LANDOVER, Md. (TCN) — A woman has been convicted of killing and dismembering her 71-year-old mother after an argument they had over fraudulent credit card charges.
The Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Nov. 1 that a jury found Candace Craig guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and disposing of a body in an unauthorized place in connection with the death of her mother, Margaret Craig.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said the case “rocked this entire region.”
According to an initial press release from the Prince George’s County Police Department, on June 2, officers responded to a home after a worried individual reported that they had not spoken with Margaret Craig for several days. Police made contact with Craig’s daughter, Candace Craig, at the scene, and she allowed them to search the residence.
Law enforcement officials reportedly went into the basement and “immediately smelled the odor of decomposition.”
Braveboy said Candace Craig “senselessly killed” her own mother, and according to WRC-TV, she used a chain saw to dismember her body.
Charging documents reviewed by WRC allege Candace Craig’s 19-year-old daughter, Salia Hardy, found the victim’s remains in a blue bin in her bedroom. Candace Craig and Hardy allegedly tried to burn Margaret Craig’s remains on a barbecue grill and used seasoning to mask the smell. Hardy reportedly told investigators Margaret Criag threatened to report Candace Craig for fraudulent use of her credit card, leading to the fatal attack.
The state’s attorney said the defendant’s “actions seemed very intentional.”
In a statement, Braveboy said, “It was insulting for this 71-year-old woman, who was a hardworking woman collecting Social Security, collecting a pension, she was someone who worked hard all her life. She was providing for her grown daughter who was living with her, her grandchildren, and she even allowed her daughter’s boyfriend to live in the home.”
Earlier this year, Hardy reportedly pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the murder after the fact.
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