Kelly Ann Ryan[1] (born July 10, 1972, in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American known for being convicted of arson, and assault and battery with a deadly weapon, as an accessory to the December 14, 2005 murder of Melissa James.
The young woman had been working as a personal assistant to Ryan and her husband Craig Titus at their home in Las Vegas.
Titus was convicted of second-degree murder, kidnapping and arson, and received a much longer prison sentence than did his wife.
They had first hired Melissa James as a live-in personal assistant to support their competitions and plans when they were living in Southern California.
James had moved back East, but returned to work for them in the late summer or fall 2005.
On December 14, 2005 the body of Melissa James was found bound and gagged in the trunk of a burning car in the desert.
After James's body was found, the couple fled Las Vegas and traveled cross-country to Massachusetts, along with accomplice Anthony Gross.
The Washoe County District Attorney decided to try Titus and Ryan together, but on differing charges.