An Arapahoe County jury has convicted James Craig, a Colorado dentist, of murdering his wife, Angela, following a trial that unveiled chilling details of premeditated actions. On Wednesday, the jury delivered guilty verdicts for first-degree murder among a total of six charges against him, including solicitation to commit tampering with evidence and perjury.
Craig was accused of poisoning his wife with arsenic, hiding the lethal elements in her protein shakes, per prosecutors. In a statement, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office detailed that the substances involved constituted a “lethal cocktail of arsenic, cyanide, and tetrahydrozoline.”
The jury’s decision came after hearing the prosecution’s claims that Craig had attempted to arrange another murder to thwart the investigation. He allegedly offered an inmate $20,000 to kill the lead investigator and sought false testimonies that would paint Angela as suicidal.
Angela’s son expressed his heartbreak during victim impact statements, sharing the profound loss of both his mother and father within a matter of days. Family members who spoke at the hearing recounted Angela as a beloved figure from a large family of ten siblings, each grappling with the tragedy of her untimely death. One of her brothers remarked, “I speak of Angie as if she were still with us in this life. I wish that were true.”
Prosecutors highlighted Craig’s disturbing online searches that hinted at a calculated plan, including queries such as, “How to make murder look like a heart attack?” and “Is there such a thing as an undetectable poison?” According to district attorney Amy Padden, “Angela suffered many days of unexplained illness while the defendant knowingly administered poison, all while portraying himself as a concerned husband.” She characterized the crime as premeditated and driven by “greed, deception, and betrayal.”
In the days preceding Angela’s death, her increasingly severe symptoms, including dizziness and vomiting, perplexed medical professionals. It was later revealed that Craig administered the final fatal dose while she was hospitalized.
Financial motives emerged as key elements during the trial, with the prosecution presenting evidence of a struggling dental practice and $4 million in life insurance policies naming Craig as the sole beneficiary. Additionally, his extramarital affairs were cited as coinciding with Angela’s declining health.
During the defense’s opening statements, attorney Ashley Witham suggested the possibility of suicide, arguing that the case wasn’t as straightforward as the prosecution portrayed.
Under Colorado law, a conviction for first-degree murder carries an automatic sentence of life imprisonment with no possibility for parole.
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