Small town dentist facing trial for allegedly poisoning wife's protein shake amid secret affair
A high-profile murder trial is set to begin Monday in Colorado, where prosecutors allege that a local dentist murdered his wife by poisoning her protein shakes with cyanide – all while secretly carrying on an affair and plotting a new life without her.
James Toliver Craig, 47, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation in the March 2023 death of his wife, Angela Craig, a 43-year-old mother of six.
The high-stakes trial is expected to last approximately three weeks.
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According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Angela Craig began experiencing mysterious symptoms, including dizziness, vomiting and severe headaches, in March 2023.
Her symptoms progressed between March 6-16, 2023, court documents allege, including blurred vision, feeling "drugged," seizures and rapid medical decline.
She was hospitalized several times before slipping into a coma and being declared brain-dead on Aug. 18, 2023.
Angela’s official cause of death was ruled acute poisoning by cyanide and tetrahydrozoline.
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On Aug. 15, as Angela was admitted to the hospital under suspicious circumstances, authorities turned to investigate James’ alleged involvement in his wife’s rapid decline.
James’ dental colleague, Ryan Redfearn, alerted hospital staff and police to a suspicious chemical delivery. Redfearn told authorities that he believed that James poisoned his wife.
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Redfearn alleged that James had ordered potassium cyanide, which investigators say is not used in dentistry.
Once hospital staff learned of the allegations, they were considered mandatory reporters and alerted the Aurora Police Department Major Crimes Homicide Unit. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Aurora Police Department for comment.
Court documents reveal the chilling digital footprint that James allegedly left behind, including his alleged use of a secret email account to search for undetectable poisons and purchase arsenic and cyanide.
Authorities also allege he watched YouTube videos about how to kill without leaving a trace.
The plot thickened as James’ alleged affair came to light with Karin Cain, a Texas orthodontist. Emails between the two, obtained through search warrants, revealed intimate conversations and planned trips.
Authorities said James appeared to want to deliberately conceal his relationship with Karin, using a secret email address, jimandwaffles@gmail.com, which he created on Feb. 27, 2023, to communicate with Karin.
His secret email account was not found on his phone, laptop or Angela’s phone – it was only accessed on the clinic computer in dental exam room No. 9, authorities said.
After allegedly learning something had happened to Angela, Karin wrote:
"I’m so sorry for what you’re going through… I wish I was helping you and not pulling you away," she wrote to James. "I want to be there for you, but I don’t want to mix in with your family and friends and pretend to be only a friend when there’s something more."
Emails were described by investigators as "intimate in nature and contained sexually explicit conversations."
The planned trips coincided as Angela was severely ill in the hospital, court documents reveal.
Prosecutors suggest James wanted to eliminate his wife, with whom he shared six children, and start a new life with Cain.
Angela and James' marriage was on the rocks at the time of her death. Angela Craig told her sister, Toni Kofoed, several times over the past 16 years that she planned to leave her husband, but he always convinced her to stay. The couple was on the verge of declaring bankruptcy for a second time, according to the documents.
Kofoed told police that Craig had "multiple affairs with several women" and that he had drugged his wife about five years earlier because he had planned to die by suicide and didn't want her to stop him.
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James was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Angela, in mid-March 2023.
James Craig is charged with first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder, solicitation to commit perjury, and two counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence.
James allegedly offered a fellow inmate $20,000 to kill Detective Bobbi Olson, the lead investigator in his case and author of the 52-page affidavit. The plot surfaced through jailhouse conversations, which were recorded and reported by other inmates.
Prosecutors said Craig also tried to fabricate a false suicide narrative for Angela, directing inmates to plant fake suicide letters suggesting she took her own life.
He allegedly promised free dental work in exchange for cooperation, as well as money or other benefits.
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James’ trial was delayed in November 2024 when attorney Harvey Steinberg withdrew from the case, just weeks before the trial was set to begin.
Steinberg told the court that James Craig was insisting on pursuing a legal strategy that Steinberg believed was unethical, possibly illegal or fraudulent.
Due to this last-minute withdrawal, the court granted continuance to allow James to hire new legal counsel and allow the new attorneys time to review the case.
The trial was rescheduled and officially begins with jury selection on Monday, July 14. Proceedings are expected to run through Aug. 1.
Fox News Digital's Mollie Worthy contributed to this report.