A Maryland woman accused of killing her mother before grilling her seasoned flesh has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
Candace Craig, 46, was found guilty on all counts following an eight-day trial, according to a press release from the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Craig was arrested last May, with charging documents revealing the graphic details of the crime in which she used a chainsaw to dismember her mother’s body.
According to Prince George’s County police, Margaret Craig, 71, was killed by her daughter on May 23, 2023. Craig’s 19-year-old daughter, Salia Hardy, was also believed to have assisted her mother in attempting to dispose of the body.
Charging documents stated that Hardy told authorities that her mother, Candace Craig, attacked Margaret Craig after the victim threatened to report her for fraudulent credit card use.
Hardy then discovered her grandmother’s remains in a blue bin in her bedroom, according to the documents.
According to investigators, the mother and daughter dismembered Margaret with a chainsaw before attempting to burn her remains on a grill and in a fire behind their property, with Craig “seasoning” the flesh to disguise the smell.
The murder was discovered ten days later when police officers arrived to perform a welfare check at the home in the 200 block of Hill Road around 1:35 p.m.
A concerned relative called and said he “had not communicated with Margaret Craig for several days and was worried for her welfare.” Craig faces a lengthy prison term as a result of her conviction.
She was also found guilty of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and disposing of a body in an unauthorized location. Aisha Braveboy, the State’s Attorney, said, “This was a truly heartbreaking case. Candace Craig was heartless to her mother.
A daughter who was supposed to care for her mother instead exploited her by stealing from her and then murdering her when she discovered the fraud.”
Craig’s daughter, Hardy, pleaded guilty earlier this year to being an accessory to the murder after the fact.