What to know about the trial of a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife
Share and Follow


DENVER (AP) — The trial of James Craig, a Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife Angela Craig by gradually poisoning her, is wrapping up. Lawyers are set to deliver closing arguments Tuesday before jurors begin deliberations.

Jurors have heard from some of Angela Craig’s relatives and also women James Craig had been having affairs with, all called by prosecutors. James Craig didn’t testify and his lawyers didn’t present any witnesses, which they’re not required to.

Who was Angela Craig?

Angela Craig, 43, was a mother of six children who friends and family say was devoted to her family. She was the youngest of 10 siblings herself and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Described as organized and dependable, she had taken over her mother’s role as the genealogist for her birth family, an important role in their faith. Her older brother Mark Pray said she had been “happy and positive” since she was a child. But her sister Toni Kofoed testified that her sister had confided in her about struggles she was having in her marriage. However, pushing back against defense suggestions that her sister may have killed herself, Kofoed said her sister had a “broken heart” but not a “broken mind.”

What killed Angela Craig and how?

Angela Craig died in 2023 during her third trip to the hospital in a little over a week. Toxicology tests later determined she died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient found in over-the-counter eye drops. Early on, James Craig had purchased a variety of poisons before his wife’s death and had put some in the protein shakes he made for her, according to police. During the trial, prosecutors alleged that he also gave her a dose of cyanide as she lay in her hospital bed on March 15, 2023, as doctors tried to figure out what was ailing her. She was declared brain dead soon afterward and never recovered.

What does James Craig say?

In a notes file later found on James Craig’s phone by police, he said Angela Craig had asked him to help kill her with poison when he asked for a divorce after having affairs. In the document, which was labeled “timeline,” Craig said that he had eventually agreed to purchase and prepare poisons for her to take, but not administer them. Craig said that he had put cyanide in some of the antibiotic capsules she had been taking and also prepared a syringe containing cyanide.

According to his timeline, Craig wrote that just before she had to go to the hospital on March 15, 2023, she must have ingested a mixture containing the tetrahydrozoline, the eye drop ingredient, because she became lethargic and weak, before then taking the antibiotic laced with cyanide that he said he prepared for her. Mark Pray, who was visiting to help the Craig family because of his sister’s mysterious illness, testified that he gave Angela Craig the capsules after being instructed to do so by James Craig, who was not at home. Pray said his sister bent over and couldn’t hold herself up after taking the medicine. He and his wife then took her to the hospital.

What do investigators and the defense say?

The lead investigator, Detective Bobbi Olson, testified that James Craig’s timeline account differed from statements he had made to others about what had happened, including accusing Angela Craig of setting him up to make it look like he had killed her.

Craig is also charged with trying to hire a fellow jail inmate to kill Olson.

The defense argues that the evidence doesn’t show that James Craig poisoned and killed his wife and have seemed to suggest that Angela Craig may have taken her own life. They introduced into evidence Angela Craig’s journal in which she talks about the struggles in their marriage in previous years and her husband’s infidelity. In one entry she wrote, “He doesn’t love me and I don’t blame him.” The journal ended in 2018 and did not include any mentions of suicide, Olson said.

In opening statements, one of Craig’s attorneys, Ashley Whitham, repeatedly described Angela Craig as “broken,” partly by Craig’s infidelity and her desire to stay married, since they were part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
'It's just sad': Jacksonville neighbor describes chaos after officer-involved shooting

Jacksonville Resident Expresses Discontent Following Officer-Involved Shooting Incident

A Jacksonville neighborhood is coming to terms with a harrowing night marked…
Rob Reiner's son Nick is seen being arrested over parents' murder

Hollywood Shock: Nick Reiner, Son of Director Rob Reiner, Arrested in Connection with Parents’ Murder

Striking photos capture the moment Nick Reiner was tackled to the ground…
Brown grad who’s survived two campus shootings recounts terror after police release detained suspect

Brown University Shooting: A Detailed Timeline of the Tragic Incident Resulting in 2 Fatalities and 9 Injuries

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Authorities in Rhode Island are intensifying their efforts as…
Final pennies to ever be minted in the US sell for $16.7m at auction

Historic Final Batch of US Pennies Fetches $16.7 Million at Auction

The last batch of pennies ever minted in the United States has…
Brown University students flee Rhode Island after losing faith in FBI

Brown University Students Exodus: Disillusionment with FBI Sparks Departure from Rhode Island

Fearful Brown University students are leaving Rhode Island, having lost confidence in…
Trump signs order declaring illicit fentanyl a 'weapon of mass destruction,' citing national-security risks

Trump Declares Illicit Fentanyl a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ in New National Security Move

President Donald Trump has taken a groundbreaking step by issuing an executive…
Nick Reiner admitted stealing $200 from his dad for a prostitute

Nick Reiner Confesses to Taking $200 from Father for Personal Use

In a startling revelation from a previously unearthed interview, Nick Reiner admitted…
Trump thinks Russia's Putin wants all of Ukraine: WH Chief Susie Wiles

WH Chief Susie Wiles Reveals Trump’s Belief: Putin’s Ambition Extends Across All of Ukraine

In Washington, insights have emerged from White House Chief of Staff Susie…