Colorado dentist sentenced to life for poisoning wife, plotting further killings

Colorado dentist James Craig has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of murdering his wife, Angela Craig, in 2023.

(CNN)- Colorado dentist James Craig has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of murdering his wife, Angela Craig, in 2023. The trial, which spanned two weeks and featured 48 witnesses—including two of Craig’s own children—highlighted the depth of betrayal felt by the family.

“I was supposed to be able to trust my dad. He was supposed to be my hero, and instead he’ll forever be the villain in my book,” one of Craig’s children said in a victim impact statement. Another added, “It’s hard to lose your mom and then three days after that, lose your dad.”

Prosecutors said Craig poisoned his wife by slipping cyanide and other toxic substances into her protein shakes and pills. Blood tests later revealed fatal levels of cyanide, arsenic, and tetrahydrozoline—an ingredient found in eye drops.

The defense argued Angela Craig was depressed and suicidal. “She wanted to kill herself,” said defense attorney Lisa Moses. But jurors rejected that claim, finding that Craig not only planned his wife’s murder but also tried to manipulate one of his children into making it seem like Angela had requested the toxic substances.

In addition to first-degree murder, Craig was convicted of plotting to kill four other people, including the lead detective on the case and fellow inmates, while he was in jail awaiting trial.

Angela Craig’s sister, Kathryn Pray, delivered a scathing statement after the verdict: “He perpetrated this murder while she was in her own home with her own children around her. It’s heartless, cowardly. He’s a pretender and a liar. He’s a snake in the grass.”