After closing arguments in the case of a Broomfield man accused of stalking and murdering his wife, the trial is now left to a jury to decide.

Daniel Krug is charged with first-degree murder — after deliberation; criminal impersonation; and two counts of stalking in the death of his wife, Kristil Krug, who was found dead at their home in December 2023.

The trial began earlier this month, and court documents indicate Daniel Krug sent his wife threatening emails and text messages for months while leading her to believe they came from an ex-boyfriend.

“Instead of accepting (the deterioration of his marriage) and going through the divorce process, he decided he was going to play puppet master,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Kate Armstrong said during closing statements Wednesday morning.

Armstrong reiterated the evidence against Daniel Krug, including that the TracFone cell phone sending the messages was purchased with a gift card registered to his email address and the email addresses used by the stalker were created on the Wi-Fi network at Daniel Krug’s workplace.Kristil Krug was found dead Dec. 14, 2023, by Broomfield police, who were performing a wellness check after Daniel Krug called to say he couldn’t reach his wife. Police found her in the garage.

Preliminary information from her autopsy showed that she sustained two or more blunt-force trauma wounds on the back of her head and one stab wound on the left side of her chest, according to an affidavit.

The defense attorney argued that Broomfield police mishandled the case and should have done more to find the ex-boyfriend before Kristil Krug’s death. Additionally, no blood was found on Daniel Krug’s clothes or car, according to the defense attorney.

“I’m telling you, Mr. Krug did not kill his wife, and he did not commit these crimes — period,” defense attorney Joe Morales said.

An affidavit indicated the ex-boyfriend was near his home in Utah at the time of Kristil Krug’s death.

“The evidence builds to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant concocted this nightmare in which he tormented and terrified his own family and murdered his wife in cold blood,” Armstrong said.

The jury began deliberations just after 11 a.m. Wednesday and was expected to continue Thursday.