Kristil Krug Was Stalked for Two Months Before the Man Responsible Finally Killed Her

In the two months leading up to Kristil Krug's death, she was being relentlessly harassed by someone claiming to be her ex-boyfriend. Kristil and her husband, Daniel Krug, were both targeted in messages that ramped up to threats by the time she went to the police in October 2023. According to ABC News, body cam footage of Kristil speaking with law enforcement shows her visibly frightened. "This is exhausting," she said. "It has definitely made me paranoid everywhere I go."

Soon, Kristil began carrying a concealed weapon. She dreaded opening up her email or checking her phone whenever a new text message arrived. This situation was especially confusing as Kristil and her ex-boyfriend had broken up two decades before. Police investigated her ex but cleared him almost immediately. Things took a turn when they realized the messages were coming from devices connected to Daniel. Where is he now, and what happened to Kristil? Here's what we know.

In April 2025, Daniel was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with Kristil's death and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. District Attorney Brian Mason said this was a "brutal, calculated murder, preceded by months of manipulation, emotional abuse, and deception." He continued, "Daniel Krug terrorized his wife, his children, and an innocent man — all in order to control and then murder a woman who no longer wanted to be with him."

Although Daniel tried to conceal the fact that he was the source of the stalking, digital forensics laid out a clear path back to him. On the day before the murder, Daniel googled things like "when is a head injury a cause for concern" and "how long can you be unconscious without brain damage?" He also created fake email accounts from his work computer and bought burner phones using a Visa gift card registered to his name.

Daniel and Kristil lived in Broomfield, Colo., an eight-hour drive away from Utah, where her ex-boyfriend lived. After police ruled him out due to an airtight alibi and no evidence that he had traveled at any time around the murder, law enforcement turned their attention to Daniel. He was the person who called 911 the day of the murder, telling the dispatcher his wife wasn't responding to phone calls. He then told the 911 operator about the alleged stalker targeting them both.

Police found Kristil's body in the garage of the home she shared with Daniel and their three children. She had been struck in the back of the head and stabbed in the heart. Daniel scheduled text messages in his wife's phone, which were sent to him to support the narrative that when he left the house that morning, Kristil was still alive, per ABC News.

When police found the mountains of evidence on Daniel's burner phones and other devices, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Following his conviction, Broomfield Chief of Police Enea Hempelmann said, "While we know it won’t bring Kristil back to her family and friends, we hope it closes a painful chapter in their lives.”