4 days ago
Dentist charged with poisoning wife went through 'drastic' life change months before murder, trial hears
The Colorado dentist accused of fatally poisoning his wife was told he'd need to take a 'drastic' pay cut in the months before her murder, jurors heard on Friday.
Dr Ryan Redfearn, a dental school friend of defendant James Craig, told the court how in 2022 he'd invited the father of six to join Fit to Smile, the umbrella dental services group Redfearn runs with his brother.
Craig would have the opportunity to become a partner while the operation 'would provide management services to run his practice,' Redfearn testified at Arapahoe County District Court.
After making the invitation, Redfearn testified that he learned Craig had in recent years declared bankruptcy, blaming it on coronavirus troubles.
The arrangement with Fit to Smile meant the operation would pay $18,000 a month to service Craig's debts, Redfearn told the court.
By January 2023, however, Redfearn testified that the partnership was 'not going well.'
After a Monday night meeting with other partners, Redfearn drove to Craig's house, told him he'd need to cancel upcoming trips, work more days and reduce his salary from a 35 per cent to 28 per cent cut.
During the conversation, in admissions that 'came out of nowhere,' Redfearn said Craig broke down and told him 'that his marriage was in a bad place.
'He didn't elaborate, and I didn't feel the need to ask; it was more of just, things weren't good between him and Angie,' Redfearn testified.
'He cried.'
Redfearn added that Craig's practice had numerous problems, including 'excessive spending.'
Craig took the pay cut portion of the conversation better than he expected, Redfearn testified.
Two months later, however, Angela fell ill.
Redfearn was pulling into the hospital complex on March 15, the day she was declared brain dead, when he was told by employees that Craig had received a delivery of potassium cyanide to the office earlier that week.
Testifying that he was 'shocked,' Redfearn told jurors he joined Craig in the ICU waiting room and looked up symptoms of potassium cyanide poisoning on his phone.
He pulled aside a nurse at the hospital to share his concerns, Redfearn testified.
'I even think I said to him ... "I'm not accusing anyone of anything, I don't know what's going on here, but I just received some information that she might have been poisoned,"' Redfearn told the court.
Craig was arrested the day after his wife's March 18, 2023 death. Family friend and business associate Dr Ryan Redfearn testified on Friday that Craig's practice had multiple problems, including 'excessive spending' - with the dentist told to cancel trips and work more days
He said he didn't know at the time 'if there was any way to save her' or if a 'reversal agent' existed but he knew that 'time was of the essence, probably.'
Redfearn was later brought to speak to a forensic nurse, he said, and after that left the hospital with his wife - but told Angela's brother and the family's bishop, who'd also been in the waiting room, about his concerns.
He 'felt it was important to tell somebody, and we went to our car,' Redfearn testified.
That's when Craig called.
'He said that he'd heard some disturbing news about me talking to somebody at the hospital, and I acknowledged that I had talked to a nurse,' Redfearn testified.
Redfearn then confronted Craig about the package delivery, he said.
'I said, "Jim, what was in the package?" And he ... kind of blew it off, [like] it's not that big of a deal,' Redfearn testified.
Upon further pressing, Redfearn told the court, Craig 'said it was a ring for Angie to surprise her.
"And I said, "It wasn't a ring, Jim" - and he said, "Well, it wasn't opened." And I said, "It was."
'And I said, "Why do you need potassium cyanide?"
'His first response was: "Ryan, what have you done?" Redfearn said. 'He said that a couple of times, and I continued to ask him: "Why do you need potassium cyanide? That is not something that we need in dentistry or that we practice with."'
Craig told him 'it was a game of chicken with Angie.'
'What do you mean by that?' Redfearn testified he asked Craig.
'And he said that she was suicidal and he bought it for her because she couldn't buy it herself, that you needed special credentials.'
The following day, Redfearn testified, Craig sent a 'pretty lengthy text.'
Redfearn told the court he 'basically didn't want me to talk to anybody about what we talked about' and requested that Redfearn ask other employees not to speak with investigators, either.
Angela had been declared brain dead on March 15, the day Redfearn alerted nurses. She was taken off life support on March 18, and Craig was arrested the following day.
The trial continues on Monday.
