A Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes sent a disturbing text message before her death.
James Craig sent a bizarre text message to his wife Angela Craig, 43, promising he had not poisoned her when she told how her protein shake and magnesium supplement had made her dizzy and she told him she felt ‘drugged’.
“Given our history, I know this must be a trigger. For the record, I did not drug you,” he wrote her on March 6, 2023. “But I am very concerned. You looked really pale before I left. Even like in your lips.’
Angela’s sister told investigators that James had drugged his wife five years earlier and that he claimed to be planning to commit suicide by lethal injection in their bathroom. The Telegraph reported.
Angela died in March 2023 from poisoning by cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to the coroner.
Craig was arrested in March 2023 on charges of first-degree murder for allegedly administering a fatal dose of potassium cyanide to his Angela, resulting in her death.
Police have described Craig’s alleged crimes as a “horrific, complex and calculated murder” and said the dentist had poisoned his wife’s shakes multiple times.
Angela was in and out of the hospital several times before her death and her husband of 23 years played the role of stipulating husband each time, sending her photos of the six children, contacting her and seeming concerned about her well-being.
James Craig sent a bizarre text message to his wife Angela Craig, 43, promising he had not poisoned her when she told how her protein shake and magnesium supplement had made her dizzy and she told him she felt ‘drugged’.
“Given our history, I know this must be a trigger. For the record, I did not drug you,” he wrote her on March 6, 2023. Angela’s sister told investigators that James had drugged his wife five years earlier
During her last hospital stay, he told Angela’s friend, Michelle Redfeam, that if it wasn’t his wife in the hospital bed, “this would be quite a fun puzzle to try out!”
But prosecutors claim the dentist was the puzzle designer and knew exactly how it would all fit together.
They allege his scheme began in early 2023 when he ordered arsenic metal on Amazon for $13 and began poisoning his wife on March 6.
The history of his hard drive also reveals suspicious queries, such as: ‘How many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human’ and ‘is arsenic detectable in [an] autopsy?’
He later ordered 25 grams of potassium cyanide and told the supplier he was a surgeon performing “craniofacial reconstruction.”
The coroner found that arsenic had been a “significant condition” in her death, according to The Telegraph.
The first person to raise suspicions about James was his business partner, Ryan Redfearn, who told staff the dentist had ordered cyanide but the practice has no reason to use it.
Ryan had said James was on the “edge of bankruptcy” and was a “risk taker.” According to The Telegraph, James had also filed for bankruptcy in 2021.
Prosecutors allege his scheme began in early 2023 when he ordered arsenic metal on Amazon for $13 and began poisoning his wife on March 6.
The history of his hard drive also reveals suspicious queries, such as: ‘How many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human’ and ‘is arsenic detectable in [an] autopsy?’
Angela’s sister, Toni Kofoed, told investigators that James had “run his dental practice into the ground” and that he had recently gambled away $2,000 while on vacation in Las Vegas, The Telegraph reported.
The dentist is also said to be addicted to porn and to have had affairs with several women.
Prosecutors accuse James of trying to kill Angela so he could start a new life with an orthodontist he had an affair with in Austin, Texas.
The orthodontist reportedly flew to Denver twice while Angela’s was in the hospital. Police said the email exchanges between her and James were “intimate in nature and included sexually explicit conversations.”
After her death, James told a counselor that his wife was suicidal and had previously overdosed. He also told them he believed her toxicology report would be positive, but he was unsure which substances.
Their six children did not reveal that their mother was suicidal or depressed and the employee suspects that the dentist was “trying to create a cover for what really happened to Angela.”
James has also been accused of trying to ask an inmate to kill the detective investigating his case.
Since being in prison, he has also faced more charges, including asking another inmate to forge diary entries to make it look like his wife committed suicide. He allegedly asked the prisoner to plant them at the family home. According to the newspaper, the prisoner refused.
Prosecutors accuse James of trying to kill Angela so he could start a new life with an orthodontist he had an affair with in Austin, Texas.
Craig was also previously accused of smuggling a letter out of prison with an inmate bound by one of his adult daughters.
According to prosecutors, she was asked to make a fake video of Angela asking Craig to get her poison.
Before that, he was charged with committing a felony for tampering with physical evidence after the plot involving his daughter was exposed.
James had pleaded not guilty to the charges.