A Colorado dentist accused of murdering his wife with poisoned protein shakes sent her text messages to the hospital inquiring about her condition and professing his love.
James Craig, 45, was arrested in Aurora, Colorado on Sunday. He is accused of poisoning his wife Angela with potassium cyanide while he was having an affair with an orthodontist in Texas.
According to police records, Angela felt unwell after drinking a shake prepared for her by her husband on March 6.
Over the next ten days, she went to the hospital three times complaining of nausea and dizziness, but doctors could not determine what was causing her illness.
On March 15, her brother took her to the hospital again. Shortly after, she had a seizure and lost brain function.
Craig’s mistress – an orthodontist in Texas – flew to Colorado March 8-10 to be with him while his wife was in the hospital.
Now he is accused of premeditated murder.
Disturbing text messages included in his arrest affidavit reveal how he had previously ‘drugged’ his wife – and that she was suspicious of him as her health deteriorated.
James and Angela Craig pose for a family photo with their six children, aged eight to 20
James Toliver Craig was arrested for murder on Sunday after detectives found his wife Angela Craig, 43, had been fatally poisoned
Craig dressed up as a tooth fairy in a photo posted to the dental office’s social media pages
Angela Craig was taken to the hospital on March 15. She died March 19 after being on life support for four days
‘Are you sick?’ he asked his wife.
‘NO. I feel drugged,’ she replied.
“Given our history, I know that has to be triggering. Just for the record, I didn’t drug you. But I’m really worried. You looked really pale before I left.’
Prosecutors allege Craig first gave his wife the poison on March 6 in a shake he mixed before training.
According to the indictment, Craig had checked for poison on his office computer.
Search terms included: “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human”; “Is arsenic detectable in the autopsy”; ‘Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play’; ‘how to make poison’ and ‘Top 10 deadliest plants (they can kill you).’
Craig “had multiple affairs with multiple women” and told his wife that according to his warrant, he had been addicted to pornography since he was a teenager
Text messages Craig exchanged with Angela while she was fighting for her life in the hospital
When Angela Craig began to complain that she was unwell, her husband expressed her concern and repeatedly sent her declarations of love. He once apologized for not bringing her flowers to the hospital and said he was looking forward to her returning home and to the marriage bed.
‘I love you. It was so nice hanging out with you and just watching a show and cuddling,” he wrote on March 7 — the day after he allegedly administered the poison.
He says to her, “But I plan to come home to have lunch with you.
“I have to ask you what you’re hungry for and bring it to you. I kind of just feel like a smoothie or something.’
She tells him she’s not hungry.
As she struggles with her nausea, headache, exhaustion, and vomiting, Craig texts her repeatedly, telling her that he loves her and wants her to recover.
“I trust you’re just sleeping and not dead somewhere,” he says at one point when she doesn’t reply to his message.
He says he’s going home to make you something to eat.
On March 9, Angela is in the hospital. As her symptoms worsen, Craig texts his wife, “Man baby you gotta stop scaring me like that! I love you so much and I’m not used to all this fuss!’
Craig reportedly gave his wife the poison on March 6 in a shake he mixed before training
Craig admitted to drugging Angela five or six years ago and referenced the incident in a text message to his wife while she was in hospital
At the same time, prosecutors say, Craig’s mistress, who had flown in from Austin, Texas, visited him.
On March 10, while his mistress is still in town, Craig writes to his wife: “I wish I could have stayed longer. I love you and I’m so glad you seem better.’
On March 11, he tells his wife, “I’m just working on dreaming of making love to you. I love you and I want you.’
When she is released, he tells her: “I can’t wait to see you in my bed at home tomorrow!”
She says she has to stop vomiting before she can think about sex.
Meanwhile, Craig orders more poison, with a shipment of cyanide being shipped on March 13th.
On March 14, she returned home and accused her husband of trying to poison her, he told a source.
“James told her when Angela was released that she made allegations that James had poisoned her,” the indictment says.
‘Angela said something to James along the lines of ‘there are poisons they don’t test for’.’
At home, her condition deteriorated dramatically and she was readmitted on March 15, suffered a seizure and never regained consciousness.
Craig told investigators Angela had intentionally overdosed on opioids since she filed for divorce in December 2022
Craig’s internet history showed that he placed an Amazon order for “Arsenic Metal 99.9999% Crystalline Metalloid 10 Grams for Element Collection” among other poisons he ordered online
On March 16, as Angela’s condition worsens, his lover emails him, saying she wants to comfort him but not be there and “hide how I feel about you.”
“I’m sorry I’m not a part of your world to help you more and instead I’m pulling you away,” she wrote.
‘This is so difficult. I want to be and do what I can to support and encourage you, and I don’t want to add anything at what is an incredibly difficult time.
“I want to comfort you as much as I can, but I also don’t think it’s right to mingle with those who gather to mourn Angela, and I don’t want to be a friend to your family and hide what I do for them You feel .’
Craig was reported to authorities by one of his colleagues who was suspicious of his behavior and the poison shipments.
He refused to perform an autopsy on his wife despite pleas from concerned friends who feared the cause of death could be genetic and passed on to children.
The affidavit said Craig plans to “end his wife’s life by finding ways to kill someone undetected, providing her with poisons consistent with her hospital symptoms, and working to start a new life.” begin [his lover].’
The dentist reportedly ordered the arsenic online on February 27 and received a package at home on March 4.
Craig’s second package arrived at work on March 13, and when a worker opened the box, she found a biohazard label and a canister marked “potassium cyanide.”
She googled the chemical compound and found that the symptoms of cyanide poisoning were similar to the symptoms Angela was experiencing.
Craig was a practicing dentist and part of the Summerbrook dental practice in Colorado, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2021
When the clerk heard that Angela had been hospitalized again on March 15, she told Craig’s business partner of her shock discovery.
He then told a nurse to check on her during a visit.
The nurse called the police and her death was investigated by Major Crimes Homicide detectives, who determined that she was poisoned.
“As duty reporter, the nurse called the police and an investigation followed,” the affidavit reads.
Craig told investigators that his wife had intentionally overdosed on opioids since filing for divorce in December 2022.
Police searched his home and business and confiscated protein powder, shakers, a computer tablet, phones and two Ziploc bags of powdered substances.
Analysis of data from his devices revealed the chilling searches he’d conducted online, including a $13 Amazon order for “Arsenic Metal 99.9999% Crystalline Metalloid 10 Grams for Element Collection.”
When police combed his e-mail account [email protected], they found more poison purchases, according to the affidavit.
Craig and his practice, Summerbrook Dental, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2021, according to court filings.
The couple had been married for more than 20 years and are parents to six children – five girls and one boy – ranging in age from eight to 20.
In a 2021 press release, Craig described himself as “happily married” to Angela.
The press release went on to say that the couple “have six children and all enjoy the outdoors, particularly camping, snowboarding, fishing, hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking.”
“They also enjoy visiting theme parks and often travel to Disney, Universal and Sea World.”
It was also noted that James Craig volunteered with WE CAN HELP, an anti-bullying program sponsored by the Denver Police Department.
Poisoning is a rare murder method. According to studies, poisoning accounts for less than 0.5 percent of cases.