A Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes was hit with additional charges a day after his lawyer suddenly quit the case.
James Craig was already facing counts of first-degree murder in the death of his wife of 23 years, Angela Craig. The 43-year-old mother of six died in March 2023 of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter of which is found in over-the-counter eye drops.
On Friday, he was additionally charged with first-degree solicitation to commit perjury and solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
Prior to Angela’s death, she had visited a hospital on several occasions, seeking treatment for symptoms including vertigo, shaking and cold lips. During her third visit, she was put on a ventilator in the ICU. Her condition rapidly declined and was taken off life support on March 18, according to an arrest warrant in the case.
Police said Craig used his office computer to research and buy “undetectable poisons,” including the crystalline metalloid arsenic he purchased on Amazon a few weeks before his wife’s death.
When the arsenic failed, he made another order, this one for “potassium cyanide.” His online search history also included phrases like “How to make murder look like a heart attack” and “Is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?”
Craig’s trial was slated to begin on Thursday, with two days set aside for jury selection and opening statements set to begin after the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead, the proceedings were delayed after Craig’s defense attorney, Harvey Steinberg, withdrew his counsel, citing a professional conflict, reported Denver’s 9 News.
Craig, who pleaded not guilty to his first round of charges, has his next court appearance scheduled for Dec. 16.
