Colorado dentist drugged wife years before alleged poisoning murder, friend testifies
"She wasn't a risk-taker. She wasn't manipulative," Nicole Harmon told the court. "And she never said anything — ever — about wanting to die."
Dr. James Toliver Craig, 47, is charged with first-degree murder in the March 2023 death of his wife, 43-year-old Angela Craig. Her cause of death was determined to be lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline.
Dentist Accused Of Poisoning Wife's Shake Said He Gave Her 'Too Much Protein': Co-worker
On March 9, 2023, approximately one week before the 43-year-old was pronounced brain-dead, Angela texted Harmon asking for help checking her blood sugar. When she arrived, she found Angela curled up.
"She hadn't eaten. She couldn't stand," Harmon said, telling the jury that James had made his wife a shake that morning.
Read On The Fox News App
When the friend texted and asked what was going on, she testified, James brushed it off.
"Post-COVID," he texted. "Not diabetes."
Not once, she told jurors, did he mention poison.
"Angela never knew what was killing her," the witness said. Harmon shared that she and her husband, Mike, had known the Craigs since the 2000s.
Angela was hospitalized for five days. Through Angela's prolonged hospital stays, Harmon said that she never expressed that she wanted to die.
Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X
Harmon's testimony went back to 2019, when the witness said James made a confession to her and her husband.
He told them in 2019 that he planned to inject himself with a lethal substance and had drugged Angela first so she wouldn't stop him.
David Gelman, a criminal defense attorney who has been following the case, told Fox News Digital that the drugging incident could help the prosecution "because it shows that James was predisposed to drugging Angela before."
"It required intent and thought. The same motive that the prosecution has now for James," he said. "That is an aspect I would really hammer if I'm the prosecution."
Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter
James also admitted to the Harmons that he, in 2019, was dealing with a "sexual addiction," and told them that he was in therapy, she testified.
Angela, her friend said, never brought it up. Harmon testified that she sent Angela a message later: "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were dealing with this."
Angela replied: "You weren't there when I needed you."
Colorado Dentist's Alleged Internet Search History Takes Center Stage As Murder Trial Begins
From that moment, the decades-long friendship fractured.
"She was angry," Harmon said. "Really mad at her life and how it was turning out. And I was OK with that. I was OK with her taking it out on me."
Gelman said the years-long gap in communication between Angela and her best friend doesn't undermine the witness's reliability.
"It doesn't hurt her credibility. She can only testify by what she has observed and her conversations with Angela," he said. "Obviously, she is not privy to the inner workings of the marriage with James since the relationship fractured, but her credibility is still intact since she was not confused or crossed up on the stand."
The longtime friend testified that Angela never opened up about the inner workings of her marriage.
"She had all the chances," the witness said. "She never told me. She didn't want me to see her husband differently."
READ THE INCIDENT REPORT – APP USERS, Click Here
GET REAL-TIME UPDATES AT THE FOX NEWS True Crime Hub
Investigators alleged in court documents obtained by Fox News Digital that, in the weeks before his wife's hospitalization and death, James used a dental office computer to search for "undetectable poisons" and how to obtain them (later purchasing arsenic and cyanide by mail), "how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human" and "is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?"
Alongside these online searches, investigators alleged he made YouTube queries such as "how to make poison" and "Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play."
Fox News Digital has reached out to James Craig's lead attorney, Lisa Fine Moses, for comment.Original article source: Colorado dentist drugged wife years before alleged poisoning murder, friend testifies
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
'All the boxers know someone who carries a knife'
Free boxing sessions are being offered to young people in the Black Country with organisers saying the aim is also to teach them about the dangers of carrying knives. A knife surrender bin was introduced outside Team Pumpkin Amateur Boxing in Old Bush Street, Brierley Hill, Dudley, in March 2024 after three of its young boxers were robbed at knifepoint. Since then almost 200 weapons have been dropped in it, with more than 60 weapons - including a crossbow, bolts and a knuckle-duster - found when it was most recently emptied. Carl Collins, one of the boxing coaches, said it was "an eye-opener" to see how many weapons were left in the bin. "We thought we would get a handful but to get that much was a bit of a surprise," he said. "The boxers here all know someone who carries a knife and it's getting out of hand. "Boxing teaching them the dangers of carrying weapons, as well as wider lessons on being good citizens. "I think the real success is that the children now pass on what we are telling them." Ben Collins, a professional boxer and head trainer, added that the club wanted to give its members an awareness of knife crime and "allow people to understand what is going on" in the area. One girl, who did not want to give her name and who goes to the boxing club, said she was once threatened and told she was going to be stabbed and, when she told her school, they did not allow her to go in for a week. She said she enjoyed going to the gym as she "always has someone to talk to". "Even if I come in sad, I'll always leave happy," she added. The summer holiday sessions have been funded by the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership as part of its My Tomorrow campaign to improve young people's lives. More sessions will be held in October, organisers said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More stories like this Police hail knife crime fall as new law comes in Number of knife disposal bins in region to double Knife crime rate still high for West Midlands force Related internet links West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
New poll exposes trouble for rivals in heated NYC mayoral race as one candidate takes commanding lead
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani maintains a hefty lead in the race, according to a recent Siena poll of registered voters. Mamdani is polling at 44%, and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who's running as an independent, is at 25%. Republican Curtis Sliwa is at 12%, and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is at 7%. "While City Democrats favor Mamdani over Cuomo 53-32%, with single digits for the other two, more than two-thirds of City Republicans support Sliwa. City independent voters are more closely divided, with 30% supporting Mamdani and 20% supporting Adams," Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said in a press release on Tuesday. Cuomo Opponents Slam His Re-entry Into Nyc Mayor Race, Say City Wants To Move On From Ex Governor "City voters under 35 are overwhelmingly supporting Mamdani, as are a plurality of voters 35-54, however, voters 55 and older back Cuomo over Mamdani, 38-32%," he added. "Mamdani, included in the Siena poll for the first time, has a 46-32% favorability rating with New York City voters and a negative 28-37% favorability rating among voters statewide," Greenberg continued. Read On The Fox News App However, the pollster said that Cuomo, who resigned as governor and then lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani, is facing serious favorability issues. "Cuomo has an underwater favorability rating with City voters, 37-54%, and an even worse 29-61% favorability rating with statewide voters, the worst ever favorability rating for Cuomo in a Siena poll. In fact, among Democrats statewide, Cuomo's favorability rating is 36-56%, down from 51-39% in March," he said. Cuomo, Adams Trade Shots Over Who Should Drop Out In Race Against Mamdani For Nyc Mayor Adams, who opted to pursue the race as an independent, is also facing favorability woes, according to the poll. The mayor was indicted by the Department of Justice last year on bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance charges, but the case was later dropped. Adams has presented himself as a pro-law enforcement alternative to Mamdani, especially after the 345 Park Avenue office shooting last month. "Adams is also underwater with voters in the City, 30-58%, statewide 22-51%, and among Democrats statewide 22-59%," Greenberg said. "Sliwa has a 26-30% statewide favorability rating, and 30-42% in the City." The recent poll comes as the nation's eyes remain on the race, as Mamdani's win was seen as an upset against Cuomo, and the Democratic nominee has pushed several far-left policies. Currently, Mamdani is doing an anti-Trump tour across the city. "There is no borough that will be free from Trump's cruelty," Mamdani said on Monday. "We will feel the pain of this legislation, whether we are in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island, and we will shine a light this week and every week on the costs of this vision that is coming out of Washington, D.C." Mamdani's Primary Win Exposes Democrat Divide As Top Leaders Withhold Endorsements Although some Democrats have held back on publicly supporting Mamdani, others, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY., have been campaigning for him. Cuomo, Adams, and Sliwa have taken aim at Mamdani on a variety of issues, including policing and rent control. Cuomo is even pitching "Zohran's Law" after it came out that Mamdani lives in a rent-stabilized apartment. "Rent-stabilized apartments when they're vacant should only be rented to people who need affordable housing, not people like Zohran Mamdani," Cuomo told reporters in a video posted on social media on Sunday. "We must remember that Andrew Cuomo has spent more time talking about my apartment than asking why so many New Yorkers are being forced out of theirs. He has spent more time criticizing me than he has in criticizing the legislation that Donald Trump has passed," Mamdani fired back on Tuesday. The election is on Nov. 4, which makes it one of the few major off-year article source: New poll exposes trouble for rivals in heated NYC mayoral race as one candidate takes commanding lead Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Crash leaves one person with life-threatening injuries
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) reported that Academy Boulevard was reopened following the motorcycle vs. car crash on Tuesday morning. CSPD also confirmed the motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and the Major Crash Team has taken over the investigation ORIGINAL TITLE: Motorcycle vs. car crash closes S. Academy The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) is currently on the scene of a motorcycle vs. car crash that has closed part of Academy Boulevard. At 8:49 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29, the fire department reported the crash at Pace Drive and South Academy Boulevard, near E. Fountain Boulevard. All lanes of southbound Academy are closed south of Fountain Boulevard, from Pace Drive to Verde Drive. According to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), one person has been taken to the hospital. Drivers are asked to avoid the area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
