James Craig, a Colorado dentist, is currently standing trial for the alleged murder of his wife, Angela Craig.
The prosecution claims that he poisoned her protein shakes over a period of weeks and attempted to obstruct the subsequent investigation that followed her death.
Angela Craig, the mother of six children, was said to have experienced severe health issues after consuming the shakes, leading to hospital visits where doctors were unable to diagnose her condition.
Toxicology tests later determined that she had been poisoned with cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a chemical commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops.
The 52-page probable cause affidavit outlines the investigation, revealing that James Craig reportedly purchased poisons online and was motivated by financial troubles and an affair with another woman, Karin Cain.
Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley stated during opening statements that James Craig might have been seeking the payout from his wife’s life insurance policy, and he further accused Craig of administering poison to Angela while she was hospitalized.
“He went in that room to murder her, to deliberately and intentionally end her life with a fatal dose of cyanide,” he asserted.
Craig has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, as well as five additional charges related to his conduct while awaiting trial, which include solicitation to commit murder and tampering with evidence.
Defense attorney Ashley Whitham did not contest that Angela had poison in her system or that James was having an affair.
However, she argued that there was no evidence linking him directly to Angela’s death and suggested she could have died by suicide.
Whitham urged the jury to look beyond their personal feelings about Craig and consider whether the evidence substantiated the murder charges against him.
If found guilty, Craig could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Angela Craig’s health began to decline shortly after returning home from a visit with her sister in Utah on March 5, 2023.
The following day, James prepared a protein shake for her, claiming it had extra protein since she was feeling sluggish.
Shortly after their workout, Angela began to feel faint and dizzy, prompting a trip to the hospital.
Reports indicate she expressed feeling “not right in her head” and experienced symptoms consistent with poisoning.
Over the next ten days, Angela was admitted to the hospital multiple times, with doctors unable to diagnose her condition.
On March 18, her condition had deteriorated so severely that she was declared brain dead.
The affidavit presented in court includes text messages exchanged between Angela and James during her hospitalizations.
In one message, she noted, “I feel drugged,” to which James allegedly replied, “I didn’t drug you”—a claim that investigators argue contradicts evidence suggesting otherwise.
According to Angela’s sister, there was a prior incident years prior where James allegedly drugged Angela due to his own suicidal thoughts.
The couple’s marriage was reportedly tumultuous, with James having multiple affairs and a pornography addiction.
While James contended Angela was struggling with thoughts of suicide, investigators failed to find support for this claim among their children and others who knew the couple.
Angela’s sister reported a heated conversation between James and Angela, wherein she accused him of making her seem like a suicide risk to hospital staff.
Investigators were alerted to Craig’s potential involvement in the poisoning after his business partner, Ryan Redfearn, became suspicious.
Redfearn and his wife were visiting Angela in the hospital when he received a concerning call from an office manager about suspicious behavior from James.
The manager recalled seeing James using a computer at the office with the lights turned off, which prompted her to investigate further.
She reported that James informed her of an upcoming personal package, which contained potassium cyanide.
Upon discovering the nature of this substance and Angela’s declining health, Ryan Redfearn immediately notified hospital staff, triggering a police investigation.
In a phone conversation between James and Ryan after the hospital visit, James denied any wrongdoing regarding the package.
Initially, he suggested it contained a ring meant to be a surprise for Angela but later acknowledged the presence of potassium cyanide, claiming Angela had asked him to order it.
Evidence collected from the investigation included various protein powders and workout supplements found at Craig’s home, alongside two unlabeled bags of powder.
Additionally, searches conducted by authorities on Craig’s office computer revealed alarming internet activity linking him to poisons.
Search histories showed inquiries related to arsenic, methods of administering poison, and whether arsenic is detectable during autopsies.
Craig had also placed orders for arsenic and potassium cyanide, ostensibly under false pretenses related to his dental practice.
His communications with Karin Cain, the woman he was romantically involved with during Angela’s illness, further complicated the situation.
James allegedly arranged for Cain to visit Colorado between March 8 and 10—during which Angela was hospitalized for the second time.
Craig was arrested the day after Angela’s death in March 2023, but his legal challenges persisted.
Prosecutors allege that while incarcerated, Craig attempted to execute a plan to obstruct the investigation by hiring individuals to provide false testimony and to harm the lead investigator, Detective Bobbi Olson.
As a result, he now faces an additional five charges linked to this alleged conspiracy.
Letters that Craig purportedly sent while in jail indicated he was willing to offer substantial monetary rewards for the assassination of investigators and for witnesses to create false narratives about Angela.
Defense attorney Whitham acknowledged Craig’s questionable actions in jail but urged jurors to scrutinize the credibility of potential witness testimonies.
She pointed out that his actions should be viewed in the context of his family situation and emotional state in the aftermath of his wife’s death.
The trial is unfolding as a tragic story for the Craig family, with the loss of a mother and the potential loss of a father, whose actions continue to raise serious questions about the events leading to Angela Craig’s untimely death.
image source from：npr
