Colorado dentist James Craig found guilty of murder in wife’s death by arsenic poisoning

An Arapahoe County jury has returned a guilty verdict in the trial of James Craig, the Colorado dentist accused of poisoning and killing his wife. The jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and five other charges on Wednesday afternoon.

Craig was on trial after he was charged with the murder of his wife, Angela, in 2023 by putting poisonous arsenic in her protein shakes. The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office issued a news release that clarified those substances as “a lethal cocktail of arsenic, cyanide and tetrahydrozoline.”

On Wednesday, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all charges, including first-degree murder, two counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence, two counts of solicitation to commit first-degree perjury, and solicitation to commit first-degree murder.

Prosecutors said the solicitation to commit murder charge is in connection with Craig offering an inmate $20,000 to kill the case’s lead investigator, and that Craig also offered $20,000 to find people to falsely testify that his wife planned to die by suicide.   

Angela’s son spoke during the victim impact statements portion of the sentencing hearing and said, “It’s hard to lose your mom and then your dad three days later.”

Several of Angela’s family members spoke at the sentencing. She came from a large family of which she was one of 10 children. 

One of her brothers spoke at the sentencing and said, “I speak of Angie as if she were still with us in this life. I wish that were true.”

Prosecutors claimed Craig’s internet browsing history included search terms like “How to make murder look like a heart attack?” “Is there such thing as an undetectable poison?” and “How long does it take to die from arsenic poisoning?”

“Angela suffered many days of unexplained illness while the defendant knowingly administered poison, all while portraying himself as a concerned husband,” 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden said in a statement. “This was a premeditated and callous crime driven by greed, deception and betrayal.”   

According to prosecutors, Angela had been in and out of the hospital in the days leading up to her death with worsening symptoms including dizziness, vomiting and fainting, which initially bewildered doctors. The investigation later revealed Craig gave his wife the final fatal dose of poison after she had already been admitted to the hospital.

During the trial, prosecutors emphasized a financial motive, including a struggling dental practice, and $4 million in life insurance policies for which James Craig was the sole beneficiary, and extramarital affairs that coincided with Angela’s deteriorating health.

During opening statements in the trial, Craig’s defense attorney Ashley Witham suggested that Angela’s death may have been a suicide, saying the case is not as “cut and dry” as the prosecution claims.

According to Colorado law, a conviction for first-degree murder includes an automatic sentence of up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.