A Colorado dentist accused of murder by slowly poisoning his wife’s protein shakes over the span of 10 days, has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
Jurors reached their decision on Wednesday afternoon after deliberating for less than a day following closing arguments on Tuesday in which the prosecution painted James Craig, 47, as a manipulative husband who devised a scheme to kill his wife, Angela, and make it look like she took her own life.
“Angela Craig was innocent,” prosecutor Michael Mauro said during his closing argument. “She had no part in her death, and the only person who says otherwise is this man. The person guilty of the ultimate betrayal – her murder.”
Angela Craig, a 43-year-old mother of six, died on March 18, 2023, after being hospitalized three times in 10 days for severe headaches, dizziness, and vomiting.
An autopsy revealed lethal levels of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient found in over-the-counter eyedrops, in her system. Arsenic was also listed as a contributing factor in her death.
Prosecutors accused Craig of poisoning his wife over time, culminating in a fatal dose they say he administered on March 15, 2023, while she was in the hospital. She was declared brain dead shortly afterward.
Craig’s defense team acknowledged his serial infidelity and dishonesty but argued there was no concrete proof he killed his wife.
Defense attorney Lisa Moses cited Angela Craig’s old journal entries to suggest she may have died by suicide and questioned the thoroughness of the investigation.
“This case is really about broken people, broken marriage, broken perceptions, broken investigation,” Moses said.
During the two-week trial, the prosecution called 48 witnesses and introduced evidence that Craig had ordered cyanide and arsenic online and made internet searches such as “how to make poison” and “Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play.”
They also argued Craig had attempted to stage a murder-for-hire plot from jail, targeting the case’s lead investigator and two inmates, while also soliciting help from his daughter and others to lie and fabricate evidence.
Angela’s brother-in-law, Mark Pray, testified that he unwittingly gave Angela cyanide-laced pills at Craig’s instruction. Moments later, she became weak and unable to stand.
Craig did not testify during the trial, and his attorneys did not call any witnesses. In cross-examinations, the defense suggested Angela may have taken the poison herself and argued that investigators had tunnel vision by focusing solely on Craig.
Police recovered a document from Craig’s phone titled “timeline,” in which he claimed Angela had asked him to help her die after he sought a divorce.
He wrote that he agreed to obtain poisons but not administer them, instead placing cyanide in capsules and preparing a syringe. According to his timeline, Angela ingested the toxins herself before her final collapse.
Detective Bobbi Olson, the lead investigator, testified that Craig’s version of events shifted frequently and conflicted with statements he made to others. At one point, Craig allegedly accused Angela of trying to frame him.
The defense entered Angela’s journal into evidence, highlighting years-old entries about the toll of Craig’s affairs. But Olson noted the entries ended in 2018 and made no mention of suicide.
Angela’s sister, Toni Kofoed, pushed back on any suggestion Angela wanted to end her life.
“She had a broken heart,” Kofoed testified. “But not a broken mind.”
Craig now faces a potential life sentence without parole.
