Latest news with #LDS
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
What to know about the trial of a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife
Colorado Dentist Wife Poisoned DENVER (AP) — The trial of James Craig, a Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife Angela Craig by gradually poisoning her, is wrapping up. Lawyers are set to deliver closing arguments Tuesday before jurors begin deliberations. Jurors have heard from some of Angela Craig's relatives and also women James Craig had been having affairs with, all called by prosecutors. James Craig didn't testify and his lawyers didn't present any witnesses, which they're not required to. Who was Angela Craig? Angela Craig, 43, was a mother of six children who friends and family say was devoted to her family. She was the youngest of 10 siblings herself and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Described as organized and dependable, she had taken over her mother's role as the genealogist for her birth family, an important role in their faith. Her older brother Mark Pray said she had been 'happy and positive' since she was a child. But her sister Toni Kofoed testified that her sister had confided in her about struggles she was having in her marriage. However, pushing back against defense suggestions that her sister may have killed herself, Kofoed said her sister had a 'broken heart' but not a 'broken mind.' What killed Angela Craig and how? Angela Craig died in 2023 during her third trip to the hospital in a little over a week. Toxicology tests later determined she died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient found in over-the-counter eye drops. Early on, James Craig had purchased a variety of poisons before his wife's death and had put some in the protein shakes he made for her, according to police. During the trial, prosecutors alleged that he also gave her a dose of cyanide as she lay in her hospital bed on March 15, 2023, as doctors tried to figure out what was ailing her. She was declared brain dead soon afterward and never recovered. What does James Craig say? In a notes file later found on James Craig's phone by police, he said Angela Craig had asked him to help kill her with poison when he asked for a divorce after having affairs. In the document, which was labeled 'timeline,' Craig said that he had eventually agreed to purchase and prepare poisons for her to take, but not administer them. Craig said that he had put cyanide in some of the antibiotic capsules she had been taking and also prepared a syringe containing cyanide. According to his timeline, Craig wrote that just before she had to go to the hospital on March 15, 2023, she must have ingested a mixture containing the tetrahydrozoline, the eye drop ingredient, because she became lethargic and weak, before then taking the antibiotic laced with cyanide that he said he prepared for her. Mark Pray, who was visiting to help the Craig family because of his sister's mysterious illness, testified that he gave Angela Craig the capsules after being instructed to do so by James Craig, who was not at home. Pray said his sister bent over and couldn't hold herself up after taking the medicine. He and his wife then took her to the hospital. What do investigators and the defense say? The lead investigator, Detective Bobbi Olson, testified that James Craig's timeline account differed from statements he had made to others about what had happened, including accusing Angela Craig of setting him up to make it look like he had killed her. Craig is also charged with trying to hire a fellow jail inmate to kill Olson. The defense argues that the evidence doesn't show that James Craig poisoned and killed his wife and have seemed to suggest that Angela Craig may have taken her own life. They introduced into evidence Angela Craig's journal in which she talks about the struggles in their marriage in previous years and her husband's infidelity. In one entry she wrote, 'He doesn't love me and I don't blame him.' The journal ended in 2018 and did not include any mentions of suicide, Olson said. In opening statements, one of Craig's attorneys, Ashley Whitham, repeatedly described Angela Craig as 'broken,' partly by Craig's infidelity and her desire to stay married, since they were part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Solve the daily Crossword
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Associated Press
What to know about the trial of a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife
DENVER (AP) — The trial of James Craig, a Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife Angela Craig by gradually poisoning her, is winding down. Jurors have heard from some of her relatives and also women James Craig had been having affairs with, all called by prosecutors. Closing arguments are expected this week. Who was Angela Craig? Angela Craig, 43, was a mother of six children who friends and family say was devoted to her family. She was the youngest of 10 siblings herself and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Described as organized and dependable, she had taken over her mother's role as the genealogist for her birth family, an important role in their faith. Her older brother Mark Pray said she had been 'happy and positive' since she was a child. But her sister Toni Kofoed testified that her sister had confided in her about struggles she was having in her marriage. However, pushing back against defense suggestions that her sister may have killed herself, Kofoed said her sister had a 'broken heart' but not a 'broken mind.' What killed Angela Craig and how? Angela Craig died in 2023 during her third trip to the hospital in a little over a week. Toxicology tests later determined she died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient found in over-the-counter eye drops. Early on, James Craig had purchased a variety of poisons before his wife's death and had put some in the protein shakes he made for her, according to police. During the trial, prosecutors alleged that he also gave her a dose of cyanide as she lay in her hospital bed on March 15, 2023, as doctors tried to figure out what was ailing her. She was declared brain dead soon afterward and never recovered. What does James Craig say? In a notes file later found on James Craig's phone by police, he said Angela Craig had asked him to help kill her with poison when he asked for a divorce after having affairs. In the document, which was labeled 'timeline,' Craig said that he had eventually agreed to purchase and prepare poisons for her to take, but not administer them. Craig said that he had put cyanide in some of the antibiotic capsules she had been taking and also prepared a syringe containing cyanide. According to his timeline, Craig wrote that just before she had to go to the hospital on March 15, 2023, she must have ingested a mixture containing the tetrahydrozoline, the eye drop ingredient, because she became lethargic and weak, before then taking the antibiotic laced with cyanide that he said he prepared for her. Mark Pray, who was visiting to help the Craig family because of his sister's mysterious illness, testified that he gave Angela Craig the capsules after being instructed to do so by James Craig, who was not at home. Pray said his sister bent over and couldn't hold herself up after taking the medicine. He and his wife then took her to the hospital. What do investigators and the defense say? The lead investigator, Detective Bobbi Olson, testified that James Craig's timeline account differed from statements he had made to others about what had happened, including accusing Angela Craig of setting him up to make it look like he had killed her. Craig is also charged with trying to hire a fellow jail inmate to kill Olson. The defense argues that the evidence doesn't show that James Craig poisoned and killed his wife and have seemed to suggest that Angela Craig may have taken her own life. They introduced into evidence Angela Craig's journal from the years before she died, in which she talks about the struggles in their marriage and her husband's infidelity. In one entry she wrote, 'He doesn't love me and I don't blame him.' In opening statements, one of Craig's attorneys, Ashley Whitham, repeatedly described Angela Craig as 'broken,' partly by Craig's infidelity and her desire to stay married, since they were part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mail & Guardian
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
How US conservatives use religious outreach to shape African policy
The underlying message being pushed is a narrow, conservative ideology: Be, heterosexual, traditional. Reject feminism. Reject LGBTQ rights. Photo: Antonio Bronic/Reuters On 26 and 27 June, the Bintumani International Conference Centre in Freetown On the surface, it was a celebration of unity. Beneath it, though, lay a strategic campaign by a US-based religious organisation to embed a specific brand of conservative American theology into African cultural narratives. The soft language of empowerment masked an ideological demand. This isn't new. In 2024, LDS held Preaching power through local mouthpieces What made the Freetown event especially effective was its reliance on local voices to legitimise its message. From the opening to to the closing prayer, the conference amplified a Mormon worldview through African public figures On day 1, LDS Elder Kenneth Pambu opened with inclusive-sounding language: 'Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and caring home.' But his definition of the ideal family quickly narrowed: a heterosexual, nuclear unit rooted in divine order, guided by strict gender roles. Later, a speaker warned, 'The digital world is teaching our children values we do not agree with.' The message was clear. Modernity equals danger. Tradition, as defined by the Mormons, equals safety. Catholic Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles echoed rhetoric from the 2019 Ghana conference, warning of a curriculum that 'sexualises' students and condemning foreign aid tied to LGBTQ rights. The crowd cheered. An Islamic leader added, 'Family is a combination between a male and a female. There is no he, she or she-he.' Cloaked in cultural pride, this rhetoric erased all Sierra Leoneans outside the sexual or gender binary. It's a recurring pattern. One group of wealthy white outsiders empowers local conservatives to criticise another group of white outsiders for allegedly corrupting African values. The irony is met not with resistance but with applause. First lady Fatima Maada Bio, a popular figure praised for her advocacy for women and girls, framed the event as a national imperative. 'This partnership is not just about religion. It's about restoring hope, dignity and values.' Her announcement of a new safe house for survivors of gender-based violence, an LDS–first lady collaboration, was met with thunderous applause. Such a resource is vital. Yet its framing raised questions. Will women have to accept Mormon doctrine to access lifesaving services? Will only certain women — married, respectable, God-fearing — be welcomed? A digital Trojan horse The LDS church is strategic in Africa. It does not lead with doctrine. It leads with scholarships, media, partnerships and food drives. From glossy brochures to high-definition testimonials, it appears tech-savvy and community-minded. But beneath the polish is a clear ideology. Be faithful, obedient, heterosexual, traditional. Reject feminism. Reject LGBTQ rights. Reject sex education and intellectual inquiry. Focus on your family and stay quiet about policy shifts and corruption. The LDS church doesn't attack activism outright. It elevates modesty, family and tradition as cultural revival. To question this is framed as rejecting your roots. This is not overt coercion. It is something more insidious — a foreign ideology dressed in local attire. An imported theology, marketed as a return to African values. The conference didn't just celebrate families. It defined them. And, in doing so, it excluded structures and identities that don't fit LDS or conservative norms. The real cost of moral policing Let's be clear. This is not an argument against faith. Religion remains a cornerstone of African life. It can uplift, protect and unify. But when faith becomes a vessel for narrow definitions of womanhood, family and morality, it ceases to be spiritual. It becomes political. And when it defines who is worthy of protection, who is moral and who is 'truly African', it becomes a neocolonial tool of division. This should concern all of us. The danger of what we saw at the Freetown conference lies not only in what's said but in what's omitted: the single mother, the blended family, the outspoken or non-conformist child. When these realities are erased, the LDS church isn't just shaping culture. It is scripting the future. Who suffers when the future being built in our name doesn't reflect us at all? The next 'strengthening families' conference is scheduled for Liberia in June 2026. If Freetown was any indication, our Liberian colleagues must luk insai dis tin ya so (examine something closely). Ask who is speaking to us. Who is speaking for us? And what harm will be caused by what is left unsaid? Mina Bilkis is a feminist storyteller and digital rights researcher in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Famia Nkansa is a writer, editor and communications consultant.
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Utah Bath & Body Works manager says she was fired over company's pronoun policy
A former Bath & Body Works store manager in Layton, Utah, said she was fired after refusing to address a transgender employee by their preferred pronouns. Jocelyn Boden filed a charge of discrimination last week with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was terminated in May from the company she had worked at for three and a half years. Boden, a "devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," said in her charge that she was "chastised and alienated" by co-workers after she was unwilling to address a new transgender employee by their preferred pronouns. Boden said she addressed the biological female co-worker, who identified as male, by their chosen name, but because of her religious convictions, could not address the co-worker by male pronouns. "Ultimately, team members complained about Ms. Boden's religiously motivated decision to the human resources department," the filing states. "This complaint led to an interrogation into Ms. Boden's use of pronouns. Ms. Boden indicated her religious objection to Bath & Body Works' pronoun policy, including during a discussion with her district manager just two days before the district manager terminated Ms. Boden's employment." Boden was promptly fired after these complaints were filed, without warning and in violation of the company's discipline policy, according to the filing. According to documents in the filing, the company discharged Boden for violating their code of conduct, "which prohibits any unwanted conduct directed at an individual based on their sex, which includes sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or transgender status." "Jocelyn admitted to this behavior and shared with multiple parties that she refused to use correct pronouns. As a result of this investigation, and her admittance, we are making the decision to part ways and end their employment effective immediately," her alleged termination notice states. The discrimination charge was filed by Texas-based legal group, First Liberty, a group that fights religious liberty cases. First Liberty claims Bath & Body Works' conduct violated Boden's religious rights under Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race and sex. It also alleged the company violated the Utah Anti-discrimination Act when it "retaliated" against Boden for expressing her religious beliefs, failed to grant her a religious accommodation, perpetuated a "hostile work environment" and "wrongfully" terminated her employment. "I believe that using pronouns out of line with this understanding of gender is dishonest," Boden said in the filing to the EEOC. "My convictions do not allow me to lie by affirming a reality I believe is false. Therefore, I cannot refer to a female using male pronouns." Most workplace discrimination claims have to be processed through the EEOC before they can be resolved in court, Stephanie Taub, senior counsel for First Liberty, told CBN News. The EEOC told Fox News Digital it was prohibited by law from commenting on alleged charges filed. A Bath & Body Works spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Bath & Body Works complies with all laws concerning employment practices. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in our management of our associates on the basis of any protected status." Bath & Body Works LLC received a 100% score on providing an inclusive workplace by the Human Rights Campaign in 2025 and was named a leader in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
BYU coach Kelani Sitake addresses Jake Retzlaff situation: 'Every school has their standards'
FRISCO, Texas – Brigham Young football coach Kalani Sitake discussed his school's controversial honor code here Tuesday and said he loves his quarterback Jake Retzlaff even though he violated it for having premarital sex. But Sitake also mostly sidestepped questions about the controversy even after it threw his team into a bind on the eve of the 2025 season. 'First of all, I love Jake Retzlaff,' Sitake said at the annual preseason Big 12 Conference media days event north of Dallas. 'We love Jake Retzlaff and appreciate all that he's done for our program. I think it would be inappropriate for me to make a statement in his situation first. I think that's his right. I think it's a private matter that he can speak for himself, and I'm going to give him the opportunity to do that.' Retzlaff is looking to leave BYU after getting caught up in a scandal for having premarital sex. He faces a seven-game suspension because it violated the school's honor code, which calls for living a 'chaste and virtuous life.' Before that, he had been sued by a woman in May who accused him of sexually assaulting her at his home in 2023 – an allegation that was denied by his attorney. His attorney said their relations instead were consensual, which helped his case in court but still got him into trouble with a school that is run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). RULES TO LIVE BY: Everything to know about the BYU honor code The lawsuit recently was dismissed. Retzlaff also is Jewish, not LDS, but it didn't matter. 'Every school has their standards,' Sitake said. 'We have ours too. … And we expect our students to live to live according to what they what they signed up for.' In March 2011, BYU men's basketball player Brandon Davies was kicked off the team for the same reason, even as the Cougars were making a run to the NCAA tournament. In the case of Retzlaff, his loss also puts his team into a bind after he led them to an 11-2 season last year, including a win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. After serving as co-captain of last year's team, he's now looking for a landing spot elsewhere to avoid the suspension. A transfer quarterback or two is poised to replace him at BYU: McCae Hillstead from Utah State, Treyson Bourguet from Western Michigan or Bear Bachmeier from Stanford. Hillstead and Bourguet were on the roster last year for the Cougars but did not play. Sitake noted that at BYU 'you have to be able to throw the ball' and that the position is up for grabs in preseason practices. 'Let's settle it on the field,' Sitake said. 'Let them compete.'
