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Craig Vandewege was accused of slashing the throats of his wife Shanna and their three-month-old son Diederik days before Christmas in December 2016 at their Fort Worth, Texas, home. Craig then staged the crime scene to make it seem like a burglary gone wrong. He was found guilty of capital murder in November 2021 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to reports, Craig was declared a suspect after his co-workers told authorities about the disturbing comments he made about Shanna and about wanting to push her down the stairs when she was pregnant to get time off work. He had also confessed to having murderous dreams about decapitating the mother and to the voices inside his head that urged him to kill.
According to the Texas Department of Corrections, Craig Vandewege is currently serving his sentence at the William G. McConnell Unit in Bee County.
ID's American Monster is slated to revisit the murders of Shanna Vandewege and her infant son in an episode titled Say Daddy's the Best. The official synopsis states:
"Heavily pregnant Colorado native Shanna Vandewege supports her husband Craig's plan to move to Texas for work; the birth of a baby makes up for Shanna's separation from family, but someone is about to exploit her isolation as an outlet for rage."
The episode will air on Investigation Discovery this Sunday, July 23, at 9 pm ET.
Craig Vandewege was arrested four days before Christmas while on the run after killing his wife and son
According to CBS News, four days before Christmas in 2016, Craig Vandewege was arrested in Colorado on capital murder charges for the December 15 slayings of his wife Shanna and their three-month-old son Diederik. Both victims were found in their beds with their throats slashed at the family's Fort Worth, Texas, home after the accused called 911 sometime around 9:30 that night.
When first responders arrived at the crime scene, Craig told them that he had returned home from work and found them dead. He was initially cooperative with detectives but later told them that he needed to consult with his lawyer, leaving the police station and never getting in touch with them again.
On December 21, Craig Vandewege was pulled over for speeding at a Glenwood Springs traffic stop in Colorado after authorities received a call from a man who claimed the suspect was on the run and borrowed his phone. The individual claimed to have heard him talk about murder on the phone.
During his arrest, Craig told officers that he was headed to Las Vegas and that his "wife and kid were murdered in Texas." They found loaded handguns, an AR-15-style rifle, boxes of ammunition, and bottles of medication in his car. The following January, he was extradited to Texas and charged with capital murder.
Craig Vandewege's capital murder conviction carried an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole
AP News reported that 40-year-old Craig Vandewege was convicted of capital murder in the killings of his wife and three-month-old son. A jury found him guilty of the charge, which carries an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The outlet reported that at his trial, prosecutors alleged that the crime scene appeared to have been staged to make it seem like the victims were murdered by a burglar. They believed the defendant committed the murders and then fabricated the burglary claim and staged the crime scene.
According to Law & Crime, Assistant Criminal District Attorney Lisa Callaghan said,
"This was never a burglary. Why would a burglar ever kill an infant? It’s absurd. It doesn’t add up, no matter which way you look at it."
The same report mentioned that the possible murder motive was financial, given that Craig stood to gain over $700,000 in life insurance claims after their deaths.
According to the Texas Department of Corrections, Craig Vandewege is serving life without the possibility of parole at the William G. McConnell Unit in Bee County.
American Monster on ID will further delve into the murders of Shanna Vandewege and her son this Sunday.
