What looked like a picture-perfect family in suburban Colorado has now become the center of a chilling courtroom drama.
James Craig, a respected dentist and father of six, is on trial for allegedly poisoning his wife, Angela Craig, in a case that has shocked the Centennial community and beyond.
The allegations are straight out of a true crime documentary: secret affairs, fatal poisons, and a quiet hospital room where prosecutors claim a husband administered the final, deadly dose.
A Deadly Deception Behind Closed Doors
According to prosecutors, James Craig didn’t just want out of his 23-year marriage—he plotted Angela’s murder to make that escape a reality.
The 47-year-old is accused of mixing toxic substances like cyanide, arsenic, and tetrahydrozoline (commonly found in eye drops) into Angela’s protein shakes.
All of this allegedly unfolded while he carried on an affair and prepared for his mistress to visit from out of state.
Prosecutors say he even snuck into Angela’s hospital room disguised in medical scrubs to deliver a final fatal dose—undetected.
Angela’s Mysterious Decline
Angela Craig, 43, began showing strange symptoms on March 6, 2023—nausea, dizziness, and severe fatigue.
Doctors struggled to explain her condition as it worsened.
She was hospitalized, but things only got more puzzling. Then, on March 18, she died.
By the very next day, her husband was in custody.
A Carefully Crafted Lie
Prosecutors detailed how James allegedly manipulated those around him to help cover his tracks.
At one point, they say he convinced a relative to give Angela pills he claimed were prescribed by the hospital—except the prescription was fake, and the pills had been swapped.
The state painted the picture of a man desperate to be free from a marriage he described as “hopeless” and “trapped”—and who had allegedly taken disturbing steps to make that happen.
A Double Life and a Digital Trail
The courtroom also heard about James’s hidden life online.
Prosecutors said he’d presented himself as a wealthy bachelor on “sugar daddy” websites, even though the family had declared bankruptcy in 2021.
Much of the prosecution’s case hinges on his affair with Karin Cain, a Texas orthodontist he met at a dental conference just weeks before Angela fell ill.
Over 4,000 text messages between the pair were submitted into evidence—many of them romantic and suggestive of a serious relationship. James had reportedly told Cain he was divorced and living alone.
Cyanide in the Mail Raises Alarms
The investigation kicked into high gear when a colleague at James’s dental practice discovered a package of cyanide addressed to him.
Alarmed, the colleague alerted Craig’s business partner, and from there, suspicions snowballed.
Defense Claims It Was a Broken Marriage, Not Murder
The defense painted a very different picture. Angela, they claimed, was struggling with isolation and mental health issues.
While they acknowledged James had affairs and wasn’t a model husband, they insisted that’s not the same as being a killer.
James’s attorney, Ashley Whitham, told jurors: “This isn’t about whether you like Dr. Craig.
It’s about whether the prosecution can prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he killed his wife.”
They also cast doubt on testimony from jailhouse informants, calling them unreliable and self-interested.
Tears and Testimony in the Courtroom
Craig, dressed sharply in a charcoal suit, looked composed but emotional.
He was seen dabbing his eyes as prosecutors recounted Angela’s final days.
Some of his children and relatives watched silently from the gallery.
Despite the mounting evidence, Craig has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including first-degree murder, solicitation to commit perjury, and solicitation to commit murder.
A Family and Community Left Reeling
The case has stunned the Centennial, Colorado community, and devastated the couple’s six children.
Angela is remembered by many as a loving mother and dedicated partner, and her sudden death has left a deep void.
The trial continues, and with more witnesses expected—including four women linked to James—both sides are preparing for a high-stakes legal showdown.
