Craig Titus

Craig Michael Titus (born January 14, 1965) is an American convicted murderer. 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 placing among top finishers in competitions, he established himself by 1996 and was accepted into the professional ranks of the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation. 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.

Marriages In 2000, he remarried, to Kelly Ryan, a fitness competitor, in Clark County, Nevada.

In February 2006, Titus and Ryan were denied bail. On March 29, each pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of killing Melissa James. The charge carried the possibility of the death penalty.

Days before their murder trial was set to begin in Las Vegas in June 2008, Titus and Ryan each pleaded guilty on May 30, 2008 to various charges related to James's death. They had made plea deals with the prosecutor to avoid capital charges that risked the death penalty. Titus pled guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and arson.

On August 22, 2008, Titus was recorded as 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 had pleaded guilty to arson and battery with a deadly weapon with significant bodily harm. She was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 3–13 years in prison. She was released on parole in 2017.

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