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Authorities believe James poisoned his wife's drinks with the chemicals he ordered online for several weeks before her death.
The dentist is accused of poisoning his wife and inciting her to murder. (Image credit: X)
A Colorado dentist accused of murdering his wife Angela Craig sent a chilling text message before her death. Angela, 43, died on March 18, 2023 after several hospitalizations due to strange symptoms, including dizzy spells and loss of consciousness.
According to the Telegraph, text messages exchanged between James and Angela shortly before her death were being investigated. On March 16, Angela texted her husband saying, “I feel drugged,” to which James replied, “Given our history, I know that must be triggering. Just to clarify, I didn’t drug you.”
In addition, Angela's sister said that James drugged her about five years ago under the guise of preventing her from intervening in a suicide attempt.
The condition stunned doctors, who ordered a series of tests that eventually revealed lethal levels of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, NBC News reported. Authorities believe James poisoned his wife's drinks with the chemicals he ordered online for several weeks before her death.
The couple had been married for 23 years and had six children together. Court documents show that James had a rocky marriage and that while his wife was seriously ill, he was allegedly having an affair with a Texas-based orthodontist, PEOPLE confirms.
New charges against James Craig
In late November 2024, prosecutors charged James Craig with solicitation of murder and first-degree perjury in connection with the ongoing investigation into his wife's death, NBC News reported. According to police reports, Craig tried to convince a fellow inmate to kill an Aurora police detective who was investigating him.
Craig's legal representation was also in disarray; His lawyer withdrew from the case when he was set to go on trial for murder due to a conflict of interest. It is currently unknown whether he has received new representation.
Evidence against Craig
According to the affidavit, investigators had compiled a mountain of evidence against Craig, including his Internet search history, which included questions such as which poisons were undetectable and whether arsenic could be found after an autopsy, NBC News added. Worryingly, he ordered potassium cyanide from Amazon several weeks before Angela's death. This started a chain where a business partner raised concerns about the purchase and then told a nurse at the hospital to contact the police.
The coroner's report indicates that Angela died of cyanide poisoning, with tetrahydrozoline poisoning being a significant cause. The finding prompted police to call the murder “heinous” and “calculated” because of the methodical manner in which it was allegedly carried out, CNN reports.
