On July 30, 2025, a Colorado jury convicted James Craig, a former dentist from Aurora, of the first-degree murder of his wife, Angela Craig, following a chilling and meticulously planned poisoning over a span of 10 days in March 2023. The verdict, reached after two days of jury deliberations in Arapahoe County, also included several other serious charges related to attempts to cover up the crime, culminating in a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole handed down by District Judge Shay Whitaker.
The case, which gripped the suburban Denver community, revealed a harrowing sequence of events in which James Craig allegedly laced Angela’s protein shakes with a toxic mixture containing arsenic, cyanide, and tetrahydrozoline—a drug commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops. Prosecutors detailed how, after these initial poisonings failed to kill Angela, Craig administered a final, fatal dose of cyanide intravenously while she was hospitalized, leading to her being declared brain dead shortly thereafter.
Angela Craig, 43, was admitted to the hospital on March 15, 2023, suffering from symptoms that initially baffled medical professionals: dizziness, vomiting, fainting, and severe seizures. Her condition rapidly deteriorated, and she passed away three days later. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline in her system, sealing the case against her husband.
Throughout the two-week trial, the defense suggested that Angela’s death was a suicide, claiming that Craig’s long-standing extramarital affairs had broken her spirit and that police had prematurely focused on James as the sole suspect. However, prosecutors countered these claims by highlighting James Craig’s conflicting explanations for his wife’s death and the damning evidence against him.
Among the most striking pieces of evidence were security camera images from the hospital showing Craig holding a syringe before entering Angela’s room, as well as his incriminating online search history. Prosecutors revealed that Craig had researched topics such as "How to make murder look like a heart attack?", "Is there such a thing as an undetectable poison?", and "How long does it take to die from arsenic poisoning?" Weeks before Angela’s death, he had ordered potassium cyanide online, which was delivered to his dental office.
Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Mauro described Craig as a man driven by greed, cowardice, and a desperate desire to escape a marriage he felt trapped in. "This is not a man who wants to get divorced," Mauro told jurors during closing arguments. "If he wants to get divorced, she’s serving it up to him on a silver platter." Mauro further emphasized that Craig’s motives included financial gain, noting that he was the sole beneficiary of $4 million in life insurance policies and that his dental practice was struggling. Appearance and reputation also played a role; Craig allegedly did not want the stigma of divorce to tarnish his image.
The trial exposed not only the murder but also Craig’s efforts to obstruct justice. The jury found him guilty of solicitation to commit murder, tampering with physical evidence, and solicitation to commit perjury. These charges stemmed from Craig’s attempts to coerce others into fabricating evidence and testimony to suggest Angela had planned her own death or to implicate others. Disturbingly, he also tried to hire a fellow inmate for $20,000 to kill the lead detective investigating the case. He even asked one of his daughters to produce a fake video of Angela requesting to be poisoned.
During the victim impact statements, Angela’s family members delivered heartfelt and emotional testimonies about the devastating loss. Toni Kofoed, Angela’s older sister, mourned the loss of everyday moments — phone calls, texts, and trips with her sister — saying, "You have taken away our opportunity to grow old together. Her life was not yours to take." One of the couple’s six children, Miriam “Mira” Meservy, spoke tearfully about her shattered trust, calling her father “the villain in my book.” Another son, Toliver Craig, shared how he set a nightly alarm labeled “Mom” as a way to remember her, expressing the pain of losing her too soon.
Judge Whitaker, in sentencing, described Craig’s actions as unleashing "a path of destruction as wide as a tornado and just as devastating," impacting not only Angela and their children but also their extended families. Craig was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus an additional 33 years for the other convictions. He was handcuffed and led from the courtroom without making a statement.
Craig’s defense attorney, Lisa Fine Moses, had argued that the evidence was inconclusive, pointing out that syringes recovered from the hospital did not contain poison and that the security footage was blurry. She also disputed claims of financial troubles and suggested that Craig’s affairs, ongoing for years, were not a motive for murder. Moses emphasized that the prosecution asked the jury to guess who poisoned Angela, with no direct proof linking Craig to the protein shakes.
Despite these arguments, the jury was convinced by the prosecution’s narrative and evidence, rejecting Craig’s claims that Angela sought his help in ending her life. Toxicology and forensic evidence, combined with Craig’s suspicious behavior and attempts to cover up the crime, painted a damning portrait of premeditated murder.
The case has left a lasting impact on the community and the families involved, shining a harsh light on a tragic betrayal hidden beneath the surface of a long marriage. Angela Craig’s life and death have become a solemn reminder of the devastating consequences of deception and greed.
