Colorado, USA Dentist poisons wife and tries to have police officer killed
A Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by poisoning also allegedly plotted to murder an investigating police officer, according to an Aurora police spokesman.
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- Colorado dentist James Craig is suspected of murdering his wife Angela Craig with poisoned protein shakes.
- Craig is also accused of inciting a fellow inmate to murder a detective investigating his case.
- Craig's defense attorney resigned, saying Craig's actions were criminal or morally indefensible, and a trial is scheduled for Dec. 16.
A Colorado dentist is suspected of not only murdering his wife with poisoned protein shakes, but also targeting a police officer who was investigating the case. James Craig, 45, now faces additional charges, including solicitation to commit first-degree murder, according to court documents cited by CNN.
According to the indictment, Craig attempted to persuade a fellow inmate to commit the murder of the investigator. Although the document does not name the target, Aurora police confirmed to CNN that it was one of the detectives in charge.
Craig had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder and other charges related to the death of his wife, Angela Craig.
Neither the indictment nor the police named the detective involved.
Treacherous traces on dentist's computer
The 18th Judicial District District Attorney's Office declined to provide further information on the charges, stating on X that they could not comment further due to the ongoing proceedings.
The new charges were filed a day after Craig's defense attorney withdrew.
Angela Craig, 43, complained of severe headaches and dizziness on the evening of March 15, 2023, and was pronounced brain dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, Aurora police said.
The warrant for her husband's arrest states that this was Angela's third hospitalization that month.
Her husband allegedly did multiple searches on his work computer for "undetectable poisons" and "how many grams of pure arsenic kills a person" in the weeks leading up to her fatal illness, according to the affidavit.
Suspect tried to prevent autopsy
Angela Craig was hospitalized with dizziness two days after a package containing arsenic was delivered to the couple's home, investigators said.
Investigators report that Angela Craig texted her husband, "I feel woozy," after drinking a protein shake. James Craig replied, "FYI, I did not drug you," according to a court document.
Police began investigating James Craig in connection with his wife's death after one of his business partners tipped them off that Craig had ordered potassium cyanide to be delivered to his dental practice. The partner was concerned because the chemical is highly toxic if ingested.
After his wife's death, James Craig told the victim's sister that he did not want an autopsy, according to the affidavit. An autopsy was performed anyway, and the Arapahoe County medical examiner's office determined that Angela Craig had ingested lethal doses of hydrogen cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, with arsenic poisoning listed as a "significant condition" related to her death, CNN affiliate KUSA reported.
Dentist's lawyer drops case
Shortly before the trial, Craig's attorney, Harvey Steinberg, withdrew from the case. He informed the judge of this in a non-public hearing. The judge approved the motion to withdraw.
Steinberg had invoked two rules of professional conduct in his motion to withdraw: the first rule states that withdrawal is permissible if "the client insists on a course of action that utilizes the attorney's services and that the attorney reasonably believes to be criminal or fraudulent". Sufficient cause to withdraw from a case also exists if "the client insists on an action that the lawyer finds repugnant or with which the lawyer fundamentally disagrees."
Jury selection for the trial was scheduled to begin last Thursday, the day his attorney withdrew. Craig's next trial is scheduled for Dec. 16.
This article was created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). All content created by AI is verified by the editorial team.
