A Hyattsville woman will never walk free again after she killed her mother, dismembered her and grilled her remains.
A Prince George’s County Circuit Court judge handed Candace Craig, 46, a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal death of her mother, 71 years old Margaret Craig. After an 8-day trial and less than an hour of deliberation, Craig was found guilty and convicted of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and disposing of a body in an unauthorized location.
“This was truly a heartbreaking case. Candace Craig was heartless towards her mother. A daughter who was supposed to be taking care of her mother instead took advantage of her by stealing from her and then murdering her when she discovered the fraud,” said the State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, according to WUSA9.
On June 2, 2023, the Prince Georges Police Department responded to the home shared by Margaret Craig, the defendant, and her 21-year-old daughter, Salia Hardy, for a welfare check. A neighbor noticed Margaret Craig had been missing for almost two weeks, recognizing the smell of decomposed flesh and blood tissue next to three white trash bags.
Upon arrival, officers found brain matter in one of the trash bags and a bloodied knife on the basement floor. Further investigations revealed blood splatter in the basement with human remains on a chainsaw.
According to prosecutors, Craig had been stealing from her mother’s bank account, and when Margaret Craig found out, an argument ensued that led to the defendant killing her mother. On May 23, 2023, Hardy, who testified against her mother during the trial, told investigators she heard her grandmother’s scream in the basement before Craig warned her to stay away from the victim’s room. The next day, Hardy found her grandmother in a bin with a trash bag over her head.
Then, Craig instructed Hardy to help dispose of her grandmother’s body by purchasing a chainsaw, gasoline, charcoal, and a lighter before dismembering her body and grilling it over a bonfire. However, neighbors contacted the fire department. As a result, Craig placed the rest of the remains in trash bags.
“When you’re talking about your elderly parents, as they get older, it’s our duty as children to protect our parents, and certainly our duty to not murder them and to then dispose of them in such a gruesome way,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Jessica Garth, reported WTOP News.
Hardy, who has a developmental disability, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact. She was sentenced to time served and five years probation.
The judge sentenced Craig to an additional three years for tampering with evidence and one year for disposing of the body in an unauthorized location.
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