A Maryland woman who admitted to helping cover up the murder of her grandmother is set to be released from jail only a year after the killing.
Salia Hardy, 21, testified in the case against her own mother, 46-year-old Candace Craig, who was found guilty of murdering and dismembering 71-year old Margaret Craig, Hardy’s grandmother.
Prosecutors said Hardy helped her mother cover it up.
Hardy was charged as an accessory in the May 2023 murder. She plead guilty to the charge this week.
In a statement provided to WTOP, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said the 550 days Hardy had already spent in jail was “appropriate” as her punishment.
“Candace attempted to blame Miss Hardy and her other two children for the murder. It is unthinkable that a mother would subject her children to such circumstances. Miss Hardy didn’t participate in the murder of her grandmother and pled guilty to accessory after the crime,” Braveboy said.
She added that Hardy’s testimony against her mother “played a critical role” in securing a guilty verdict in the case.
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“In light of the trauma and unfortunate circumstances Miss Hardy has faced because of her mother’s crime, our prayers go out to her as she heals and works to regain her life. She will be subject to five years of supervised probation and other conditions ordered by the court, including a psychological evaluation and a drug and alcohol evaluation,” Braveboy wrote.
Prosecutors called Margaret Craig’s killing “mind-boggling” and described it as among the worst murders in memory.
On the afternoon of June 2, 2023, Prince George’s County police responded to a home in the 200 block of Hill Road in Walker Mill for a welfare check for Margaret Craig. The caller said he had not spoken to her for several days and was becoming worried.
When police entered the home and searched the basement, “they immediately smelled the odor of decomposition,” officials said.
Later investigation found that Candace Craig had killed her mother the month prior and had attempted to cover up the death by dismembering her and trying to grill her body. Hardy helped cover up the crime, but testified that killing, dismembering and burning Margaret Craig’s body was her mother’s idea.
In court last month, Candace Craig was found guilty of first and second-degree murder. She faces sentencing in February 2025, according to court documents.
After the November court hearing, Braveboy told reporters the process was heart-wrenching for everyone involved. Prosecutors brought forth deeply troubling images and argued Margaret Craig’s death was fueled by financial misconduct and fraud.
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