Closing arguments set in trial of Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife
James Craig is charged with murder in the death of Angela Craig in suburban Denver in 2023. He is also accused of trying to fabricate evidence in the case to make it look like she killed herself and of asking a fellow jail inmate to kill the detective who led the investigation into his wife's death.
Angela Craig, who had six children with James Craig, died in 2023 during her third trip to the hospital in a little over a week. Toxicology tests later determined the 43-year-old died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient found in over-the-counter eye drops.
Police previously said James Craig purchased a variety of poisons before his wife's death and put some in the protein shakes he made for her. During the trial, prosecutors alleged that he also gave her a fatal dose of cyanide as she lay in her hospital bed on March 15, 2023, as doctors tried to figure out what was ailing her. She was declared brain dead soon afterward.
James Craig didn't testify and his lawyers didn't present any witnesses — and it wasn't required. Instead, in opening statements and in their questioning of prosecution witnesses, Craig's lawyers seemed to suggest that Angela Craig may have taken her own life and faulted police for focusing solely on James Craig as a suspect.
In notes that police found on James Craig's phone, the dentist said Angela Craig asked him to help kill her with poison when he sought a divorce after having affairs. In the document, which was labeled 'timeline,' Craig said he eventually agreed to purchase and prepare poisons for her to take but not administer them. Craig said that he put cyanide in some of the antibiotic capsules she had been taking and also prepared a syringe containing cyanide.
According to that timeline, Craig wrote that just before she had to go to the hospital on March 15, 2023, she must have ingested a mixture containing tetrahydrozoline, the eye drop ingredient, because she became lethargic and weak. Then, he wrote, she took the antibiotic laced with cyanide that he prepared for her.
Mark Pray, who was visiting to help the Craig family because of his sister's mysterious illness, testified that he gave Angela Craig the capsules after being instructed to do so by James Craig, who was not at home. Pray said his sister bent over and couldn't hold herself up after taking the medicine. He and his wife then took Angela Craig to the hospital.
The lead investigator, Detective Bobbi Olson, testified that James Craig's timeline account differed from statements he had made to others about what happened, including accusing Angela Craig of setting him up to make it look like he had killed her.
The defense introduced into evidence Angela Craig's journal in which she talked about struggles in their marriage in previous years and her husband's infidelity. In one entry she wrote, 'He doesn't love me and I don't blame him.' The journal ended in 2018 and did not include any mentions of suicide, Olson said.
In opening statements, one of Craig's attorneys, Ashley Whitham, repeatedly described Angela Craig as 'broken,' partly by Craig's infidelity and her desire to stay married, since they were part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Angela Craig's sister, Toni Kofoed, pushed back against that suggestion. She testified that her sister had a 'broken heart' because of the affairs, but not a 'broken mind."
Prosecutors have said James Craig fell in love with another dentist and was in financial straits when he killed his wife.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
What is the ‘door-kick' social media challenge? Authorities warn TikTok trend can have deadly results
A new social media trend is sweeping across the country - and officials are fearful it will end in tragedy. The 'door-kick challenge' takes the 'ding-dong-ditch' prank —ringing people's doorbells and running away before they answer—to new extremes. Pranksters choose a door at random in the middle of the night and kick it aggressively, sometimes until it comes off the hinges, and upload a video of it online. 'That's a good way to end up dead,' Florida's Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood bluntly put it. 'Especially in Florida. You've got to think you're about to become a victim of a home invasion robbery and, under the Castle doctrine, you're gonna shoot first and ask questions later.' Online safety advocacy groups also warn that kids could lose their lives over the social media trend or end up in jail. 'This trend has the potential to end in absolute tragedy,' Titania Jordan, chief parenting officer at Bark Technologies, a parental control app, told The Independent. 'We're not just talking about property damage — kids are putting themselves at serious risk. If homeowners are armed or on high alert, it's not hard to imagine how a prank like this could escalate into something irreversible.' 'What's at stake is more than just a viral moment gone wrong,' Jordan adds. 'It's a child's life, a family's future, and the potential for criminal charges that could follow them for years.' Authorities are warning parents about the dangerous 'door kick challenge' as recent incidents have cropped up in California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Wisconsin, Texas and Michigan, to name a few. Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety, said that social media has 'conditioned' American teens to re-enact dangerous challenges and pranks. 'Social media incentivizes users, especially teens, to post content that will generate likes, shares, and views, or 'clout' as some may call it,' Berkman told The Independent. 'Unfortunately, what generates that social media attention is often salacious content: violent, explicit or otherwise extreme. Our teens, spending upwards of five hours a day viewing this content, quickly become desensitized to it, and violence, cruel pranks, and challenges become normalized.' Police in Louisville, Kentucky, said that the prank was 'stupid and dangerous' following an incident in the city over the weekend. A woman caught masked teens kicking down her door at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Wave reports. 'Anyone participating in this type of behavior is certainly risking their own life,' said Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson John Bradley. 'A resident could easily assume resorting to deadly force against the person is the next appropriate course of action to protect themselves from what they believe may be an intruder. This type of behavior is stupid and dangerous.' In Las Vegas earlier this month, homeowner Tyler Reggie and his pregnant girlfriend were asleep when pranksters kicked the door in at 3 a.m. on July 8. Reggie told FOX5 that he 'assumed the worst' when the banging started, but saw it was teenagers after reviewing his doorbell camera footage. They caused $5,000 worth of damage to his property, he said. In Florida, two teenagers are facing a charge of felony burglary after taking part in the challenge in the city of DeBary, Volusia County. The teens kicked a homeowner's door in so aggressively that it broke open. 'The so-called 'door kicking challenge' is a surefire way to get locked up with a felony… or even worse, shot and killed by a homeowner,' Sheriff Chitwood said in a social media post on July 7. The teens told deputies they were 'just being stupid.' One of them, a 13-year-old girl, was found hiding in her attic after deputies searched for her inside the house. 'And, let me tell you, mom was furious with her daughter after deputies told her what she had been up to,' Chitwood said. 'Parents, use this as a reminder to TALK with your kids that this challenge is not harmless and is the dumbest way to end up with a felony charge or dead.' Similar social media trends have met a tragic end in recent years. Teenage lacrosse star Michael Bosworth Jr was allegedly shot dead by a homeowner in May during an alleged break-in, but his friend told police it was a TikTok 'ding-dong-ditch' prank gone wrong. Tyler Chase Butler, 27, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the 18-year-old's death, who was fatally shot in the torso in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Butler is being held in Rappahannock Regional Jail until a preliminary hearing in September. His family said he 'acted out of a genuine fear for his safety and the safety of his mother.' In another devastating case in Riverside County, California, Anurag Chandra killed three teenage boys after they played a doorbell prank on him in 2020. The group of six teenagers pranked Chandra before running back to their vehicle. Chandra then got in his car and intentionally rammed the teenagers' vehicle off the road, killing three of them, authorities said. Parenting expert Jordan noted that similar pranks have been around for decades, but social media has elevated them. 'Pranks like ding dong ditch have always existed, but social media has given them a megaphone,' Jordan said. 'What used to be a local stunt can now go viral in seconds. Even if kids aren't sharing their own videos, just seeing others do it on repeat can make it feel normalized or even encouraged.' Kids may take part in the challenges due to peer pressure, the simple thrill of doing something they shouldn't, or more likely, for social validation, Jordan said. 'Even if they're not filming themselves in the act, just being part of a trend gives them a sense of belonging,' Jordan explained. ' It's easy to forget how impulsive kids can be when they're trying to impress their peers or prove they're not afraid to push boundaries.' Jordan recommends parents have regular conversations with their kids, not just about what they're posting but what they're watching online. 'Ask what trends are showing up in their feeds and how they feel about them,' she said. 'This kind of open dialogue is your best defense,' Jordan added. 'At the same time, it can be helpful to use tech tools that give parents a window into their child's digital world.'
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Firm abandons HQ in crime-plagued Cincinnati over street brawl
A top Cincinnati firm is packing its bags and leaving the crime-ridden city after a footage of savage street brawl shocked viewers for its brutality. Victor Louis, CEO of One Logistics Network, is relocating his business to new headquarters just outside of the city after describing a 'decline in the livability and professionalism of the downtown area' in an open letter to city officials. 'A consistent decline in the conditions for doing business in the city over the past several years has made our continued presence untenable,' he wrote. 'My employees have concerns about their safety and do not feel valued for their contributions to the city.' Louis said he witnessed 'violence, open drug use and disorderly conduct' near his office and downtown condo. He also said gun violence was 'alarmingly common in areas once considered safe and family-friendly.' The CEO signed a lease on the new office space in suburban Blue Ash last week, and he is hoping to expedite the move. He and his team of 35 will be use their current downtown offices for a few more months as they prepare for the move. 'I understand there are complex issues at play,' Louis told The Cincinnati Enquirer . 'Nothing is going to change until businesses start drawing a line and saying: "No more. This ain't happening."' The businessman blamed the city's issues on 'a failure in leadership and a lack of effective city management.' Louis cited the June 26 brawl as one of his main reasons for deciding to ditch the city. Cincinnati cops have arrested five people in connection with the brawl that targeted a couple. Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, and Dekyra Vernon, 24, were taken into custody this week after the couple were violently set upon in the downtown area. Two others were also arrested. Footage of the altercation swept social media as the couple were seen being beaten on the street near a nightclub as a crowd gathered. Cincinnati Chief of Police Teresa Theetge said during a press conference on Monday that around 100 people descended on the brawl, but only one called 911. 'That is unacceptable to not call the police,' she said. 'Traffic was horrendous. People saw this. They were fighting in front of traffic. Why didn't people call us?' Matthews was charged with aggravated riot and assault. Charges against the other individuals were not immediately clear. Shocking footage of the fight showed man in a white t-shirt get shoved to the ground and beaten by two men as other members of the crowd jeered and joined in. The gang beat the man for nearly a minute as he lay in the middle of the street, with the attackers appearing to step on his head multiple times. When the barrage temporarily stopped, the man was seen attempting to stand - but immediately fell over in apparent disorientation. One attacker yelled out 'my man's drunk.' A woman in a black dress who rushed to his aid was also attacked by the crowd, suffering two blows to the face. The impact caused her to fall, with her head slamming onto the pavement and blood spilling from her mouth. 'The behavior is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable,' Chief Theetge said. Cincinnati City Councilman Mark Jeffreys described the video as 'incredibly disturbing and horrific' as well as 'downright inhumane.' 'This behavior cannot stand and will not represent our city,' Jeffreys said. 'Those responsible must be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Prince Andrew should testify to US lawmakers under oath over his ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, says top lawyer
A top lawyer representing Jeffrey Epstein 's victims has demanded Prince Andrew testifies about his links to the infamous paedophile socialite. Famed lawyer Gloria Allred, 84, said the Duke of York should volunteer to speak under oath before Congress. The 65-year-old has maintained his denial of ever sleeping with Virginia Giuffre, the Epstein victim Andrew was pictured with when she was 17, with the pair standing next to jailed predator Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew's lawyers have denied that he has refused to cooperate with US Epstein investigators. Allred told The Daily Mirror: 'Now more than ever, he should come forward. He could volunteer to testify publicly. 'Is he willing to testify before Congress? Is he willing to give more information to the Justice Department? And if not, why not? 'His silence is a statement that he's not willing to help for some reason.' It came as a bombshell book called Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, by Andrew Lownie, revealed Jeffrey Epstein said of Prince Andrew: 'We are both serial sex addicts. He's the only person I have met who is more obsessed with p***y than me. 'From the reports I've got back from the women we've shared, he's the most perverted animal in the bedroom. He likes to engage in stuff that's even kinky to me – and I'm the king of kink!' The book, which the Duke and Duchess of York tried to ban, explores how the couple 'fell from grace because of the flaws in their own characters and how they were allowed to leverage their privileged position as royals for personal gain with the connivance of the institution itself.' The book also details claims of Prince Andrew's infidelity and bedroom antics - from sleeping with scores of women while on ambassador trips to making lewd comments to women he met during everyday life as the late Queen's favourite son. It said the nickname 'Randy Andy' was given to Prince Andrew while he was at Gordonstoun public school. He allegedly earned the name because he was already sexually experienced, good looking and girls were attracted to him. While he has never had trouble picking up women, a family friend said: 'He's not a hunter of women. He rather expects them to come to him. But when they do, he shows himself to be bone idle and not very socially adept at chatting them up.' The Duke of York has long faced criticism for his friendship with Epstein (pictured in 2011), which carried on even after the socialite's imprisonment for sex offences in 2008 One woman he propositioned said: 'He's about as subtle as a hand grenade. His favourite trick is to rub your knee under the table. It's pathetic.' At a wedding he was said to have asked a woman he'd not met before for a dance. When she declined, he responded, 'I suppose a b*** j** is out of the question, then?' Another of his lovers said: 'He is not a Casanova. In the bedroom department he is a bit of a let-down. He has been dumped by most of the girls linked to him because he is a bore.' Andrew is also said to have certain juvenile characteristics, such as taking advantage of his position to humiliate others who may not be able to respond. At a society event in 1992 he reportedly unzipped broadcaster Tania Bryer's evening dress the full length of her back. Then at a dinner party he allegedly sniffed the pâté served as a first course and turned to his right, saying, 'This pâté smells. What do you think?' His female companion leaned forward to smell it and he promptly pushed her face into the dish. One of his dates recalled how he always introduced himself to her friends as the Duke of York, 'even when we were dancing on tables at two in the morning at Momo.' After a house party in Dorset, one young woman complained: 'One minute you're having your bum pinched and the next minute he's reminding you he's Your Royal Highness.' The controversial prince even left an impression on former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Andrew asked to have lunch with Johnson when he was Mayor of London, turning up with a list of things he wanted to talk about. He wanted to redesign traffic lights with 'fewer red lights', thought the whole of Battersea Power Station should be demolished, including the listed towers and felt the Queen Elizabeth II Centre was too small and not fit for purpose. Johnson responded: 'Well, if it's too small, it's your mum's fault.' Andrew reportedly stuck his tongue out. Afterwards, Boris said: 'I'm the last person to be a republican but, f***, if I ever have to spend another lunch like that, I soon will be.' Before her death by suicide in April, Virginia Giuffre said she was approached by Maxwell in 2000 and eventually was hired by her as a masseuse for Epstein, who took his own life in prison aged 66 in 2019. But the couple effectively made her a sexual servant, she said, pressuring her into gratifying not only Epstein but his friends and associates. Donald Trump and his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, on February 12, 2000 Giuffre said she was flown around the world for appointments with men including Prince Andrew while she was 17 and 18 years old. The men, including Andrew, denied that and questioned Giuffre's credibility. The prince settled with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, agreeing to make a 'substantial donation' to her survivors' organisation. While Andrew has long been criticised on both sides of the Atlantic, Allred, the attorney for some of Epstein's victims, also said she believes Andrew's name appears in files on Epstein held by the US government that many are asking to be made public. President Trump, who was close friends with Epstein for decades, suggested while campaigning for the last election that he would release the files. His campaign team wrote on X: 'President Trump says he will DECLASSIFY the 9/11 Files, JFK Files, and Epstein Files.' However, since his election he has backtracked. His former pal Elon Musk has criticised the Trump administration for not releasing the files. This year, Trump claimed the files were a 'hoax' and a 'scam' by Democrats who had peddled 'bulls***' to former MAGA supporters. Musk responded on X by saying: 'Wow, amazing that Epstein '' killed himself'' and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax.' Then on July 15, Trump said: 'It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring, and I don't understand why it keeps going. 'I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.' He later admitted the US attorney general had not told him the files were a hoax, but said he (Trump) 'knew' it was.
