The second day of Dr. James Craig’s murder trial hinged on critical testimony from the office manager at his Sunnybook Dental Group practice in Aurora, Colorado, who said Craig flippantly dismissed the first alleged poisoning attempt of his wife, Angela. 

Caitlin Romero worked at the dentist’s office in 2023 and was with Craig for several days during the period he is alleged to have killed his wife by mixing cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a chemical in eyedrops, in her protein shakes. 

She told Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley and the court that, on March 6 of that year, Craig entered the office unusually late and told her he and his wife had worked out earlier in the morning. He apologized for being late and told Romero Angela wasn’t feeling well after he made her a post-workout protein shake. 

Ryan Brackley, a lawyer for the prosecution, delivers his opening arguments during the murder trial for James Craig in Arapahoe District Court Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (Stephen Swofford/Denver Gazette via Pool)

During cross-examination, lead defense attorney Lisa Fine Moses pointed to the fact that while Romero had received the package and read that it contained potassium cyanide, she couldn’t be sure of that because she did not open the sealed foil package. 

She also asked Romero about her evening office interaction with Craig on March 6, and Romero conceded that, emotionally, Craig seemed normal during that time. 

Moses examined Romero’s relationship with Craig, which Romero described as an “intimate emotional relationship.” She established that the pair were close and often spoke about personal and family matters on personal devices and via channels unrelated to their work. 

Moses also established that, during the investigation into the alleged crime, when Romero spoke to police, she did not disclose the true nature of their relationship or all of the communications between them. 

The Arapahoe County Courthouse Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (Jeremy Sparig for Fox News Digital)

The importance of calling a critical witness like Romero as a witness so early in the trial was not lost on Hyman. 

“The prosecutor will want to start strong and end strong as to the witnesses,” she said. “The prosecutor may want to start the case with the most important witness. For example, the star witness, or someone that is going to start telling the story of the case as to the timeline of the case from start to finish.”