Dentist locked up for life after slowly killing his wife by poisoning her protein shakes

Sunday World

3 days ago

James Craig, from Colorado, was found to have ordered potassium cyanide from Amazon weeks before his wife's death.
A dentist in the US has been sentenced to life in prison after being found to have fatally poisoned his wife.
James Craig, from Colorado, was found guilty of first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder in the first degree, solicitation to commit perjury, and solicitation to commit evidence tampering.
Weeks before his wife Angela's death, he ordered potassium cyanide from Amazon and had it delivered to his dental practice in the Denver suburb of Aurora, according to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant.
Authorities told the trial that the 45-year-old's internet search history included the query 'how to make murder look like a heart attack' weeks before his wife's passing.
James and Angela Craig. Photo: Facebook
The court also heard that searched for answers to the question "is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?" on a computer at his dental practice.
Ms Craig was the mother to their six children and the pair had been married for 23 years before her passing.
Prosecutors stated that Mr Craig had poisoned his wife over the course of ten days in the month of her death.
The court heard Mr Craig poisoned her protein shakes before delivering a fatal dose of arsenic and cyanide on March 15, 2023, after she had been hospitalised.
The 43-year-old was then declared brain dead not long after on what was her third trip to hospital following the initial poisonings.
An autopsy revealed she had consumed lethal levels of cyanide and tetrahydrozolin that is commonly found in eye drop medication.
Local authorities first began investigating the matter after his dental practice partner and friend told a nurse that the dentist had previously ordered the potassium cyanide.
James and Angela Craig. Photo: Facebook
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The jury deliberated for less than a day following the two-week trial and they rejected his claim that he had helped his wife kill herself after he said he wanted a divorce following his repeated extramarital affairs.
District Judge Shay Whitaker sentenced Mr Craig to life without the possibility of parole.
Judge Whitaker then told Mr Craig that he created a 'path of destruction as wide as a tornado and just as devastating' as she handed down her sentence.
His sentencing came after his oldest daughter, Miriam Merservy, spoke tearfully in court about how she missed being able to talk to her mother. She said she felt betrayed by her father.
Their son Toliver Craig also told the court that although he and his mother did not always get along, he's now upset 'there's not more time with her'.
Mr Craig opted to not testify during the trial and he declined to make a statement before being sentenced.
In the closing arguments, prosecutor Michael Mauro said: 'Angela Craig was innocent. She had no part in her death, and the only person who says otherwise is this man.
"The person guilty of the ultimate betrayal – her murder.
'There are so many false statements by this defendant that it's tough to keep track.'
Defence attorney Lisa Moses acknowledged that Mr Craig had cheated on his wife but that was not proof of murder.
Mr Craig was seen getting emotional and wiping away tears multiple times as the life sentence was delivered by the judge.