Dentist charged with murdering wife also wanted investigating officer killed, authorities say
By Andi Babineau and Andy Rose, CNN
Denver (CNN) — A Colorado dentist accused of murdering his wife by poisoning her protein shake also allegedly plotted to kill an Aurora police detective who investigated the case, a department spokesman told CNN.
James Craig, 45, faces two additional felony charges including solicitation to commit first-degree murder, according to a court filing by prosecutors with the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Craig attempted to convince a fellow inmate to commit the murder, according to the complaint. The document does not disclose the intended target, but Aurora police confirmed to CNN it was one of the detectives who investigated the case.
James Craig previously entered not guilty pleas to first-degree murder and other charges in the death of his wife, Angela Craig.
The new charges were first reported by CNN affiliate KUSA. Neither the complaint nor the police department identified the detective.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office declined to provide more information on the charge, saying on X, “We are unable to comment further due to the pending case.”
The new charges were filed by prosecutors one day after Craig’s defense attorney withdrew from the case. Court records show Craig has not yet retained a new attorney.
Craig allegedly ordered poisons
Craig’s wife Angela, 43, complained of “severe headaches and dizziness” on the evening of March 15, 2023, and was declared medically brain dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, Aurora Police said.
The arrest warrant affidavit for her husband said that was Angela Craig’s third visit to the hospital that month.
Her husband allegedly made multiple searches on his work computer in the weeks leading up to his wife’s fatal illness, looking for “undetectable poisons” and “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human,” the affidavit states.
Angela Craig went to the hospital with dizziness two days after a package of arsenic was delivered to the couple’s home, investigators said.
Investigators say Angela Craig texted her husband, “I feel drugged,” after having a protein shake. James Craig texted back, “Just for the record, I didn’t drug you,” according to a court document.
Police began investigating James Craig in the death of his wife after a business partner informed them Craig had ordered potassium cyanide to be sent to his dental practice, their affidavit said, drawing the concern of the partner because the chemical is highly lethal if ingested.
After his wife’s death, James Craig told the victim’s sister he did not want an autopsy performed, according to the affidavit. An autopsy was conducted despite his concerns, and the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office found that Angela Craig ingested lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, listing arsenic poisoning as a “significant condition” related to her death, CNN affiliate KUSA reported.
Defense attorney withdraws on eve of trial
The judge in the case approved the request of Craig’s former attorney, Harvey Steinberg, to leave after a closed-door hearing last week.
Steinberg cited two rules of professional conduct in his request to withdraw, prosecutors said.
The first rule states, “the client persists in a course of action involving the lawyer’s services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent,” and the second rule states “the client insists upon taking action that the lawyer considers repugnant or with which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement.”
Jury selection for the trial was scheduled to begin last Thursday, the day his attorney withdrew. It has been postponed indefinitely until he has new counsel.
Craig’s next court hearing is scheduled for December 16.
CNN’s Raja Razek and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
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This story was reported by Andi Babineau in Denver and written by Andy Rose in Atlanta.
