ARAPAHOE, COLORADO: A Colorado dentist who is suspected of murdering his wife and mother of six by spiking her protein shakes with poison is set to enter a plea in court to a first-degree murder charge on Tuesday, August 29, Fox News reports.
According to the authorities, James Craig, 45, was apparently involved in another relationship prior to his wife's March 18 death and had searched online for answers to questions such as “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?” and “how to make murder look like a heart attack.”
Craig's wife died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline
At a July preliminary hearing, District Attorney John Kellner said Craig’s wife, Angela Craig, Googled symptoms she was having including vertigo, shaking and cold lips in the following days. Angela, who was married to James for 23 years, died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to the Arapahoe County coroner Kelly Lear.
Craig was seeing his mistress while his wife was treated in hospital
As Angela was admitted in serious condition in the hospital with the doctors unable to find out what was wrong with her, Craig was seeing his mistress, orthodontist Karin Cain, prosecutors allege. According to ABC's Good Morning America, Cain, of Austin, Texas, said that the defendant had told her he was in the midst of a divorce and no longer lived with his wife.
On March 15, Angela Craig, suffered a seizure on her third stint in the hospital in two weeks and was declared brain-dead. Three days later she was removed from life support.
When did the officers start investigating the case?
It was only after Craig's friend and business partner, Ryan Redfearn, told police that a package of potassium cyanide was delivered to their dental practice in Aurora, Colorado, that the investigators started to investigate the incident. There was no medical need for the drug. Craig had placed several orders for various poisons, including arsenic and oleandrin, detectives said.
James Craig’s attorneys argued there was no direct evidence
James Craig’s attorneys argued there was no direct evidence that Craig had slipped poison into his wife’s shakes at the preliminary hearing. They also accused the lead detective of bias against Craig. During the hearing neither the affidavit nor testimony addressed how investigators believe Angela Craig was poisoned with tetrahydrozoline.
Craig also was later charged with tampering with evidence but details about that allegation have not been disclosed. The defense attorneys suggested that Craig, who had previously attempted suicide, had been searching online for ways to take his life.
Investigators allege that Craig, who routinely made protein shakes for his wife, tried poising her shake on March 6 with arsenic. According to court documents, Craig ordered a rush shipment of potassium cyanide that he told the supplier was needed for a surgery after his wife survived. Craig is currently held in jail on a $10 million bond.
