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A Denver dentist has been convicted in the poisoning death of his wife.
Arapahoe County jurors deliberated for about nine hours before telling the court they found James Craig guilty in the murder of his wife, Angela Craig. He was found guilty of one count 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 of first-degree murder.
James faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, as outlined by Colorado law.
Prosecutors accused Craig of murdering his wife by lacing her protein smoothies with arsenic, cyanide, and tetrahydrozoline, an active ingredient in over-the-counter eye drops, on multiple occasions in March of 2023. Angela died on March 18, 2023, following two previous hospitalizations.
James Craig’s trial
Throughout the trial, James’ defense team suggested that Angela committed suicide, and had asked James to order the lethal poisons for her use. They argued that James’ infidelity was not a substantial enough motive to kill his wife, but that it could’ve resulted in Angela deciding to take her own life.
“Twenty-some years of him cheating on Angela Craig — he broke her,” defense attorney Lisa Moses said in her closing argument, according to NBC News. “He broke her heart, her soul.”
Deputy District Attorney Michael Mauro refuted the defense’s assertion that Angela enlisted her husband to help her commit suicide in closing statements. “Angela Craig is innocent. She had no part in her death, and the only person who says otherwise, is this man,” Mauro said of James, according to Denver7, an ABC affiliate station.
Mauro argued that James wanted out of the marriage, but didn’t want to spend the money on a divorce attorney, nor did he want to look like a bad husband for leaving the mother of his six children.
“He wanted out of his marriage,” Mauro said, according to Fox affiliate KDVR. “He was tired of going round and round. Having an affair, getting caught and digging himself out. And then repeating that cycle. He wanted out, he wanted to be done.”
What was the evidence against James Craig?
Prosecutors showed jurors that, in the weeks leading up to Angela’s death, James had searched the internet for information about arsenic, according to NBC News‘ report. He also purchased potassium cyanide from Amazon and had it delivered to the dentist office where he worked, according to a 52-page probable cause affidavit by the Aurora Police Department.
Jurors also heard from nearly 50 eyewitnesses throughout the trial, including Dr. Ashley Peko, a physician who evaluated Angela during her hospitalization. Dr. Peko, one of many hospital workers to testify, indicated that Angela did not appear to be suicidal, CNN reported.
Nathanial Harris, one of James’ former cellmates, testified that James had inquired about hiring a hitman to kill Aurora Police Det. Bobbi Olson, who was a lead investigator on Angela’s case. Harris said that James had asked him to “source out somebody” to complete the task, according to Denver7.
Angela Craig’s family speaks out
Following the verdict, Angela’s loved ones, including her children and brother, had the opportunity to address the court.
The couple’s son, whose name has not been disclosed per a judge’s order, acknowledged that the trial has been a “very unique thing, a hard thing” to grapple with, according to CNN.
The boy also thanked the judge, telling him, “You’ve been really important to me and my siblings.”
Angela’s brother, Rick Pray, remembered his sister as a “positive force for change.”
