Contacts between suspects extend beyond jail time
Plot alleged targeting witnesses in Titus case
By GLENN PUIT
REVIEW-JOURNAL
pic Craig Titus
Murder defendant has not been charged on allegations of plot to kill witnesses
pic Nelson Brady Jr.
Defendant faces charges of trying to hire hit man to kill witnesses
pic Melissa James
Victim's body was put in the trunk of a car and set on fire
The man accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill three key witnesses in the Craig Titus murder case has numerous ties to the bodybuilder, from helping Titus prepare his homes for sale to claiming a direct line of communication to Titus' family.
As of Monday, Titus had not been charged in the murder-for-hire plot, but his ties to Nelson Brady Jr. could allow prosecutors to tell Titus' jury about the plot even if Titus is never charged with being involved.
Brady was arrested by Las Vegas police last week on three charges of solicitation to commit murder. Authorities allege that earlier this year, Brady paid an undercover detective $1,500 to kill three of the people expected to testify against Titus and the bodybuilder's fitness champion wife, Kelly Ryan, when the couple is tried on a charge of murder in the death of Melissa James, their 28-year-old personal assistant. That trial is scheduled for January.
Titus and Brady had been housed together for two weeks in February in the same section of the Clark County Detention Center, but their relationship extended beyond the jail. Brady helped get two of the three Las Vegas homes the couple owned ready for sale.
Titus' attorney Marc Saggese said Monday that Brady's father, at his son's request, "helped ... him (Titus) evict the tenants and change the locks."
That happened sometime this year, but exactly when was unclear.
Additionally, the police reports state that Brady volunteered to the police informant that he had talked to Titus' relatives, who were not identified by name in police reports.
"Brady said he'd talked to Craig's family earlier in the morning," Brady's arrest report states. "Brady said he had been given the 'okay' to go ahead with all three."
Las Vegas police did not return calls seeking more information about the involvement of Titus' relatives.
Brady also told the informant he had been using a different phone to talk to Titus' relatives.
"Pretty good idea, huh?" police quoted Brady as saying to the informant. "When it's said and done, that phone will be gone."
The police report also states that "Brady told (the informant) he had talked to Craig about everything."
Saggese, however, said Titus was shocked at allegations that Brady had plotted to kill the witnesses.
"Craig Titus didn't have any idea that these wheels were potentially turning," Saggese said. "He (Titus) is very isolated in jail. What people do outside of jail, believing they could somehow assist Craig, is totally out of Craig's control."
Prosecutor Robert Daskas did not respond Monday to a request for comment on the case, but defense lawyer Dayvid Figler said even if Titus is never charged with conspiring with Brady, Titus and his lawyer could find themselves fending off the murder-for-hire allegations in court.
Figler said that under Nevada law a judge could allow information about the murder-for-hire allegations to be introduced at Titus and Ryan's trial, if prosecutors ask to have the evidence introduced and meet certain conditions.
"I don't know a prosecutor who wouldn't want an effort to eliminate witnesses in front of the jury," Figler said.
Prosecutors would first have to show that the plot to kill witnesses is relevant to the trial, that the information is not prejudicial to Titus and Ryan's ability to get a fair trial and that there is "clear and convincing evidence" that Titus was involved. The standard of proof for that type of evidence is lower than that required for a conviction, which is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
If Brady implicates Titus, Brady's credibility probably will be challenged. He has been arrested 14 times in Las Vegas since 1990, according to Las Vegas police records. The vast majority of those arrests were for traffic citations and warrants for Brady's failure to resolve the cases, appear in court or pay fines, but Brady also has been arrested at least twice for domestic violence and once on drug charges.
Titus, 41, is a past place finisher in the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition. Ryan, 34, is arguably the most successful female fitness athlete in America.
Authorities said the two killed James at their southwest Las Vegas home by beating her, shocking her with a Taser, injecting her with morphine and duct-taping her face.
The couple secured the help of Anthony Gross to help dispose of James' body in the desert, where her remains were set on fire in the trunk of Ryan's Jaguar, according to police.
Gross was one of the people whom Brady was trying to have killed, according to police. They said they uncovered the plan earlier this year when an informant at the Clark County Detention Center named Deem Cassim said he had approached by Brady regarding a murder-for-hire plot in the Titus case.
The other two people whom Brady was allegedly seeking to have slain were the two other key witnesses, Megan Pierson Foley and her husband, Jeremy Foley. The Foleys were at Titus and Ryan's house the night before James' body was found, and they told police Titus and Ryan made incriminating statements about James' demise.
Pierson Foley also told police that when she left Titus and Ryan's home that night, Titus gave her a black bag containing a Taser. Authorities say that Taser was used in James' slaying.
Cassim told police he and Brady discussed how much money would be paid to kill Gross.
"They spoke about a $25,000 up front payment and a $25,000 supplemental payment when the job was done," police wrote. "Because Titus was concerned about paying the money up front with no guarantee the job would be done, Cassim suggested he could have the job done on his say-so and Titus would pay $50,000 at the end."
When Brady was released from jail, Cassim arranged for him to meet with a friend, "Edison."
An undercover officer posing as that friend was then scheduled to meet with Brady, and Brady was supposed to provide him with two envelopes: one with money and another with Gross' photograph and contact information inside. Edison was to pass the money and information on to the hit man, "Fred."
Cassim said he and Brady agreed to refer to Gross only as "number 23" in their conversations.
"Cassim asked Brady if he had the money to cover the $350 expense money for 'Edison,' " a police report states. "Brady said, 'Yes...that's fine ... it's well worth it.' Brady told Cassim, 'I'm glad you're doing this.' "
Cassim told Brady they would know the deal had gone through when "number 23" didn't show up to court on a particular date.
"Brady responded by saying, 'I definitely want this to go through,' " according to the police report.
In April, Brady failed to show up at two meetings that had been arranged with "Edison." But in May, Brady did meet with the undercover detective and produced two envelopes containing $500 each. In a meeting that was taped by police, Brady was heard discussing how one of the envelopes was for a "book publication."
When detectives later opened the envelopes, they found the money, a photo of Gross and personal information about Gross and the Foleys, according to the reports.
In a subsequent meeting with the undercover detective, Brady produced $500 more and wrote down an address where photos of the dead bodies could be sent, according to police.
Titus spoke with Brady twice by phone from the Clark County Detention Center during the investigation and the conversations were taped, the police report notes. During one of the calls, Titus and Brady talked about a "book publishing deal," police wrote.
"Brady said that he had been on the Internet to see which characters are going to be in the book," according to a police affidavit. "Brady says he knows how to keep those characters from being in his book. Titus said, 'Yeah. No (expletive). Yeah, from the screenplay, yeah."
The two men also discussed money briefly, and Titus mentioned a "publisher," according to authorities.
"Brady says yeah, but they want some money, and I've been trying to drum up money to get these people to give their stories, and that's what I need help with," according to a police affidavit. "Brady says he needs 'ten.' Brady tells Titus he is going to walk."
A second phone conversation between Titus and Brady was recorded on May 19, the day of the second meeting between Brady and the undercover detective, according to police.
"Brady tells Titus he is taken care of," a police affidavit stated. "Brady says he is talking about 'the book.' Brady tells Titus they will be making money on that book. He tells Titus that the book has been paid for. Titus changes the subject."
