:59back home
23:00to New Jersey.
23:02It seems odd
23:03that they would pay
23:04for a plane ticket,
23:05a hotel
23:06when they were
23:07accusing her
23:08of stealing
23:08and they kicked her
23:09out of the house.
23:11During their second interview,
23:13the couple sticks
23:14by their original story,
23:16insisting they were
23:17home asleep
23:18when Kelly's Jaguar
23:20was stolen.
23:22They say,
23:22hey,
23:22we're the ones
23:23that are victims here.
23:24She was stealing from us.
23:26However,
23:27Craig Titus
23:28does share
23:29new information
23:30that opens up
23:31the potential
23:32suspect pool.
23:33It was found
23:34that Melissa James
23:35had a boyfriend.
23:36It was a new relationship.
23:38Melissa had met
23:39her new boyfriend
23:40on the Internet.
23:41Craig Titus
23:43kind of latched
23:44on to that
23:45and said,
23:45well,
23:45maybe he's a suspect.
23:47Like Craig Titus,
23:49Melissa's mother,
23:50Mara,
23:50had also wondered
23:51if her daughter's
23:52new boyfriend,
23:53Brett,
23:54might know
23:54what had happened
23:55to her.
23:56Craig gave me
23:57his number
23:58and I called him
23:58and he said,
24:00yes,
24:00they started dating
24:01and the last time
24:03he heard from her
24:03was like a week prior.
24:06Police tracked down
24:07Brett
24:07at his home
24:08in Vegas.
24:08He seems devastated
24:11by the news
24:11of Melissa's death
24:13and claims
24:14to have had
24:15no part
24:16in her murder.
24:17He also
24:18has an airtight
24:20alibi
24:20to prove it.
24:22It was discovered
24:24that the boyfriend
24:25was actually out of town.
24:26He was traveling
24:27and she was looking
24:28forward to him
24:28coming back
24:29so they could
24:30go out again.
24:31After reaching
24:32another dead end,
24:34police begin
24:35to work
24:35a different angle.
24:36the narcotics
24:38found in Melissa's
24:40system
24:40at the time
24:41of her death.
24:43There was a theory
24:43that Melissa James
24:44may have had
24:45a drug dealer
24:46who was trying
24:47to get some money
24:49out of her
24:49and that might
24:50have been the reason
24:51why she was taking
24:51money from Craig
24:53and Kelly.
24:55Could that also
24:56explain why Melissa
24:58had allegedly
24:58stolen Kelly
25:00Ryan's Jaguar?
25:02Maybe she stole
25:03the car
25:04to pay off
25:04her debts.
25:05Detectives spend
25:07the next few days
25:08questioning Melissa's
25:09friends and associates
25:10in the Las Vegas
25:12fitness world.
25:13Their hope is to find
25:14out where Melissa's
25:15getting her drugs.
25:17But it's surprisingly
25:18not Melissa's drug use
25:20that most people
25:21seem to know about.
25:23Craig was
25:25using drugs
25:25with the addition
25:28of drugs
25:29and the Las Vegas
25:30lifestyle
25:30and the fast pace
25:31of Las Vegas.
25:33If you're not careful
25:33it can consume you.
25:35Craig's friends
25:36tell detectives
25:37that after he served
25:38jail time
25:39for selling ecstasy
25:40he claimed
25:42to have turned
25:42over a new leaf.
25:45Instead
25:46Craig had gone
25:47right back
25:48to using
25:48illegal steroids.
25:51Craig would find
25:52any way
25:52to win.
25:53I mean that was Craig.
25:54According to his friends
25:56Craig had branched out
25:57into other drugs
25:58as well.
26:00Oxycontin
26:01a lot of the pharmaceuticals
26:02methamphetamine.
26:04And apparently
26:05Craig wasn't
26:06the only one.
26:09Kelly wasn't
26:09the pure
26:10all-American girl
26:11that she said she was.
26:12She was hooked
26:13on the same drugs
26:13as her husband.
26:15Here you are
26:16promoting health
26:17and being a physical
26:18specimen
26:18and you're also
26:19using illegal drugs.
26:21Kelly's colleagues
26:22explain that
26:23underneath the veneer
26:25of an ambitious
26:25go-getter
26:26Kelly was fragile.
26:29In that world
26:31looks matter.
26:32She's getting older
26:33and so there was
26:35all this discussion
26:36about you need
26:37to get plastic surgery
26:38you need to improve
26:39your appearance
26:40you need to look younger.
26:42It was a relationship
26:44where you know
26:44she was the insecure one
26:46and he was able
26:46to manipulate Kelly.
26:48If Kelly thinks
26:49that you know
26:49Craig's going to leave her
26:50if she doesn't participate
26:51you know
26:52in doing all these drugs
26:53you know
26:53then she's kind of
26:54in a no-win scenario.
26:56Despite the drug use
26:57the bodybuilding
26:58super couple
26:59kept winning
27:00competition
27:01after competition
27:02which in turn
27:04amplified
27:05their hard partying ways.
27:08You'd go to a big contest
27:09and the show was over
27:10everyone wanted to go out
27:11and have a good time.
27:13They would hold
27:14big parties
27:15at their house
27:16like and have
27:17all these pretty people
27:18come over
27:19and there would be
27:20a lot of alcohol
27:21and drugs.
27:23The debauchery
27:24at Kelly
27:24and Craig's parties
27:25didn't stop
27:26with drugs
27:27and booze.
27:28It wasn't unusual
27:30for couples
27:31to switch partners
27:32or to engage
27:33in multiple partners.
27:35They had a bunch
27:36of followers
27:37everybody wanted
27:38to be with them.
27:39It made for
27:40some very notorious parties.
27:43Friends and colleagues
27:45tell detectives
27:46that while Kelly's
27:48swinging ways
27:49were confined
27:49to the wild house parties
27:51Craig's extramarital activity
27:54extended far beyond that.
27:56He would want to be
27:58with as many women
27:59as he could be with.
28:02In 2001
28:04Craig struck up
28:05another affair.
28:08There was a sexual thing
28:10going on
28:11between Craig
28:13and Melissa.
28:15Those who knew them
28:17said Craig's affair
28:18with Melissa
28:19went deeper
28:20than just
28:21a swinger party hookup.
28:23And instead
28:24of hiding it
28:25from Kelly
28:26Craig had
28:27an unconventional
28:28idea.
28:30Craig started getting
28:31more and more
28:32into this
28:32oh we got to bring
28:33another girl
28:33into the relationship.
28:34I don't think Kelly
28:35was particularly into it
28:36but I think once again
28:37she was afraid
28:37she was going to lose him.
28:39I'm sure most of the time
28:40they were probably
28:41having a lot of fun
28:41but she had two women
28:43basically sharing one man
28:44and it just doesn't work
28:46after a while.
28:48According to their friends
28:49Kelly became
28:50increasingly jealous
28:51of Melissa
28:52and Craig's relationship.
28:54You have a woman
28:56who's getting older
28:56who is in a world
28:58that is consumed
28:59with physical appearance
29:00and then you bring in
29:02a young lady
29:02who's having a relationship
29:04with her husband.
29:06It made for an
29:07explosive situation.
29:09The salacious tales
29:10of drugs, swinging
29:11and an increasingly
29:12unstable love triangle
29:14lead investigators
29:16to speculate
29:17had Kelly Ryan's
29:19animosity
29:20toward Melissa James
29:21driven her
29:22to do the unthinkable.
29:25Obviously she was insecure
29:26and you know
29:27when that anger builds up
29:29it's got to
29:29it's got to release
29:30itself somewhere.
29:32Maybe Kelly Ryan
29:32got to a breaking point.
29:36Coming up
29:37a new witness
29:39comes forward
29:39and a surprise discovery
29:42leaves investigators
29:43reeling.
29:44It clearly packed
29:46and fled
29:47in a hurry.
29:59Las Vegas police
30:01have just learned
30:02that behind
30:03their buff
30:03well-bronzed
30:04exteriors
30:05bodybuilding
30:07super couple
30:07Kelly Ryan
30:09and Craig Titus
30:10were hiding
30:11some dark secrets.
30:13The couple
30:13were both addicted
30:14to illegal drugs
30:15and hosting
30:17wild sex parties
30:18at their home.
30:19But of chief concern
30:21to police
30:22was the couple's
30:23relationship
30:24with their former
30:25assistant
30:26Melissa James
30:27whose dead body
30:28had been found
30:29stuffed inside
30:30Kelly Ryan's
30:31burned out jaguar.
30:34The police
30:35had just learned
30:36that Craig and Kelly
30:37had an open marriage
30:38and often times
30:40Melissa was a third party
30:41in their relationship.
30:43There came a point
30:43in time
30:44where it caused
30:44a lot of strain.
30:46A tense love triangle
30:47certainly suggests
30:49a motive
30:49but it doesn't
30:51concretely connect
30:52Kelly or Craig
30:53to Melissa's death.
30:55So investigators
30:56decide to look
30:57into their alibi.
31:01Kelly and Craig
31:02had told the police
31:02that they were home
31:03the night of the murder.
31:05The police subpoenaed
31:05their phone records
31:06to determine
31:07if they were telling
31:07the truth or not.
31:09They found
31:10a significant number
31:11of calls
31:12from Craig
31:13to an individual
31:14by the name
31:15of Anthony Gross.
31:17Anthony Gross
31:18is a young man
31:21who really idolized
31:22Craig Titus.
31:23Wanted to be
31:24a bodybuilder,
31:26was highly influenced
31:27by Craig
31:28and did a lot
31:29of things
31:29for Craig.
31:30What the police
31:31found interesting
31:32was the time
31:33of the calls.
31:34It was a number
31:36of telephone calls
31:37in a very short
31:38period of time
31:39at about the time
31:41that the body
31:42would have been missing.
31:44And so that
31:45caused great curiosity
31:46and it brought
31:47Anthony Gross
31:48into this investigation.
31:50That indicates
31:51they at least
31:51knows what Craig
31:52and Kelly
31:52were doing
31:53at 3-4 in the morning
31:54on the night
31:55of the homicide.
31:56On December 19th,
31:58police ask
31:59Anthony Gross
32:00to come in
32:01for an interview.
32:02So Anthony Gross
32:03comes in
32:04and approaches
32:04the police
32:05with an attorney
32:06and right out
32:08of the gate
32:09the police
32:10were suspicious.
32:12But it's not
32:13just the presence
32:14of Anthony's attorney
32:15that makes
32:16investigators suspicious.
32:18He has a pickup truck
32:20that matches
32:21identically
32:21the description
32:22of the vehicle
32:23seen leaving
32:23the crime scene.
32:27Under the hot
32:28lamplight
32:29of the interrogation
32:30room,
32:31Anthony breaks down
32:32and agrees
32:34to tell police
32:35everything he knows.
32:37Gross tells them
32:39that Craig Titus
32:40called him
32:41in the middle
32:41of the night
32:42frantically.
32:43Hey, I need your help.
32:44I need your help.
32:45And he wasn't real direct
32:46about what he needed
32:47him to do.
32:49Anthony tells detectives
32:51that Craig asked
32:52to meet him
32:52at a nearby gas station.
32:55When he got there,
32:56both Craig and Kelly
32:58were sitting
32:59in her Jaguar.
33:01They told Anthony
33:02that they were going
33:03to get rid of the car,
33:05that they were going
33:05to drive out
33:06to the desert
33:07and get rid of it.
33:09They were going
33:09to set it on fire.
33:16Anthony tells police
33:18that after Craig
33:19set the car on fire,
33:21he drove the couple
33:22home in his truck.
33:26It wasn't until
33:27he saw it on the news
33:28that Melissa's body
33:30was found
33:30that he realized
33:31what they had done.
33:34Detectives are able
33:35to verify
33:35at least part
33:37of Anthony's story.
33:38There's actual
33:39video surveillance
33:40of Gross
33:42at the gas station
33:44with the Jaguar
33:45about an hour
33:46before the vehicle
33:47was burned.
33:48However,
33:49neither Kelly
33:50nor Craig
33:51are ever clearly
33:53identified
33:53in the surveillance footage.
33:56And since the couple
33:57had claimed
33:58their car was stolen,
33:59police still need
34:00to find a way
34:01to track them
34:02to the gas station.
34:04So police
34:06subpoena
34:06the couple's
34:07bank records.
34:08They looked
34:09into the credit card receipts
34:10to see what kind
34:11of activity
34:12was happening
34:12at that time.
34:14And they noticed
34:15there was a purchase
34:16at Walmart
34:16that just happened
34:17to be near
34:18the gas station.
34:20They went to the Walmart,
34:21checked the video surveillance,
34:23and sure enough,
34:23there is Kelly Ryan
34:24making the purchase.
34:27She buys
34:27six large containers
34:30of lighter fluid.
34:32Every container
34:33that was in the store
34:34she bought.
34:35Craig and Kelly
34:36were also captured
34:37on the surveillance cameras
34:39that were trained
34:40on the store's parking lot.
34:42The video shows them
34:43loading the lighter fluid
34:44into the back seats.
34:46Now this is significant
34:47because they never
34:48opened the trunk.
34:50The reason they never
34:51opened the trunk
34:52is that Melissa James'
34:53body is in there.
34:55On December 20th,
34:57six days after
34:58Melissa's body
34:59had been found,
35:00a judge issues
35:01arrest warrants
35:02for Kelly Ryan
35:03and Craig Titus.
35:06But when detectives
35:07head to the couple's home,
35:09they're greeted
35:10with yet another surprise.
35:13Craig's pickup truck
35:14was missing
35:14and their house
35:15was a mess.
35:16Clothes were thrown
35:17everywhere.
35:18They clearly packed
35:19and fled in a hurry.
35:21Police have a full-out
35:23manhunt for this couple
35:24who are now charged
35:25with a heinous crime.
35:28While the search
35:29for Craig and Kelly
35:30ramps up,
35:31detectives continue
35:32building their case
35:34against them.
35:35On December 22nd,
35:37they're contacted
35:38by a couple
35:39who know the bodybuilders.
35:42Jeremy and Megan Foley
35:44were friends
35:44of Craig Titus
35:45and Kelly Ryan.
35:46They were close friends.
35:47In fact,
35:48they were so close
35:49that Kelly Ryan
35:50was going to be
35:51in Megan's wedding.
35:53Jeremy and Megan
35:55also claimed
35:56to have new information
35:57about the night
35:58of Melissa James' murder.
36:01They was at Craig
36:02and Kelly's house
36:03that night.
36:04The Foley's
36:05tell police
36:06that when Craig
36:07and Kelly
36:08had invited them
36:09over that evening,
36:10they'd assumed
36:11it was another
36:12one of the couple's
36:13famous get-togethers.
36:15But the night
36:16had taken
36:16a much darker turn.
36:19They were partying
36:20a little bit
36:21and a very troublesome
36:23discussion unfolded.
36:26Megan Foley
36:26recounted
36:27that Kelly Ryan
36:29had told her
36:30that they confronted
36:32Melissa
36:32about stealing
36:33from them.
36:33They confronted
36:34her about
36:34the identity theft.
36:37They presented
36:37it as if
36:38Melissa was stealing
36:39from them,
36:40as she was on drugs,
36:41kind of what they
36:42told the police,
36:43but that she just
36:44disappeared.
36:46At least,
36:46that's what Craig
36:47and Kelly told
36:48the Foley's
36:49at first.
36:51Over the course
36:52of the evening,
36:53they revealed
36:54what had really
36:55happened to their
36:56former assistant.
36:57Craig admitted
36:58that there was
36:59a fight
36:59that broke out
37:00between Kelly
37:01and Melissa
37:01and it became
37:02really violent.
37:04It seemed like
37:05Craig and Melissa's
37:06relationship
37:07had finally driven
37:08Kelly over the edge.
37:10When jealousy
37:11ensues and drugs
37:12are involved,
37:13decision-making
37:13is no longer
37:14rational anymore.
37:16According to
37:16the Foley's,
37:17Craig even admitted
37:19to stepping into
37:20the middle
37:20of the altercation
37:22between Melissa
37:23and Kelly.
37:26Kelly and Craig
37:27told the Foley's
37:28that Melissa
37:28didn't go down easy.
37:32Craig claimed
37:33that he eventually
37:35overpowered Melissa
37:36by wrapping his
37:37bicep around her neck.
37:39Craig Titus
37:40was talking about
37:41how he had to
37:42restrain Melissa James
37:44and he demonstrated
37:45on Megan Foley
37:46by standing behind
37:47her,
37:48reaching his
37:48massive bicep
37:49from behind
37:51and putting her
37:51in chokehold
37:52and that was
37:54pretty terrifying
37:55for Megan Foley.
37:57Megan tells police
37:58that the only
37:59difference,
38:00according to Craig,
38:01was that in
38:02Melissa James' case,
38:04Craig ended up
38:05strangling her
38:06to death.
38:07The admission
38:08shocked Megan
38:10and her husband
38:10and they tell police
38:12that's when they
38:13decided to leave
38:14the party,
38:15but not before
38:16Craig and Kelly
38:17asked them
38:17for a favor.
38:19As they were
38:20leaving,
38:20they asked the
38:22Foley's to take
38:23a duffel bag
38:23with them.
38:24They didn't even
38:24really know
38:25what was in the
38:25bag at first.
38:28When the Foley's
38:28got back home,
38:30they opened the
38:30bag and there's
38:31a taser,
38:32you know,
38:33like law enforcement
38:33uses.
38:34The bag had a roll
38:36of duct tape
38:36and a nightstick
38:37and that really
38:38concerned their
38:39friends.
38:40The Foley's
38:40turned the bag
38:41and its contents
38:42over to the police.
38:44A forensic analysis
38:46of the nightstick
38:47reveals blood spatter.
38:49They found
38:50Melissa's DNA
38:52on the tip of it
38:53and Craig's
38:53on the handle,
38:54so he obviously
38:55hit her with it.
38:57Now investigators
38:58are even more
39:00convinced that
39:01Melissa's murder
39:02was no accident.
39:07Coming up,
39:08the FBI gets
39:10involved and
39:11uncovers a lead
39:12on the couple's
39:13whereabouts,
39:14but the clock
39:15is ticking
39:16and some worry
39:17authorities won't
39:18be able to find
39:19them before it's
39:20too late.
39:21They talk to
39:22friends about
39:23getting out of
39:23the country.
39:25The intention
39:25for them was
39:27to leave
39:27and never come
39:28back.
39:38Once the
39:40superstars
39:41of the
39:41competitive
39:41fitness world,
39:43married bodybuilders
39:44Craig Titus
39:45and Kelly Ryan
39:46are now fugitives
39:47on the run.
39:49They are wanted
39:50for the brutal
39:51murder of their
39:52former assistant
39:53and lover,
39:55Melissa James.
39:57FBI fugitive
39:58task forces
39:59pulling out
40:00all the stops
40:00and using
40:01every resource
40:02at their availability
40:03to capture
40:04Kelly and Craig.
40:06They talk
40:06to friends
40:07about getting
40:08out of the
40:08country and
40:09where can we
40:10go that doesn't
40:11have an extradition
40:12policy.
40:13Three days later,
40:15FBI agents
40:16locate Craig's
40:17pickup truck,
40:19not at an
40:19airport,
40:20but outside
40:21a Boston strip
40:22mall some
40:233,000 miles
40:24from Las Vegas.
40:26They were
40:27tracking them
40:27on their cell
40:28phones.
40:29Kelly was
40:29having a
40:30pedicure and
40:32Craig was
40:33sitting out
40:33in the truck.
40:35Kelly decides,
40:36you know what,
40:36we're leaving
40:37the country.
40:37I'm going to
40:38go get a
40:38pedicure.
40:39I mean,
40:40they're the
40:41most wanted
40:41people in
40:42the country
40:42right now.
40:43Their pictures
40:43are everywhere.
40:44They did the
40:45stupidest crime
40:46of all time
40:46and they got
40:47caught in the
40:47stupidest way
40:48of all time.
40:50The couple
40:51are arrested
40:52and immediately
40:53deny any
40:54involvement in
40:55Melissa's murder.
40:56And they give
40:57statements that
40:59are just
40:59bizarre,
41:00rambling,
41:02changing their
41:02story.
41:03And this
41:04time they
41:04tell the
41:05police that,
41:06well,
41:06Melissa
41:07overdosed.
41:09It was just,
41:09you know,
41:10one big lie
41:12after another.
41:15They were
41:15indicted on
41:16kidnapping,
41:17arson,
41:18the use of
41:18a deadly
41:19weapon and
41:19the murder
41:20of Melissa
41:20James.
41:21Facing this
41:23mountain of
41:24criminal charges,
41:25the couple
41:26decides it's
41:26in their best
41:27interest to
41:28stop talking.
41:30At their
41:30first court
41:31appearance back
41:31in Nevada,
41:33Craig looked
41:33at his wife
41:34and yelled
41:34at her,
41:34don't say
41:35nothing.
41:36But the
41:37day before
41:38the trial
41:39is set to
41:39begin,
41:40Craig and
41:41Kelly surprise
41:42everyone.
41:45In the face
41:46of what was
41:47overwhelming
41:47evidence,
41:48they elected
41:49to plea
41:50and take
41:51reduced
41:52charges.
41:53Craig's
41:53concern was
41:54what will
41:55happen to
41:55my wife.
41:56I said,
41:57you will
41:57both be
41:58convicted
41:59if we go
42:00to trial
42:00and lose.
42:01He said
42:02that he
42:02wasn't
42:02willing to
42:03expose her
42:03to that
42:04type of
42:04liability.
42:06He wanted
42:06her to
42:07have a
42:08life outside
42:09of this
42:09crime,
42:10outside of
42:10prison,
42:11and he
42:12really encouraged
42:13the plea
42:13deal so
42:14maybe she
42:14could get
42:15some leniency.
42:16Craig Titus
42:17pleads guilty
42:18to second
42:19degree murder
42:19kidnapping
42:20and arson
42:21and receives
42:23a sentence
42:23of 21 to
42:2551 years
42:26in prison.
42:27Kelly pleads
42:28to assault
42:28with a deadly
42:29weapon and
42:30arson and
42:31receives a
42:3226-year
42:33sentence.
42:34As for
42:35exactly how
42:36or why
42:37they killed
42:38Melissa James,
42:39neither Kelly
42:40nor Craig
42:41will say.
42:43They made
42:44a conscious
42:44decision to
42:46get rid of
42:46Melissa James.
42:47she was
42:49very
42:49energetic,
42:51outgoing.
42:53I always
42:53admired
42:54her
42:55being so
42:56sure of
42:57who she
42:57was and
42:58what she
42:58wanted.
42:59I just
43:00can't imagine
43:00what she
43:01went through.
43:01It must
43:02have been
43:02so frightening
43:03for her.
43:04I just
43:04think that
43:04they need
43:05to think
43:05about this
43:06every day
43:06and what
43:06they did
43:07to her.
43:28For more
43:29information,
43:30go to
43:30oxygen.com.