A Colorado dentist was accused of murdering his wife with protein shakes poisoning. His family friend stated that she was shocked to hear about his double life.
James Toliver Craig was charged with first-degree murder in Arapahoe County District Court. He is accused of having laced Angela Craig’s drinks with arsenic or cyanide.
According to police, Craig, 45, was a dentist in Aurora and he killed his wife in order to “start a new life” by marrying another woman.
Angela Craig, mother of six children, was declared brain dead on Saturday. According to her husband’s arrest warrant, she was admitted to the hospital with a severe headache and dizziness three days prior. This was the third visit to the hospital in as little as two weeks. According to the arrest warrant, she suffered a “severe seizure” that afternoon and then began to decline rapidly. She died after being placed on life support.
In her obituary , she was described as having an “unbounded sense humor and quick wit” as well as being someone who “used her gifts for elevating those around her, particularly her children.”
The obituary stated that she was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She held multiple positions including choir director, teacher and youth leader, as well as family history consultant.
“Ang’s most charming trait was his willingness to show up for everything. The obituary stated that family and friends were invited to their weddings, funerals as well as graduations, baptisms. Birthday celebrations, holidays, reunions, service projects, and burials. “She always made sure she was there when she was needed. That is exactly what she does now. Ang is now, and will always be missed.”
Laura Packard, a friend who grew up in Kansas with James Craig, stated that Angela was a “great mom” who supported her children and her husband over the past 23 years. She was also active in her church and community. She stated that she was unaware of marital problems between them and that they “seemed happy together when we were there.”
She stated that Craig was intelligent, hardworking, and deeply religious. Craig “came from good families.”
She said, “We were very impressed by the things he had done with his life, and not to mention that there was any doubt that he would do anything less than that.”
She said, “He was raised better than that.”
She stated that her family was “devastated” to learn Angela had passed away, and then shocked and disbelief at Craig’s allegations.
She said, “The whole thing is just a shock. But to think that he had an alternate life supposedly that something else existed, that something other than what was visible on the surface, that’s also a shock to my,”
Craig’s public defender was not available to comment on the request. According to the state public defender’s website, it is their policy and practice not to comment on criminal cases.
Angela Craig was previously admitted to hospital, warrant states
The warrant, which details the Craigs’ troubles in marriage, shows that close friends and colleagues believed that James Craig might have contributed to his wife’s illness and they shared their fears with authorities.
According to the warrant, one of Craig’s business associates told a nurse that Angela Craig had been at the hospital on March 15 and that he believed she might have been poisoned.
According to the warrant, Craig’s business partner said that he and Craig have known each other for over 20 years. He also said they had been together since Craig bought his dental practice in August 2002. However, Craig claimed that he had received a shipment of potassium cyanide.
According to the warrant, Craig’s business partner claimed that Angela and Craig had confided to him.
Angela’s sister informed police that Angela had told Craig that their marriage was “always tumultuous” that Craig had had multiple affairs with many women and that Craig had drugged Angela around five to six years ago.
According to the warrant, Angela told her sister that Angela had repeatedly threatened to divorce her husband over the years. But she claimed that James always persuaded her to stay.
According to the warrant, an office manager told police that Craig and Angela were experiencing marital problems. Craig also mentioned that he wanted a divorce. Officers were also informed by the office manager that she had intercepted a packet of potassium cyanide, which had been delivered days before Angela’s hospitalization. She also said that she knew Angela had fallen ill twice previously.
According to the warrant, Angela was admitted to hospital for the first time on March 6. She said that James Craig had made protein shakes for himself and his wife before going to work out.
According to the warrant, the office manager stated that Angela had become “faint, dizzy” after the workout and James Craig had to transport her to the hospital.
According to the warrant, the office manager stated that Craig said during Angela’s first hospitalizations that he didn’t think Angela would “make it.”
James Craig received potassium cyanide from a shipping company.
According to police, Craig had told Angela that he received a personal package which he should not have opened in the weeks leading up to Angela’s third hospital visit. The warrant states that the office manager discovered the package after it had been opened and found a biohazard label and a canister labelled “potassiumcyanide.” According to the warrant, the office manager discovered that Craig was in the package and sealed it.
The warrant stated that the officer manager later did a Google search on potassium cyanide. He found that the side effects of ingesting it “matched Angela’s symptoms over the past week, including nausea and vomiting.”
After Angela had been admitted to the hospital with the same symptoms twice, the office manager reached out to another colleague to provide information about the potassium-cyanide package.
The coworker informed the business partner about what the contents were.
Craig initially said that the package contained a surprise ring for Angela when Craig was confronted by his business partner. He later admitted to its contents. According to the warrant, he said that he had bought potassium cyanide for Angela’s request, but that he didn’t think she would actually take it. According to the warrant, Craig was told by his business partner to stop talking and to get a lawyer.
According to the warrant Craig said that Angela was suicidal, and that her depression had grown since he requested a divorce in December.
According to police, no one has ever suggested or seen Angela’s suicidal thoughts during the course of their investigation.
The warrant stated that James had “in totality” gone to great lengths in an investigation to end his wife’s lives.
Emails describing a relationship with another woman
The warrant also describes a relationship between Craig, a Texas orthodontist and Craig’s wife while he was in hospital.
Police stated that Craig had created a new email address with multiple orders for poison and emails that contained intimate conversations with the Texas dentist.
The warrant stated that James appeared to have flown the woman into Denver, while his wife and mother were dying in the hospital.
According to the warrant, the emails contained dates for Angela to travel from Austin to Denver from March 8-10. Angela was admitted to the hospital between March 9 and 14. Police said that Angela was in the hospital from March 9 to 14.
The warrant included an email that police claimed was from the Texas dentist. It appears Craig informed Angela of something.
According to images in the warrant, the email stated that “Hi honey, my heartfelt apologies for the events of this week in your life.”
According to the warrant image, the Texas dentist wrote that he wanted to comfort Angela but it was not right. He also stated that he did not wish to be a part of the gatherings to mourn Angela. “I love and cherish you.”
