AURORA, Colo. — More than two years after Angela Craig was poisoned and died as a result, her husband and former Aurora dentist, James Craig, will stand trial for her murder.
Angela was 43 years old at the time of her death. Her cause of death was determined to be lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a decongestant found in over-the-counter eyedrops. She also suffered through several bouts of sickness before her passing, and doctors struggled to determine why she was ill.
James faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with Angela's death. While in jail, James racked up additional charges in the case.
He now faces six charges: two counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence, two counts of solicitation to commit perjury in the first degree, and one count of solicitation to commit murder in the first degree. The solicitation for murder charge stems from allegations that the former dentist attempted to use a fellow inmate to kill a detective investigating his case.
James Craig pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to court dockets, jury selection is scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 10. Opening statements are expected early next week.
The trial is slated to run through August 1.
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Twice, defense attorneys have removed themselves from this case just as the trial was scheduled to begin.
Our partners at The Denver Post reported last week that Robert Werking withdrew as defense counsel on the case after he was arrested on suspicion of arson.
The Denver Post also covered Harvey Steinberg's removal from the case, just before jury selection was scheduled to begin in the trial set in November 2024. That delayed the trial to this year.
According to The Denver Post, Steinberg cited two rules of professional conduct as an explanation for his sudden departure. The first was that his client was persisting in a course of action that he believed to be criminal or fraudulent. The second was that his client was insisting on action with which he fundamentally disagreed.
Arrest affidavit details wife's ill health, poison clues
As Denver7 has previously reported, a 52-page arrest affidavit for James detailed how his wife became sick multiple times in early and mid-March 2023 and was hospitalized, but doctors could not determine what was causing her symptoms. During one of the visits, a person alerted a nurse that he believed she had been poisoned, possibly by James, according to the affidavit. Around 12:30 a.m. on March 16, 2023, a detective learned about the decline of Angela’s health. At that time, she was still on life support with no brain activity.
Angela was pronounced brain dead on March 18, 2023, at 4:29 p.m., according to the affidavit.
Police seized computers during a search of James' dental office. On a device, investigators found that a user had searched many poison-related inquiries, including “How many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human”? and “Is arsenic detectable in autopsy?” The user had also searched for chemical suppliers in Aurora as well as YouTube videos about making poison, including one titled “Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Sign of Foul Play."
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Detectives found messages, including travel plans, with a woman that were “intimate in nature and contained sexually explicit conversations,” according to the affidavit.
The affidavit also claims that James made multiple orders for arsenic and cyanide.
Through the investigation, police noticed many similarities between Angela's symptoms and the effects of ingesting cyanide and arsenic, as outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A person told authorities they knew James made protein shakes for his wife when they exercised and that she had felt faint and dizzy after drinking them. The protein powder and shakers were seized in a search warrant. Police said in the affidavit that they believe the poison was in those shakes.
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Affidavit: Aurora dentist purchased cyanide, arsenic before wife's death
Denver7 reached out to the defense attorneys representing Craig, who did not immediately respond for a comment ahead of the case.
Denver7 has been following this case from the beginning. Read our previous coverage below:
- 'Heinous, complex and calculated murder': Aurora dentist arrested in wife's poisoning death (March 2023)
- Prosecutors call Aurora dentist’s alleged poisoning of wife ‘detailed, deliberate, and determined’ (July 2023)
- Judge sets $10M cash-only bond for Aurora dentist accused of poisoning, killing his wife (August 2023)
- Aurora dentist accused of poisoning wife pleads not guilty to murder, solicitation charges (October 2023)
- Aurora dentist accused of fatally poisoning wife faces new charges of asking daughter to help cover up crime (April 2024)
- DA: Aurora dentist accused of killing asked inmate to plant evidence in exchange for free dental work (May 2024)
- Aurora dentist accused of killing wife discussed it with mistress, district attorney alleges (June 2024)
- Aurora dentist accused of fatally poisoning wife gets a new attorney with two months until trial (June 2024)
- Attorney dumps Aurora dentist just before jury selection, delaying trial in high-profile poisoning case (November 2024)
- Aurora dentist accused of poisoning wife allegedly tried to solicit murder of detective on case, docs say (December 2024)
- New attorneys appointed, court dates scheduled in Aurora dentist’s murder case (December 2024)
- Judge rules there's enough evidence to prosecute former Aurora dentist accused of plotting to kill detective (February 2025)
