Fit for Murder Review and Ending Explained: Why is Melissa Murdered?

Lifetime’s ‘Fit For Murder‘ revolves around a celebrity bodybuilder couple, Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan, whose lives are upended when their personal assistant, Melissa James, wounds up murdered in the back of their burning car. Subsequently, the influential duo is the subject of a homicide investigation that probes into the nitty-gritty of their existence and how they are personally tied up in the entire affair. As we jump back and forth between the past and present, a comprehensive picture emerges of the complex relationship between the power couple and their live-in assistant, highlighting the impact of fame, ambition, deception, and lies on the lives of three people who get wrapped up in the dark depths of a grisly murder. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Review: A Disturbing Murder Thriller With a Convoluted Structure

As ‘Fit For Murder’ is primarily based on actual events, the film dives into the facts behind the crime through a subjective lens, depicting how things spiraled out of control for Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan. On the realism front, the movie does a commendable job of portraying the details of the case in an accurate manner, with some deviations here and there. To that end, the performances by the talented cast help bring an additional layer of discomfort when watching the lives of the three central characters unravel on screen. Even the direction feels on point with various scenes, albeit occasionally lacking in emotions. Overall, there is a greater focus on dramatizing each moment to feel engaging to the audience, which it achieves for the most part. However, the problems for the film lie elsewhere.

One of the trickier aspects to grasp is the constant flickering between past and present throughout the narrative. While the technique has been used in the past to significant effect, it slightly falls short in the Lifetime thriller. In some ways, it begs the question of whether a more straightforward, linear structure might have been better suited to latch on to the audience’s emotions, especially with the jarring manner in which seemingly disconnected moments are stitched together without any larger theme at play. Although the approach may not affect the understanding of the plot, it does bring an additional layer of complication that sometimes feels unnecessary. Still, the film is a compelling watch owing to its central mystery and the toxic drama centered around the leading trio.

Fit For Murder Plot Synopsis

The story begins with a shot of a burning car in the middle of the Nevada desert. Detectives Wilson and Mogg arrive on the scene to inspect the vehicle. They eventually locate a charred body in the trunk whose identity is hard to distinguish. As they dig through the wreckage, they find a license plate, which they track down to Kelly Ryan, a celebrity bodybuilder married to her equally influential husband, Craig Titus. The cops believe the body belongs to Kelly. However, their assumptions are quickly dissuaded when they visit the couple and realize she is alive. They eventually bring them in for questioning after they learn that the body belongs to their live-in assistant, Melissa James. As per the duo, she was fired from her job and absconded in Kelly’s car.

We jump back in time to 2001 when Craig and Kelly acquaint themselves with Melissa for the first time at a fitness competition. The latter is the event manager and a huge fan of Craig and Kelly. A couple of years later, we watch the power couple move into a new home after a series of successes as professional bodybuilders. With their level of stardom increasing, Melissa approaches them once more at a gym. Although she declines to hang out with them, she is eventually contacted by Craig, who is attracted to her and asks her to be the couple’s new personal assistant. Kelly is surprised to learn about this arrangement from her husband but accepts it for the time being. It bothers her that a new girl will stay with her and Craig in the house.

It does not take long for a sexual fling to begin between Craig and Melissa, who start sleeping with each other behind Kelly’s back. In the meantime, Kelly is disappointed in her professional career as she loses out on some competitions. Worried about Craig and Melissa’s closeness, she asks her friend Megan to inspect her background. Megan returns later to inform Kelly that Melissa is facing financial problems as her dance studio, Total Vibe, is at risk of being closed down. At the same time, Kelly also finds some weird transactions on her credit card, which she handed over to Melissa out of trust. While the doubts keep gnawing at her, Craig and Melissa continue their relationship. Eventually, the tension between the trio reaches a breaking point as the cops question the couple about what happened and how Melissa’s body wound up in Kelly’s car.

Fit For Murder Ending: Why Do Craig and Kelly Kill Melissa?

At the end of ‘Fit For Murder,’ we finally see how Craig and Kelly killed Melissa. Although the film tries to keep it under wraps for anticipation, it becomes quite evident as the narrative progresses that the power couple is responsible for Melissa’s death. With the relationship between Melissa and Kelly worsening progressively, the former’s death comes after the tension reaches its peak crescendo. The reasons behind the crime are somewhat more complicated. Throughout the narrative, we witness Melissa and Craig engage in a tryst that creates a rift between the latter and his wife. Kelly gets wind of this affair, suspicious that they may have something going on and Melissa may have ulterior motives. However, a big change occurs when Kelly discovers that the assistant may be stealing from her.

Kelly shares her doubts with Craig, who promises to sort out Melissa by himself. However, he is too emotionally engaged in his affair to make his position clear. As a result, the onus falls on Kelly to confront Melissa and ask her about her alleged stealing behavior. It sets the stage for a growing rift between the assistant and her female boss. Eventually, the conflict reaches its conclusion when Kelly peeks into Melissa’s room right as the assistant prepares to leave the duo, only to find her taking drugs. Upon closer inspection, Kelly also finds copies of her and Craig’s credit cards in Melissa’s suitcase. In the ensuing chaos, Melissa and Kelly get involved in a physical fight. Craig comes to his wife’s rescue but only makes the situation worse by strangling Kelly to death. They eventually decide to put her death down to an overdose and mask the evidence by burning the body.

What Happens to Kelly and Craig?

The truth behind Craig and Kelly’s crime is uncovered by the police through a mix of forensic detective work and some illuminating statements from Megan. The latter reaches out to the authorities to divulge how she visited Kelly and Craig the night they murdered Melissa. Unbeknownst to her and her husband, the bodybuilder couple had already hidden Melissa’s body in the car by then, which they passed on their way in. While inside, Kelly divulged a whole host of secrets to Megan about her and Craig’s part in Melissa’s disappearance. The married couple were in a state of anguish and ruing the fact that they were part of Melissa’s murder. As such, Kelly started vaguely confessing to the crime to Megan, who is alarmed by her friend’s state of mind.

Although the actual truth behind the crime never reaches Megan’s ears, her testimony is vital in informing the authorities about the nature of the case and the culprits. Earlier in the narrative, they staged a raid to capture the bodybuilders in their private residence, only to find it empty. Subsequently, a country-wide search begins to locate Kelly and Craig. The movie’s final moments showcase the married pair hanging out at a nail salon in Boston, Massachusetts. A contingent of FBI agents sneak up on them and take them into custody. As the duo are arrested and led towards their vehicles, they look at one another one last time with a pained expression on their faces. Once inside the car, we learn the punishment for their crimes and their respective sentences.