DENVER, COLORADO — A prominent Colorado dentist is set to stand trial this week, accused of orchestrating a chilling plot to murder his wife by poisoning her protein shakes with cyanide in an attempt to stage her death as a suicide.
James Craig, 47, is charged with first-degree murder and multiple related counts over the March 2023 death of his wife, Angela Craig, 43, who died after suffering a series of unexplained and worsening symptoms. Prosecutors allege that Craig not only secretly poisoned her but also tried to manipulate evidence and even solicited others to help obstruct justice in the aftermath of her death.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the highly anticipated trial, which has drawn national attention for its allegations of marital betrayal, financial troubles, and a deadly web of lies.
Mysterious Illness and a Fatal Confrontation
According to investigators, Angela Craig began experiencing severe symptoms—including headaches, dizziness, and stomach pain—several weeks before her death. Initially baffled, doctors struggled to diagnose her condition.
However, surveillance video from inside the Craigs’ Denver home captured a heated confrontation between Angela and her husband days before she died. In the footage, Angela accuses James of telling hospital staff that she was suicidal, which she angrily denies.
“It’s your fault they treated me like I was a suicide risk, like I did it to myself, and like nothing I said could be believed,” Angela tells her husband in the video.
The footage, which a judge has ruled admissible at trial, is seen as crucial to prosecutors’ efforts to disprove any suggestion that Angela took her own life.
Cyanide, Internet Searches, and Secret Affairs
Following Angela’s death, toxicology tests revealed cyanide and tetrahydrozoline—a chemical found in eye drops—in her system.
Prosecutors allege James Craig purchased both cyanide and arsenic online, and conducted chilling internet searches such as “how to make murder look like a heart attack” and “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy.”
Investigators discovered that a shipment of potassium cyanide addressed to Craig arrived at his dental practice on March 13, days before Angela’s final hospitalization. A colleague accidentally opened the parcel, triggering suspicions that led to police involvement.
Police also uncovered evidence that Craig was involved in a romantic relationship with another dentist and was planning a new life apart from his wife. Financial difficulties reportedly compounded his alleged motive.
Alleged Plots to Obstruct Justice
Beyond the poisoning allegations, prosecutors say Craig went to elaborate lengths to cover his tracks. They allege he tried to fabricate evidence suggesting Angela was suicidal and solicited others, including fellow inmates, to interfere with the investigation.
Craig allegedly offered one jail inmate $20,000 to kill the lead detective investigating his case. He also reportedly tried to persuade another inmate to plant fraudulent letters in his home that would portray Angela as suicidal.
In the weeks leading up to Craig’s previously scheduled trial in November, prosecutors say he sent letters to the ex-wife of one inmate, offering her $20,000 for each person she could recruit to falsely testify that Angela had planned to end her own life.
Craig has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder, and solicitation to commit perjury.
Defense Disputes Evidence
Craig’s legal team has vigorously contested the allegations. His attorneys argue that tests on his wife’s protein shake containers found no traces of poison and that police developed tunnel vision against him from early in the investigation.
They have also questioned the credibility of the jail informants whose statements form part of the prosecution’s evidence, suggesting their accounts are unreliable and motivated by personal gain.
The case has been marked by turmoil in Craig’s legal representation. Two of his previous attorneys withdrew, one citing disagreements with Craig’s actions and another stepping away after he was charged with arson of his own home. Craig is now represented by attorney Lisa Fine Moses.
Family’s Anguish and Call for Justice
Angela Craig’s family remains determined to see justice served. Her brother, Mark Pray, has publicly condemned James Craig, accusing him of subjecting his sister to “torment and demise” and showing a disregard for his own children.
Meanwhile, Craig’s former business partner, Ryan Redfearn, played a key role in alerting authorities after he shared concerns with hospital staff that Angela might have been poisoned. A nurse reported his suspicions to police, helping to launch the investigation that ultimately led to Craig’s arrest.
As jury selection begins, the trial is expected to feature complex testimony about toxicology, digital evidence, and the unraveling of a marriage that prosecutors say ended in murder.
Angela Craig’s death leaves behind six children and a community still grappling with the shocking allegations that the trusted dentist and family man may have been living a deadly double life.
