A Maryland woman is accused by prosecutors of killing her mother, dismembering her with a chainsaw and then attempting to burn her remains on a grill and start a fire in the back of her home.

Candace Craig, 46, is on trial this week on murder allegations connected to the death of her 71-year-old mother, Margaret Craig, whose remains were found by police in garbage bags in the basement of her Hyattsville home in May 2023. , WUSA9 reported.

Craig’s 21-year-old daughter, Salia Hardy, who agreed to be an accomplice after the incident, testified in a two-day statement that began on Wednesday, October 30, that the murder took place after her grandmother accused her mother of stealing money from her bank account. , ABC7 reported.

On the day of the murder on May 23, 2023, Hardy said he heard a scream in the house and remembered his mother telling him to stay away from his grandmother’s bedroom.

Craig allegedly told her that if he went to prison, Hardy “needed to keep an eye on his sisters.” WDCW.

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The next day, Hardy testified that when he entered his grandmother’s room, he found the victim’s body in a trash can, a garbage bag over his head, and blood on the carpet. FOX5.

Hardy allegedly confronted his mother, who told him they should dispose of the body by burning, using acid or dismembering the body, WDCW reported.

Hardy told jurors that days later, after purchasing grilling supplies, including a can of gasoline, from Home Depot, Craig tried to burn the body in the back of the house, but it didn’t work because neighbors noticed the fire was spreading and contacted authorities. fire department, according to FOX5.

The next morning, Hardy testified, Hardy and Craig brought the victim’s remains inside after “having had time to calm down,” WDCW reported.

Hardy later claimed that Craig bought a chainsaw from Amazon and cut up his mother’s body in the basement.

Officers were called to the home for a welfare check on June 2, 2023, after a neighbor reported her missing, WUSA9 reported. According to WUSA9, officers immediately smelled decomposition and saw blood on three white plastic garbage bags, according to charging documents.

Investigators later allegedly found a chainsaw with human remains on it, as well as blood spatter and cleaning supplies in the basement, WUSA9 reported.