It’s a sometimes unsettling fact that you never really know your neighbors. Human beings are complex and at times dark creatures. A beloved Colorado dentist makes a case for this.
James Toliver Craig was arrested for allegedly committing murder by poisoning Angela Craig, his wife and mother of his six children. His end game was to start over with his new mistress. New court documents shed light on this stranger-than-fiction true crime story.
An arrest warrant affidavit explains the events leading up to Angela Craig’s death. While she lay dying in a hospital, James Craig allegedly had his mistress fly into town. She is a Texas orthodontist with whom he corresponded in “sexually explicit” emails.
Evidence against Craig includes online searches for poisoning ideas that are undetectable. He also allegedly ordered a canister of potassium cyanide, which was delivered to his office. It arrived just two days before his wife was admitted to the hospital.
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Angela Craig was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Her condition quickly declined, causing her to be put on a ventilator. On Sunday, March 19, she was declared brain-dead and taken off life support.
The Craigs did not have a good marriage. James Craig cheated on his wife several times with multiple women, according to her sister. He also admitted to his wife that he had been addicted to pornography since he was a teenager.
Craig was also not great with his finances. He “was on the verge of bankruptcy” for the second time, and his finances were in ruin. His dental practice filed for bankruptcy in 2021.
This was also not the first time he had poisoned his wife. He has a history of this. He once drugged her so she could not stop him from committing suicide.
Craig brought this up when his wife began to feel sick in March of this year. She sent him a text, saying she “felt drugged.” He responded, “Given our history I know that must be triggering. Just for the record, I didn’t drug you. I am super worried though. You really looked pale before I left. Like in your lips even.”
Police believe he was lying and had poisoned her with arsenic because of a search on his computer about how much of the substance it would take to kill someone. Police allege Craig was putting it in her protein shakes.
Police became aware of the situation because an office worker from Craig's dental practice mistakenly opened a package of potassium cyanide Craig had delivered to the office. They googled what the substance was used for and became concerned after Angela Craig was taken to the hospital. The office worker alerted Craig's business partner, who told hospital staff, who were required to report it to authorities. Police believe the potassium cyanide given to Angela Craig by her husband ultimately killed her.
Craig claims he ordered the potassium cyanide because his wife asked him to. He claims she was suicidal, but he never thought she would act on it. Police do not buy this. Mark Hildebrand, Aurora Police Department division chief, called Angela Craig’s death “a heinous, complex and calculated murder.” James Craig was arrested on Sunday morning.
