Prosecutors say months of impersonation and threats ended with a fatal ambush in the family’s garage.
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A Colorado man who authorities say posed as his wife’s stalker for months before attacking her in their garage was sentenced in April to life in prison without parole, closing a case that began when the mother of three asked police for help weeks before Christmas 2023.
The killing of Kristil Krug, 44, drew intense scrutiny because the threats that frightened her were real — but, prosecutors said, they were coming from inside her marriage. Investigators concluded her husband, Daniel Krug, crafted a false persona to harass his family, then killed Kristil on Dec. 14, 2023, as their relationship unraveled. A jury later convicted him of first-degree murder, stalking and criminal impersonation. The case is back in the spotlight with a televised report airing this weekend that retraces how a stalking complaint turned into a domestic violence homicide investigation.
Police reports and courtroom testimony outline a step-by-step timeline. In October 2023, Kristil documented lewd and threatening messages she believed came from an ex-boyfriend. She met with Broomfield officers, voicing fears that someone was following her and her husband. In the weeks that followed, texts escalated to explicit threats and photos suggesting surveillance. On the morning of Dec. 14, 2023, after taking two children to school, Kristil returned to the family’s suburban home just before 8 a.m. Detectives later said her husband lay in wait. She was struck in the head and stabbed once in the heart. Officers, responding to a midday welfare check requested by Daniel, found her in the garage and pronounced her dead minutes later. “Control was the motive,” District Attorney Brian Mason said after the verdict.
Investigators told jurors the supposed stalker never existed. Instead, they said, Daniel created fake email accounts and used burner phones to send vulgar messages, at times attaching a photo of himself arriving at work to imply the family was being watched. Digital evidence showed one impersonation account was created on a network at his workplace. Home surveillance was also manipulated: a doorbell camera had been covered with blue tape, the home security system was turned off from Kristil’s phone at 8:15 a.m., and his car’s dash camera was disabled that morning. Prosecutors said he scheduled text messages from Kristil’s phone to himself and others after leaving the house to make it appear she was alive and communicating. The ex-boyfriend she feared was verified to be living in Utah and was ruled out.
Court records describe the attack as the culmination of a failing marriage. Relatives said the couple had discussed divorce. Jurors heard about internet searches on Daniel’s devices the night before the killing that referenced head injuries and unconsciousness. While the defense emphasized there was no blood or DNA directly tying him to the scene, the jury convicted him after a multi-week trial in April 2025. Judge Priscilla Loew found the crimes constituted acts of domestic violence and imposed a mandatory life sentence for murder, plus nine and a half years for the stalking and impersonation convictions.
Family members filled the courtroom for the verdict and sentencing. Kristil’s father, Lars Grimsrud, told the court the killing was “pure selfish evil” that left three children without their parents. Her cousin, Becky Ivanoff, called the manipulation and terror “unimaginable.” Daniel’s older brother, Jeremy, expressed sorrow for the children and said his family had hoped someone else was responsible until the evidence was presented at trial. Daniel declined to speak before sentencing.
Authorities said detectives initially chased a stalking case, even surveilling the couple to identify who was behind the messages, before the focus shifted. The investigation moved quickly after the homicide: the ex-boyfriend’s alibi was verified; phone and network data linked messages to Daniel’s devices and workplace; and surveillance established his movements that morning, including leaving home later than usual. The Broomfield Police Department credited digital forensics and neighborhood video for unraveling the scheme.
The case returns to national attention Saturday night with a television report examining the investigation and the moment detectives told Daniel they had cleared their initial person of interest. As of now, the life sentence stands. The next milestone in the court record would be any post-conviction filing; none was immediately noted at sentencing.
Author note: Last updated November 28, 2025.