A 45-year-old dentist from Aurora, Colorado has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after allegedly lacing his wife’s protein shakes with arsenic and cyanide.
James Craig, a father of six, was taken into custody on Sunday on suspicion of murdering his wife of more than 20 years, Angela Craig, 43.
Angela had been suffering from dizziness and headaches for weeks before finally being admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, where her condition rapidly deteriorated. She was taken off life support and pronounced dead on Sunday.
According to Craig’s arrest warrant, he had conducted multiple online searches about poison on a shared computer at his workplace, including “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human,” “Is Arsenic Detectable in Autopsy,” and “how to make poison.”
At the same time, he had been exchanging “intimate” and “sexually explicit” emails with an orthodontist from Austin, Texas. He allegedly planned to “end his wife’s life by searching for ways to kill someone undetected, providing her poisons that align with her hospitalized symptoms, and working on starting a new life with [his lover].”
Craig allegedly ordered the arsenic online on February 27 and received a package at home on March 4. On March 6 he told an office manager he was expecting a package, and not to open it.
On March 13, an employee opened a box sent to Craig’s business and found a biohazard sticker and a canister marked “Potassium Cyanide.” Upon recognizing the symptoms of cyanide poisoning, the employee told Craig’s business partner, who in turn told a nurse.
When police raided Craig’s home and business, they seized protein powders, shakers, a computer tablet, phones, two Ziploc bags with powdery substances, and evidence from Craig’s email account. They found he had ordered “Arsenic Metal 99.9999% Crystalline Metalloid 10 grams for Element Collection” from Amazon, and had also attempted to purchase $330 worth of 3 Oleandrin 1mg from AdooQ BioScience.
Craig had allegedly told investigators that his wife had been intentionally overdosing on opioids since he asked for a divorce in December 2022.
An individual close to Angela’s family told the Daily Beast that she was a “phenomenal woman, outgoing, and the best mother you could imagine.”
James Craig is currently in custody and faces first-degree murder charges. The family is still in shock and has requested privacy.
