Where is Craig Titus now? Details explored ahead of Fit for Murder on Lifetime

Craig Titus, a former professional bodybuilder once featured on magazine covers and stages like Mr. Olympia, is currently incarcerated at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada.

His fall from grace began in December 2005, when the burned body of Melissa James, a 28-year-old dancer and personal assistant, was discovered in the trunk of Kelly Ryan’s red Jaguar outside Las Vegas. Titus and Ryan, his wife and fellow fitness competitor, were later charged in connection with the murder.

As per a report by Oxygen dated April 14, 2024, investigators found that James had been tased, restrained with duct tape, and possibly injected with morphine before the car was set ablaze. Titus later admitted to having an affair with James. Both he and Ryan initially claimed she had overdosed. However, surveillance footage and witness accounts contradicted their statements.

According to a CBS News report dated May 31, 2008, Craig Titus pled guilty to second-degree murder, kidnapping, and arson, receiving a sentence of 21 to 55 years. Regarding parole eligibility, Titus is scheduled for a parole hearing in June 2024. However, his actual parole eligibility date is listed as December 23, 2026. His story is the focus of Fit for Murder on Lifetime, premiering March 30, 2025.

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Investigators found taser discharge residue at Craig Titus’ residence, confirming it had been fired five times on December 13

Craig Titus, once a celebrated figure in the world of professional bodybuilding, is now serving a lengthy prison sentence for his role in one of Las Vegas’s most disturbing homicide cases.

The events that led to his downfall are being revisited in Fit for Murder on Lifetime, a film dramatizing the death of 28-year-old Melissa James, whose charred body was found in the trunk of a burned Jaguar on December 14, 2005.

According to an Oxygen report dated April 14, 2024, firefighters responded to a call about a vehicle fire outside Las Vegas and discovered a burned body in the trunk. The car, a red 2003 Jaguar, was registered to Kelly Ryan, a fitness champion and Titus’s wife. The body was later identified as Melissa James, their live-in assistant.

Autopsy results showed the victim’s head was completely wrapped in duct tape, and there was a ligature around her neck. Though the exact cause of death, whether strangulation or overdose, remained undetermined. Investigators suspected foul play early on. At the home of Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan, police found evidence of a taser being fired multiple times.

Police found evidence of a Taser being fired multiple times (Image via Getty)

As reported by Oxygen, forensic technicians discovered confetti-like taser discharge particles and determined the stun gun had been used five times on December 13 at approximately 2:10 pm. This supported witness statements that described a violent altercation.

Melissa James had met Craig Titus at a bodybuilding event in Florida in 2001 and later moved to Las Vegas to work with the couple in managing their fitness clothing business.

According to The Cinemaholic report dated July 6, 2022, she moved into their home but eventually wanted to leave and return to her family. Titus, meanwhile, later admitted to police that he had an affair with James, which he claimed Ryan was unaware of.

On December 14, 2005, the same day James was expected to board a flight home, her body was found in the burning vehicle. In the days prior, she had reportedly been staying at a motel after tensions with the couple escalated.

Authorities learned of surveillance footage from a local Walmart showing Kelly Ryan purchasing seven bottles of lighter fluid using James’s credit card, just hours before the fire. According to an NBC News report dated December 28, 2005, this occurred around 3:30 am, suggesting premeditation.

Further evidence came from Anthony Gross, described as a friend of the couple. He told police that he met Craig Titus at a gas station, provided him with gasoline, and later followed him to the desert, where Titus set the Jaguar ablaze. Gross claimed he was unaware of the reasons behind the act, though investigators remained sceptical.

By December 23, 2005, Craig Titus and Ryan had fled Nevada. They were eventually captured in Stoughton, Massachusetts, with Titus waiting in a car while Ryan got a pedicure. According to a CBS News report dated May 31, 2008, both were extradited to Las Vegas. Titus later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and arson and was sentenced to 21 to 55 years in prison.

Craig Titus is currently incarcerated at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada. As per Nevada’s parole eligibility records, he is up for a hearing in June 2024, but the earliest he can be released is December 23, 2026.

Ryan entered an Alford plea to battery with a deadly weapon and pled guilty to arson. She received two consecutive sentences of three to thirteen years and was released on parole in 2017.

Multiple theories surrounded the motive for Melissa James’s death. Jealousy, drug use, and a deteriorating business and personal relationship were all cited in police reports and media accounts. Witnesses told police that Titus had claimed he found James dead from an overdose, while others reported he had confessed to physically attacking and restraining her.

The case is revisited in Fit for Murder on Lifetime, premiering March 30, 2025. The film portrays how ambition, betrayal, and a volatile domestic environment culminated in a murder that shocked the fitness community and the public alike.

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Stay tuned for more updates.