A Maryland woman suspected 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 news statement from the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. Craig was caught in May, with charging documents revealing the graphic details of the murder in which she used a chainsaw to dismember her mother’s body.
According to Prince George’s County police, Margaret Craig, 71, was slain by her daughter on May 23, 2023. Craig’s 19-year-old daughter, Salia Hardy, was also alleged to have assisted her mother in attempting to dispose of the body.
Charging documents stated that Hardy informed officials that her mother, Candace Craig, attacked Margaret Craig after the victim threatened to report her for unauthorized credit card use. Hardy then discovered her grandmother’s remains in a blue pail in her bedroom, according to the records.
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 conceal the stench.
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 about 1:35 p.m.
A concerned relative called and claimed he “had not communicated with Margaret Craig for several days and was worried for her welfare.” Craig fears 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 illegal location. Aisha Braveboy, the State’s Attorney, said, “This was a genuinely terrible case.
Candace Craig was callous to her mother. A daughter who was meant to care for her mother instead exploited her by stealing from her and then murdered her when she discovered the scam.”
Craig’s daughter, Hardy, pleaded guilty earlier this year to being an accessory to the murder after the fact.