James Craig, a former dentist from Aurora, Colorado, now stands accused in a harrowing murder trial that has gripped the community. Prosecutors allege that Craig deliberately poisoned his wife of 23 years, Angela Craig, by contaminating her protein shakes and medications with deadly toxins—cyanide, arsenic, and tetrahydrozoline (commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops)—in March 2023.
Angela’s mysterious decline began with weeks of dizziness, vomiting, and fainting, sending her to multiple hospitals. On March 18, 2023, after suffering a seizure and being taken off life support, she tragically passed away.
During opening statements on July 15, 2025, in Arapahoe County court, prosecutors unveiled a detailed case highlighting Craig’s motive: a tangled web of marital infidelity and severe financial troubles. They presented chilling evidence of premeditation, including Craig’s online searches for how to disguise murder as a heart attack and ways to evade arsenic detection during an autopsy. Also introduced was security footage of Angela confronting her husband after he labeled her suicidal to medical staff—footage prosecutors argue discredits any claims that Angela was suicidal.
The trial has revealed disturbing testimonies. Angela’s teenage daughter testified that Craig coerced her into creating a “deepfake” video falsely showing Angela requesting poison. She described receiving a handwritten letter from Craig, instructing her on how to purchase a prepaid laptop, use a dark-web browser, plant fabricated videos among her mother’s belongings, and then destroy the evidence after submission to investigators. Both daughters vehemently deny their mother was suicidal, portraying Angela as a loving, hopeful woman—a narrative that deals a heavy blow to Craig’s defense.
Additional witnesses painted a portrait of a man living a double life: coworkers and romantic partners testified to Craig’s multiple affairs, including one with a Texas dentist and others found through the dating site Seeking.com, to whom he showered expensive gifts. One woman recounted Craig joking about “purging” his wife if life imitated fiction. Caitlin Romero, the dental office manager, revealed seeing Craig work late alone in the exam room and later witnessed a suspicious delivery addressed to “Jim Craig – Personal” containing potassium cyanide with biohazard markings. She connected this to Craig’s internet research and Angela’s unexplained symptoms.
Medical experts confirmed the horrifying truth: Angela’s blood contained lethal levels of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, along with elevated arsenic, consistent with intentional poisoning. A UCHealth toxicologist described her rapid decline as inexplicable by natural causes, strongly supporting the poisoning theory.
Craig faces additional charges of solicitation to commit murder—allegedly involving inmate schemes to kill the lead investigator—as well as solicitation to tamper with evidence and perjury, stemming from his attempts to manipulate testimonies and fabricate false narratives while incarcerated.
Craig’s defense team denies he poisoned Angela, alleging investigative bias and flaws. They suggest Angela may have taken her own life, question the credibility of jailhouse informants, and dispute the evidence behind the alleged deepfake video. While acknowledging Craig’s affairs, they insist Angela was aware of them and that infidelity was no motive for murder, portraying Angela as mentally fragile but not suicidal.
At 47 years old, James Craig remains in custody with a $10 million bond. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, solicitation to commit perjury, tampering with evidence, and solicitation to commit murder. The trial is expected to continue for weeks, with the jury hearing extensive testimony before deliberations.