Maryland woman guilty of killing, dismembering and burning her mother's body parts on a grill

The woman who prosecutors say killed and dismembered her mother last year was found guilty Friday by a jury in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Jurors spent just over an hour deliberating before returning to the courtroom and finding 46-year-old Candace Craig guilty of first- and second-degree murder in the death of her 71-year-old mother, whose caregiver she was .

In closing arguments, prosecutors pointed to evidence including trash cans and Margaret Craig's body parts found in a bag.

The jury returned a comprehensive verdict that also found Candace Craig guilty of tampering with evidence and improperly disposing of her mother's body.

The decision followed about three hours of closing arguments by prosecutors and defense attorneys on Friday afternoon.

Prosecutors said Margaret Craig was found with a trash bag over her head. A coroner's testimony concluded that she died “at the hands of someone.”

Her death was not accidental, prosecutors argued, because Candace Craig enlisted the help of her daughter Salia Hardy in covering up Margaret Craig's death.

Hardy is accused of helping cover up Margaret Craig's murder, but testified during the trial and cooperated with prosecutors.

Candace Craig's defense attorneys questioned the evidence discussed at trial, arguing that some investigators and lab workers did not conduct enough DNA testing – only ten items were tested, not counting the car in the home's driveway. They also argued that DNA evidence from the crime scene belonged to an unknown man who may have killed Margaret Craig.

Based on the information the jury had, Candace Craig's lawyers admitted that she lied to police during their investigation.

Defense attorneys concluded by saying the jury should find the accused Maryland woman not guilty of the murder charges against her. The defense team decided not to contest the allegations of evidence tampering and improper disposal of a body in their closing argument.

The trial for a gruesome murder begins

The trial began Thursday, Oct. 24, with gruesome details and opening statements from prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Prince George's County courtroom.

In the early moments of the trial, officials revisited allegations that Candace Craig, who was caring for her mother, dismembered her with a chainsaw and tried to burn body parts in the backyard of a Landover-area home.

Assistant District Attorney Julia Hall argued that Candace Craig spent her time taking advantage of Margaret Craig and that Candace Craig appeared indifferent to her mother's disappearance during the investigation. Authorities also pointed to early allegations that Margaret Craig asked her daughter about fraudulent credit card charges in the moments before her murder as an example of Candace Craig's abusive behavior.

Family members who testified in the case expressed concern that they were unable to contact the woman in the days after her alleged murder.

A family member, Jillian Philbert, said she made it to the basement of the home after worrying that Margaret Craig had fallen down the stairs.

When Philbert went downstairs, she said there was a terrible smell and several bags of trash. However, Philbert said she left the basement after noticing Candace Craig and Hardy watching her closely in the basement.

WTOP's Scott Gelman and John Domen contributed to this report.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2024 WTOP. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users within the European Economic Area.