Bio

Craig Michael Titus was born on January 14, 1965, in Wyandotte, Michigan. He grew up in Riverview, a city near Detroit. Titus is of French and Greek descent, with a French mother and a Greek father. He has a younger brother named Kevin and a younger sister named Nicole.

During his high school years, Titus played football but eventually quit because he felt he was too small for the sport. He also participated in wrestling, competing at a weight class of 132 pounds. After graduating from high school, he wanted to gain muscle and began to focus on weight training.

At the time of his high school graduation, Titus was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed about 140 pounds. He worked hard to transform his body and, by the time he was 21, he had grown to 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 185 pounds. He started gaining success from his weight training, which encouraged him to pursue bodybuilding as a career. His first bodybuilding competition was in 1988 at the Houston Bodybuilding Championships, where he won the Men's Open middleweight class and the overall title.

Before his career as a bodybuilder, Titus faced some legal issues. In April 1995, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess Ecstasy in Louisiana and was sentenced to 16 months of house arrest. In July 1997, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison for violating his probation by using anabolic steroids. After these events, he gained fame in the bodybuilding community and began writing a monthly column for a magazine called Muscular Development.

Titus was previously married to fellow bodybuilder Kelly Ann Ryan. Their marriage faced challenges, particularly following their involvement in a serious criminal case later in their lives.

Murder Story

On December 13, 2005, Craig Michael Titus and his wife, Kelly Ryan, were involved in a serious crime in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were implicated in the death of Melissa James, who was their personal assistant. After fleeing the scene, the couple was arrested on December 23, 2005, near Boston, Massachusetts.

Melissa James was found dead in the trunk of Ryan's car, which had been set on fire in the desert. The couple initially told police they did not know how Melissa ended up in their car. However, later statements revealed they claimed to have discovered her dead from a drug overdose. They mentioned that they panicked and decided to dispose of her body to avoid negative publicity.

Titus and Ryan changed their story multiple times regarding the events surrounding Melissa's death. In various interviews, they suggested that she may have died from a drug overdose while they were in their home. They acknowledged that they had drug issues themselves and described the process of wrapping Melissa's body and hiding it in the trunk.

Investigators stated that Melissa had drugs in her system at the time of her death, but the causes of death were officially listed as undetermined. Evidence showed that she had been assaulted before her body was burned. Moreover, the couple had a history of drug use, which complicated the case against them.

In May 2008, just days before their trial was set to begin, Titus and Ryan pleaded guilty to various charges. Titus was convicted of second-degree murder, kidnapping, and arson. He received a prison sentence of 21 to 55 years on August 22, 2008. The couple's accomplice, Anthony Gross, also faced charges related to the crime and pled guilty in early 2009.

As of now, Titus is serving his sentence and is eligible for parole in December 2026.