The two ex-bodybuilding pros have pleaded guilty in the death case of their personal assistant. This happened Friday, a few days before the trial was set to start.

According to The Associated Press, Craig Titus, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, arson and kidnapping in the murder case of Melissa James, 28. The crime happened in December 2005.

Kelly Ryan, 35, Titus’ wife, also pleaded guilty to arson and battery with a deadly weapon with significantly body harm.

The body of the victim was found in the trunk of a sedan which had been burned and left in the desert, just outside Las Vegas.

The couple had been initially charged with murder with a deadly weapon.

Deputy District Attorney Robert Daskas said that the police had always been sure that Titus was the one who killed Melissa and that he covered up the crime.

The sentence is to be made on July 18. Titus can spend 15 to 55 years in prison and Ryan can face up to 30 years, given the fact that each charge has a sentence of 15 years.

The bodybuilding couple said, at first, that James died because of an overdose. They told police that, because they had panicked, they burned the body in the car and took it out of town. They said that they were concerned about bad publicity.

According to The Associated Press, they were arrested December23, 2005, in Stoughton, Mass.