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

A Colorado man was convicted of murdering his wife after stalking her and sending her disturbing messages while pretending to be her ex-boyfriend. 

Jurors reached the verdict on Thursday, April 17 against Daniel Krug just one day after deliberations began, according to the Associated Press. They found the 44-year-old guilty of all the charges he faced: first degree murder, two counts of stalking and one count of criminal impersonation. 

Police officers put handcuffs on Krug as soon as the verdict was read, the outlet reported. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday and faces a mandatory sentence of life without parole. 

In court, prosecutors said Krug’s marriage with Kristil Krug was falling apart when he decided to play “puppet master” by scaring his wife and then trying to win her back by protecting her from the fake stalking, the AP reported. 

A few months before her death, In October 2023, Kristil contacted the Broomfield Police Department, believing that an old boyfriend from 20 years ago was harassing her, per an affidavit cited by AP and CBS News. 

Kristil received emails and text messages, including some that criticized her husband Daniel, the outlets reported. She was reportedly also sent photos indicating that she was being stalked but detectives recovered evidence showing that Daniel was the one sending his wife the messages. 

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

Prosecutors said that Daniel began to realize he could face criminal charges as they investigated the stalking, so he began plotting how to kill his wife after realizing she didn’t want to be with him anymore, the outlet reported. 

Daniel waited for Kristil to return to their Denver home on Dec. 14, 2023 after taking their two children to school and then knocked her unconscious and stabbed her in the heart, the AP said, citing prosecutors. 

Daniel’s lawyers argued that there was no physical evidence linking him to the violent killing, noting that there was no blood found in his car or on his clothes, the AP reported. Partial DNA from an unknown person was found at the scene on Kristil’s neck.

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“He didn’t love her. He hated her. Think about what he did to her,” Kate Armstrong, senior deputy district attorney, said in court during closing arguments, according to the outlet. 

Loved ones say that Kristil’s “promising journey was cut short by a senseless act of violence that took her from us too soon.”

“Our hearts are broken and we will miss her dearly. As we grieve the loss of a vibrant and talented soul, we remember Kristil for the joy she brought into our lives,” her obituary read, adding that her children “were the light of her life.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.