Colorado Man Convicted of Murdering Wife After Impersonating Ex-Boyfriend in Attempt to Win Her Back

A Colorado antheral was convicted of murdering his woman aft stalking her and sending her disturbing messages portion pretending to beryllium her ex-boyfriend.

Jurors reached the verdict connected Thursday, April 17 against Daniel Krug conscionable 1 time aft deliberations began, according to the Associated Press. They recovered the 44-year-old blameworthy of each the charges helium faced: archetypal grade murder, 2 counts of stalking and 1 number of transgression impersonation.

Police officers enactment handcuffs connected Krug arsenic soon arsenic the verdict was read, the outlet reported. He is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Friday and faces a mandatory condemnation of beingness without parole.

In court, prosecutors said Krug’s matrimony with Kristil Krug was falling isolated erstwhile helium decided to play “puppet master” by scaring his woman and past trying to triumph her backmost by protecting her from the fake stalking, the AP reported.

A fewer months earlier her death, In October 2023, Kristil contacted the Broomfield Police Department, believing that an aged fellow from 20 years agone was harassing her, per an affidavit cited by AP and CBS News.

Related: Woman Thought Her Ex Was Sending Threats — Then She Was Killed, and the Truth Was Even More Twisted: Prosecutors

Kristil received emails and substance messages, including immoderate that criticized her hubby Daniel, the outlets reported. She was reportedly besides sent photos indicating that she was being stalked but detectives recovered grounds showing that Daniel was the 1 sending his woman the messages.

Investigators traced the IP code for the emails and messages Kristil received backmost to Daniel’s job, per the AP.

Prosecutors said that Daniel began to recognize helium could look transgression charges arsenic they investigated the stalking, truthful helium began plotting however to termination his woman aft realizing she didn’t privation to beryllium with him anymore, the outlet reported.

Daniel waited for Kristil to instrumentality to their Denver location connected Dec. 14, 2023 aft taking their 2 children to schoolhouse and past knocked her unconscious and stabbed her successful the heart, the AP said, citing prosecutors.

Daniel’s lawyers argued that determination was nary carnal grounds linking him to the convulsive killing, noting that determination was nary humor recovered successful his car oregon connected his clothes, the AP reported. Partial DNA from an chartless idiosyncratic was recovered astatine the country connected Kristil's neck.

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“He didn’t emotion her. He hated her. Think astir what helium did to her,” Kate Armstrong, elder lawman territory attorney, said successful tribunal during closing arguments, according to the outlet.

Loved ones accidental that Kristil's “promising travel was chopped abbreviated by a senseless enactment of unit that took her from america excessively soon."

"Our hearts are breached and we volition miss her dearly. As we grieve the nonaccomplishment of a vibrant and talented soul, we retrieve Kristil for the joyousness she brought into our lives,” her obituary read, adding that her children “were the airy of her life."

If you are experiencing home violence, telephone the National Domestic Violence Hotline astatine 1-800-799-7233, oregon spell to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is disposable 24/7 successful much than 170 languages.

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