A Colorado dentist remains behind bars after allegedly killing his wife by lacing her protein shake with cyanide. But the case has taken an even darker turn, with him now being accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill the lead investigator probing the case.
The murder trial of the dentist began with opening arguments on Tuesday.
James Craig faces several charges, including first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Angela Craig. He has pleaded not guilty, reported Associated Press.
Prosecutors said that the 47-year-old initially tried to poison his wife using arsenic, which he allegedly purchased around the time Angela was sick and began experiencing unexplained symptoms such as dizziness and headaches.
When those efforts failed, Craig is accused of ordering potassium cyanide. He also allegedly used tetrahydrozoline — a chemical found in over-the-counter eye drops — in the poisoning.
Husband searched, ‘how to make a murder look like a heart attack’
Authorities say Craig searched online for phrases such as “how to make a murder look like a heart attack” and “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy.” Prosecutors allege he attempted to stage Angela’s death as a suicide.
Angela Craig, 43, who was married to James for 23 years and had six children with him, was hospitalised several times before her death in 2023. In a home surveillance video recorded after one of her hospital visits, Angela is seen confronting her husband.
{{/usCountry}}Angela Craig, 43, who was married to James for 23 years and had six children with him, was hospitalised several times before her death in 2023. In a home surveillance video recorded after one of her hospital visits, Angela is seen confronting her husband.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s your fault they treated me like I was a suicide risk, like I did it to myself, and like nothing I said could be believed,” she told Craig in the footage.
Alleged murder plot against lead investigator
Following his arrest, prosecutors alleged that Craig attempted to have the lead investigator on the case killed. He is accused of offering a fellow jail inmate $20,000 to carry out the hit and offering another individual the same amount to recruit people who would falsely testify that Angela had plans to end her life.
Craig has also pleaded not guilty to charges of solicitation to commit murder and solicitation to commit perjury.
Craig’s attorneys have challenged the credibility of the jailhouse informant and claimed law enforcement was biased against their client. They argued that testing of the protein shake containers did not reveal any signs of poisoning.
Prosecutors have said that at the time of the incident, Craig was facing financial pressure and was allegedly involved in an extramarital affair with another dentist. However, they have not yet presented a definitive motive for Angela’s death.
Craig remains in custody, according to jail records.
(With AP inputs)