DENVER (AP) — Just days before her death from symptoms that baffled her medical team, Angela Craig confronted her husband, James, in their suburban Denver kitchen regarding his perceived lack of support. This 2023 argument, captured on home surveillance video, revealed Angela accusing James of suggesting to hospital staff that she was suicidal, according to court documents.
Prosecutors allege that James Craig intentionally poisoned Angela's protein shakes, causing the ailments that led to her death in March 2023. His trial for murder and other charges is scheduled to begin with jury selection. Angela Craig, 43, passed away during her third hospitalization that month. Toxicology reports later confirmed that she died from poisoning caused by cyanide and tetrahydrozoline—an ingredient found in over-the-counter eye drops.
The couple had been married for 23 years and had six children together. James Craig, 47, has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder, and solicitation to commit perjury. Authorities assert that James attempted to fabricate evidence to make it appear as though his wife had taken her own life.
According to police, Craig purchased arsenic online around the time Angela began experiencing unexplained symptoms such as dizziness and headaches. When arrested, he was allegedly trying to create a new life amid financial difficulties and was thought to be having an affair with a fellow dentist, while prosecutors claimed he had been unfaithful to Angela with two other women. However, a clear motive for Angela’s death has not been established.
Craig's legal team has argued that police exhibited bias against him and claimed that tests of his wife’s shake containers did not reveal any signs of poison. They raised questions about the reliability of a jail inmate who testified that Craig offered him $20,000 to kill the case's lead investigator—a plot for which Craig is also being tried.
Prior to jury selection, one of Craig's lawyers, Harvey Steinberg, withdrew from the case, citing a legal provision that allows attorneys to step down if a client engages in criminal conduct they disagree with. Another of Craig's attorneys, Robert Werking, argued that investigators did not examine whether Craig had actually written the letters or compare them to his handwriting. Werking also noted that the inmate and his ex-wife had previously been prosecuted for roles in a forgery scam, calling their credibility into question. Following Werking's withdrawal due to his own legal troubles, his law partner, Lisa Fine Moses, is now defending Craig.
Despite defense objections, prosecutors intend to present the video of the couple's argument to jurors. During the confrontation, Angela expressed her frustration and anger at her husband's actions, saying, “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.” Prosecutors argue that this video counters any claims that Angela poisoned herself out of despair in an effort to manipulate James during a potential divorce.
One of Angela’s siblings, Mark Pray, asserted last year that James Craig orchestrated not only the “torment and demise” of his sister but also showed a lack of concern for their children. Prosecutors have pointed to online searches by James for queries such as “how to make murder look like a heart attack” and “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?”
Following his initial failed attempts to poison Angela, it is claimed that he ordered a rush shipment of potassium cyanide purportedly for a surgery. The shipment was accidentally discovered by an employee at his dental practice in Aurora on March 13, 2023. After the employee alerted management, concerns were raised about the possibility of Angela being poisoned with cyanide, ultimately leading police to initiate an investigation as Angela was hospitalized for the third time.
As her health deteriorated, Angela Craig passed away shortly after the police began their investigation.
