Dentist accused of poisoning wife tried to plant suicidal letters, cops say

A dentist accused of sidesplitting his woman by putting poison successful her macromolecule shakes asked a chap jailhouse inmate to works letters to make it look for illustration his woman was suicidal, constabulary say.

James Craig asked nan inmate to put nan letters successful Craig's car shed and motortruck astatine his home, Aurora constabulary detective Bobbi Olson testified Wednesday astatine a tribunal proceeding connected nan caller allegation against Craig, KMGH-TV reported. The inmate believed nan letters were written by Craig but meant to look arsenic if his wife, Angela Craig, had written them, said Olson, nan lead detective successful nan case.

Angela Craig, a 43-year-old mother of six who was joined to her hubby for 23 years, died successful March 2023 of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, nan second a constituent recovered successful over-the-counter oculus drops, according to nan coroner.

Craig is alleged to person bought poisons online conscionable earlier his woman began to acquisition symptoms that doctors could not find a origin for. But his lawyers person based on location is nary nonstop grounds that he put poison successful his wife's shakes and person accused Olson of being biased against him.

According to Olson, Craig offered money to salary for nan enslaved for nan inmate to beryllium released from jailhouse aliases execute free dental activity successful speech for planting nan letters but nan inmate decided not to return him up connected nan offer, nan detective testified.

The inmate alternatively contacted rule enforcement, she said.

A Colorado dentist was formally charged pinch first-degree execution successful nan decease of his woman aft he allegedly poisoned her pre-workout shakes pinch arsenic. CBS

The defense based on that nan inmate was not a reliable witness.

One of Craig's lawyers, Andrew Ho, pointed retired that nan inmate only contacted authorities aft an first proceeding to reappraisal nan grounds successful nan lawsuit past summer, which was wide covered by nan media, and that nan inmate could not accurately place nan colour of Craig's truck.

However, a judge agreed prosecutors had presented capable grounds for Craig to besides beryllium tried connected nan caller complaint involving nan inmate, revenge past month, of inducement to perpetrate tampering pinch beingness evidence. The inmate's sanction was redacted from nan document.

"Is arsenic detectable successful an autopsy?"   

Craig was already charged pinch first-degree execution and different count of inducement to perpetrate tampering pinch beingness evidence. He pleaded not blameworthy to those 2 charges successful November 2023.

Last July,  a constabulary detective testified that Craig searched online for answers to questions specified arsenic "is arsenic detectable successful an autopsy?" and "how to make execution look for illustration a bosom attack" a fewer weeks earlier she died.

Skye Lazaro, an lawyer acquainted pinch cases involving poison, told "48 Hours" contributor Natalie Morales that Craig's defense mightiness reason that constabulary rushed to apprehension him. "It's fundamentally a three-day investigation," she said of nan clip it took constabulary to complaint him pinch his wife's murder.

According to a activity bio and video posted online, Craig taught arsenic an subordinate professor astatine nan University of Missouri School of Dentistry for 3 years and has been practicing dentistry successful nan Aurora area since 2006.

Neighbors of nan family told CBS Colorado they were stunned.

"I support praying for nan kids because they mislaid some parents astatine nan aforesaid time," said neighbour Karen Lucero.

Craig is scheduled to look proceedings connected Aug. 8.

In:
• Colorado
• Murder