Daniel Krug, who was convicted in April of stalking and murdering his wife, Kristil Krug, faces paying additional restitution costs to Kristil Krug’s family, according to a hearing in a Broomfield court.
In the court review Thursday morning, Stephanie Fritts, representing the government, asked Judge Teri Vasquez to require that Daniel Krug pay additional restitution fees. That could include coverage for Kristil Krug’s burial and a storage space where her belongings are to be kept for her children, according to the discussion of Fritts’ request.
Over the opposition of Joe Morales, who represented Daniel Krug, Vasquez leaned in Fritts’ favor. However, Vasquez scheduled a future review for March 13 to determine the scope of the restitution order, as it sounded like the storage costs “could continue indefinitely,” Vasquez said. An arrangement for Daniel Krug to pay for therapy costs for Kristil Krug’s children was mentioned at the hearing but not challenged by Morales.
The case dates back roughly two years. On the morning of Dec. 14, 2023, Kristil Krug had just returned home from dropping her children off for school when Daniel Krug ambushed her. He hit her in the head multiple times with a blunt object before fatally stabbing her in the heart, according to a news release from the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office released after the trial.
In the months leading up to the murder, Daniel Krug, now 45, sent vulgar and threatening messages, according to authorities. He carried out an “elaborate scheme” to act as a fictitious stalker, attempting to frame an ex-boyfriend of Kristil Krug’s who lived in Utah, according to the DA’s Office’s release.
Daniel Krug was sentenced in April this year to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus an additional 9½ years, which will run consecutively, according to the release. On Thursday this week, he appeared virtually in court from the Sterling Correctional Facility in northeast Colorado.