Digital Trail Exposes Staged Stalking: Husband Convicted in Colorado Mother's Murder

Victim advocate Heather Aites remembers driving Dan Krug to the Broomfield Police Department on Dec. 14, 2023, after he rushed home from work and discovered his wife, Kristil Krug, dead in their garage. The couple, both 43, left behind three young children.

What began as disturbing texts and emails that terrorized Kristil ultimately became a murder investigation. In the months before her death, Kristil reported repeated harassment from someone using the name 'Anthony' — messages that escalated from lewd offers to threats, a menacing photograph of Dan, and indications the sender was surveilling the family. Kristil told police the harassment left her living in fear.

From Stalking Report to Homicide Probe

Broomfield Detective Andrew Martinez opened an investigation into the stalking and began the methodical work of gathering records from phone and email providers. Kristil also hired a private investigator and identified a former boyfriend, Anthony Holland, living in Utah. Police interviewed Holland and found documentation — receipts and employment records — confirming he had an alibi for the morning Kristil was killed.

Meanwhile, forensic examiners reviewed the Krug household. Several exterior cameras were found manually disabled, though a Nest camera near the garage remained. Digital forensic specialist Randy Pihlak obtained expedited records once the case became a homicide and discovered a critical lead: harassing messages to Kristil sent from two accounts originated from the same IP address — the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, where Dan worked.

Evidence Points Home

That finding shifted investigators' focus to Dan. Confronted by detectives, Dan insisted an ex-boyfriend — the so-called 'Kickman' — was responsible, but forensic analysis undermined that claim. Pihlak found the message Kristil supposedly sent Dan while he was driving had been scheduled in advance on her phone, suggesting it was preprogrammed to create an alibi. Additional evidence included internet searches on Dan's phone the day before the killing asking whether people can lose consciousness from head trauma, and a photograph of Dan leaving his car at work that Pihlak concluded was taken with a timer in selfie mode — indicating Dan had taken the picture and sent it to Kristil.

Detectives also found the house cameras had been intentionally turned off, the Nest camera recorded critical context around the garage, and the digital footprint tied harassment accounts to Dan's workplace network. Two days after the murder, investigators arrested Dan outside a grocery store. He was later charged with first-degree murder, multiple counts of stalking and criminal impersonation.

Trial and Verdict

Prosecutors argued that Dan had fabricated the stalking campaign, impersonated an ex to terrorize Kristil, and when that manipulation failed and Kristil began to suspect him, he murdered her in a violent ambush. An autopsy showed Kristil was struck from behind with a blunt object, suffered multiple skull fractures, and was then stabbed in the chest.

The defense challenged aspects of the investigation — noting, for example, that the alleged blunt instrument and knife were never recovered and criticizing some forensic choices. Prosecutors countered with a multi-pronged digital case: timed messages on Kristil's phone, IP attribution to Dan’s workplace, damning search history, and the staged photograph.

In April 2025 a jury convicted Daniel Krug of first-degree murder, stalking causing extreme emotional distress, stalking with a credible threat, and criminal impersonation. He was sentenced to life without parole for the murder, plus additional years for the related convictions.

Aftermath and Questions

Kristil’s family recalls her as brilliant and spirited — an engineer who loved math, science and restoring classic cars with her father. They have launched a fundraiser to support her children and say they hope Kristil’s story will warn others about how quickly stalking can escalate into lethal violence.

Detective Martinez has said he regrets not acting sooner on the private investigator’s lead, and he has reflected on the limits investigators face when building evidence before making contact. Kristil’s parents acknowledge those complexities but continue to grieve and to wonder whether different choices might have changed the outcome.

This case underscores how digital evidence — IP addresses, timed messages, image metadata and device activity — can reveal fabricated narratives and provide crucial leads in modern investigations. It also highlights the urgent need for timely responses to stalking complaints and resources to protect victims who report being targeted.