03-13-06: Las Vegas Grand Jury plans to indict Titus & Ryan

[abz]

sources in las vegas have said that the prosecutor plans to go straight to the grand jury with the witnesses and indict craig titus and kelly ryan without having them go to any hearing or cross examinations of the witnesses. forget about any stories of these two until next year - since it takes that long to start up a murder trial in las vegas anyway.

[Junior III]

Mar. 16, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

MURDER CASE: Bodybuilders to go before grand jury

Evidence against couple will be confidential in secret proceedings

By GLENN PUIT
REVIEW-JOURNAL

 
Fitness champions Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan are the subject of grand jury proceedings related to the slaying of their personal assistant.

Louis Palazzo, an attorney for Titus and Ryan's co-defendant, Anthony Gross, confirmed Wednesday that his client had received notice that prosecutors intended to seek an indictment from a grand jury.
 
If the grand jury returns an indictment, the preliminary hearing for the case, scheduled for this month, will be canceled.

Taking the case against Titus, Ryan and Gross to a grand jury instead of choosing to hold a preliminary hearing is significant because, for the time being at least, much of the evidence against Titus and Ryan will remain confidential.

By law, grand jury proceedings are secret.

In addition, prosecution witnesses are not subject to cross-examination from defense attorneys in appearances before a grand jury. At preliminary hearings, defense attorneys can challenge the credibility of the witnesses.

Ryan's attorney, Tom Pitaro, declined to comment, and Titus' attorney, Richard Schonfeld, could not be reached.

Prosecutors in the case did not respond to a request for comment.

The body of Melissa James, 28, Titus and Ryan's live-in personal assistant, was found Dec. 14 in the trunk of Ryan's burning car off state Route 160.

Titus and Ryan remain jailed on charges of murder and arson.

Gross, 23, was arrested on charges of arson and being an accessory to murder. Authorities allege he helped dispose of James' body.

Gross is out of jail after posting bail.

Titus told police that he was having an affair with James and that his wife did not know about it, according to a police report.

Titus and Ryan later told police that they had discovered that James was stealing from them and kicked her out of their house in southwest Las Vegas, the report said.

The pair also said James had stolen Ryan's car, but neither allegation was reported to police until after James' body was found, the report said.

Titus and Ryan were arrested near Boston and told police that James had died of a drug overdose in their house and that panic was the reason they had disposed of her body in the way they did.

Palazzo said Gross was "planning on defending himself and demonstrating his innocence."

"He had nothing to do with this," Palazzo said.
 

[buffalo]

wow...that's a big development.  Especially for the defense not having the ability to cross examine....

very interesting!

[ramazon]

wow...that's a big development.  Especially for the defense not having the ability to cross examine....

very interesting!

I agree, Buff; it's a MAJOR move against C & K.  One designed to protect the prosecution's witnesses.  Clearly, Gross's attorney is dominating this court; Gross's parents are kicking C & K's glutes in for bringing their son in this. 
The end could be much nearer than we think.  ALL KINDS of witnesses are going to step up and be heard now.  And ALL KINDS of courtroom leaks will occur revealing information that infuriates ALL KINDS of tempers.  Heck, after this, Las Vegas might put a ban on bodybuilding!

[shortfatugly]

I agree, Buff; it's a MAJOR move against C & K.  One designed to protect the prosecution's witnesses.  Clearly, Gross's attorney is dominating this court

  yeah.. probably because of the three,  Gross had the least involvement in the murder.  The other people would best be served by the lawyers keeping quiet.

Gross's parents are kicking C & K's glutes in for bringing their son in this. 
The end could be much nearer than we think.  ALL KINDS of witnesses are going to step up and be heard now.  And ALL KINDS of courtroom leaks will occur revealing information that infuriates ALL KINDS of tempers.  Heck, after this, Las Vegas might put a ban on bodybuilding!

[ramazon]

  yeah.. probably because of the three,  Gross had the least involvement in the murder.  The other people would best be served by the lawyers keeping quiet.



[Hmmm, you sure know how to behave a courtroom, and you got to
that Sports Illustrated article regarding "The Muscle Murders" with
lightning speed.  We share a similarly STRONG interest in this material. 
Do you make your living as a criminal attorney?/quote]

[Junior III]

Mar. 24, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Fitness pair indicted on murder charges
By GLENN PUIT
 
Fitness champions Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan have been indicted on murder charges in the death of their personal assistant.

The indictment is expected to be unsealed in District Court this morning.

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Attorneys for both the prosecution and the defense refused to discuss the case Thursday because, by law, grand jury proceedings are secret.

Also expected to be indicted is Anthony Gross, who is accused of helping Titus and Ryan burn the body of their personal assistant, Melissa James, 28, in December.

The indictment is expected to be unsealed today because it is the last day to unseal indictments before the pair's scheduled preliminary hearing next week in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Prosecutors in the case were observed in a courthouse hallway at the Regional Justice Center on Thursday morning, near a room where grand jury proceedings take place.

Prosecutor Robert Daskas declined to comment when questioned later by a reporter.

Defense attorney Thomas Pitaro, who is representing Ryan, declined to comment when reached at his office later in the day. Titus' attorney, Richard Schonfeld, could not be reached.

Gross' attorney, Louis Palazzo, also would not comment.

The indictment means a group of Clark County residents have been impaneled and have listened to witness testimony, then determined there is enough evidence to warrant a formal charge of murder.

The case will proceed to District Court, and a formal trial date will be set.

It is possible that when the indictment is unsealed this morning that District Judge David Wall will be asked to rule on whether the two should be eligible for bail.

Currently, they are in custody without bail.

Titus, 40, is a past place-winner of the international Mr. Olympia competitions, and Ryan, 33, is a past Ms. Fitness America and Ms. Olympia runner-up.

James, the couple's live-in personal assistant, was found strangled and burned Dec. 14 in the back of Ryan's torched red Jaguar off state Route 160.

Gross, 23, who is a friend of the couple, is charged with arson and being an accessory to murder. Authorities allege he helped Ryan and Titus dispose of the body.

Titus told police that he was having an affair with the younger woman and that his wife did not know about the affair, according to a report police filed to obtain the arrest warrants.

Titus and Ryan later told police that they had discovered James was stealing from them and kicked her out of their house in southwest Las Vegas, the report states.

They also alleged that James had stolen Ryan's car, but neither allegation was reported to police until after James' body was found, the report states.

Police have obtained video surveillance footage that shows Ryan buying several large bottles of lighter fluid at a Wal-Mart in northwest Las Vegas about 30 minutes before James' body was set on fire, police reports state.

According to statements given to police after Titus and Ryan were arrested in Boston, the two defendants changed their story, saying they found James dead of a drug overdose in their house, then panicked and burned the body.