Prosecutors say Aurora dentist James Craig used chemical found in Visine to kill his wife

By SHAUN BOYD

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — An Aurora dentist will stand trial in the poisoning death of his wife.

An Arapahoe County judge found there is sufficient evidence to try James Craig for first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

The case has drawn national media coverage.

Arapahoe County coroner, Kelly Lear, one of two witnesses to testify at Craig’s preliminary hearing. She said that Angela Craig had lethal amounts of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline – a chemical found in the eye drop medicine Visine – in her blood, along with a non-lethal amount of arsenic.

The lead investigator in the case also took the stand. Aurora detective Bobbi Olson testified that Craig poisoned his wife over the course of nine days in March.

The couple has six adult kids, some of whom were in court as the detective talked about possible motives for their mother’s murder, including their father’s infidelity.

According to Olson, Craig was staying in a hotel with another woman while his wife lay brain-dead in a hospital.

She testified that she found searches on a work computer Craig used for “how to make murder look like a heart attack?” “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?” and “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human?”

She says Craig purchased arsenic and cyanide and laced his wife’s protein shakes with the poisons along with the chemical tetrahydrozoline.

Angela Craig’s brother Mark Pray spoke with reporters outside the courtroom, recalling his sister’s final hours.

“One of my favorite memories of Angela from this incident anyway is her walk of honor as they took her out to be a donor as her heart was still beating and that sweet heart of her’s will go on to bless other people’s lives,” he said.

In addition to an extramarital affair, detective Olson suggested money may also have been a motive in Angela Craig’s murder. She says the couple had life insurance policies worth $3.4 million and Craig’s business, Summerbrook Dental, was underwater.

The defense attempted to paint a very different picture of the couple’s finances and relationship during its cross-examination of Olson. It pointed out that the dental practice was profitable and home surveillance video and text messages showed a loving and affectionate couple, even as Craig allegedly told the woman he was seeing that he was in the process of divorcing his wife.

The defense also raised questions about whether Craig bought the poison for his wife or himself, noting he’d attempted suicide in the past.

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