DENVER — Opening statements were delivered Tuesday in the trial of James Craig, a former Aurora dentist accused of killing his wife.
James Craig is accused of killing his wife, Angela Craig, 43, by poisoning her workout smoothies. 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.
He is on trial for one charge of first-degree murder, 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 first-degree murder. Five of the charges were added to this case during his time in jail.
- Denver7 was in the courtroom for Tuesday's opening statements. Read our coverage in the story below
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Trial for James Craig, former dentist accused of killing wife, begins on Tuesday
It's a case that has garnered national attention since James Craig was first arrested in March 2023.
"We have covered quite a few things, James Craig, definitely," said Kristi Brower, the co-host of the "True Crime Squad" podcast. "We've been covering since the very beginning, when it first broke in the news."
Brower told Denver7 she and her sister have been co-hosting their podcast together for the past 15 years, covering cases like that of Barry Morphew, Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow. The two live in Idaho but say the James Craig trial is of great interest to their listeners.
"Our listenership is very invested in knowing more about this case because we've been covering it all along," Brower said. "We promised them that we'll continue to cover it, just like we cover any other trial that isn't live streamed, which is through local reporters like yourself."
As a friendly reminder, the judge is NOT opening the public live-streaming feed for James Craig's trial. For anyone wishing to gather information about this case, you can attend in-person in DIV 201 or request court transcripts at a future date.
— 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office (@DA18th) July 15, 2025
Questions-> press@coda18.gov
In many court cases, journalists will submit a request for expanded media coverage (EMC) in order to video and audio record a trial. In this case, an EMC was granted by the judge, but in a "very limited capacity."
For James Craig's trial, a single camera is allowed inside the courtroom for opening and closing statements, as well as the jury verdict. Credentialed members of the media are allowed to watch the trial via a Webex link, but the trial will not be livestreamed to the public.
Steve Zansberg, president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and First Amendment attorney, said the judge's order does outline the reasoning behind the decision.
"The order doesn't cite the reasons," he said. "It cites the standards that our rule provides for when expanded media coverage is permissible. There's reference to the fact that there are to be juveniles who will be testifying, and the court has ordered that they not be identified."
Brower told Denver7 she and her co-host spent hours trying to figure out how they would cover the trial, finally landing on the need to rely on local reporting to help.
"We give everything that we can do our own research around as much as we can, and then very much appreciate local reporters who are able to be there," she said. "We're just not in a position to attend every trial we cover in person."
