Murder trial for James Craig, Colorado dentist accused of poisoning wife, in hands of jury
The jury has begun deliberating in the trial of James Craig, the Colorado dentist accused of poisoning and killing his wife.
Closing arguments in the case spanned Monday into Tuesday morning, and the jury began deliberating just before 1 p.m. The court recessed at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and will resume deliberations on Wednesday morning.
Craig is charged with the murder of his wife, Angela, in 2023 by putting poisonous arsenic in her protein shakes.
Investigators say his internet browsing history included search terms like "How to make murder look like a heart attack?" "Is there such thing as an undetectable poison?" and "How long does it take to die from arsenic poisoning?"
Prosecutors argued that James Craig had multiple affairs during his marriage and that he feared the financial and reputational impacts of a possible divorce.
His defense attorney, Ashley Witham, suggested during opening statements that Angela's death may have been a suicide, saying the case is not as "cut and dry" as the prosecution claims.
He's been charged with the following:
- First-degree murder
- Solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence
- Solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence
- Solicitation to commit first-degree perjury
- Solicitation to commit first-degree murder
- Solicitation to commit first-degree perjury
The solicitation to commit murder charge stems from allegations that he sought a fellow jail inmate to kill an investigator in his case, investigators said.
If convicted, James Craig faces a sentence of up to life in prison without the possibility of parole, as Colorado doesn't have the death penalty.