Dentist Accused of Killing Wife by Poisoning Her Protein Shakes Faces New Charges, as His Attorneys Withdraw from Case

The Colorado dentist suspected of poisoning his wife in order to start “a new life” with a Texas-based orthodontist is facing new charges. 

James Toliver Craig faces two new charges of solicitation to commit murder in the first-degree and solicitation to commit perjury in the first-degree, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). He was charged with first-degree murder in connection to the case last year and pleaded not guilty.

The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office also wrote in a separate post that Craig “declined to represent himself” and the “judge continued the trial over the People’s objection.” 

Craig’s attorneys withdrew from the case on Thursday, Nov. 21 — the same date that the trial was scheduled to begin — after citing a “professional conflict and other reasons,” according to CBS News and NBC News. Due to this, Craig’s trial has been delayed, the outlets said.

Craig was arrested in March 2023 for allegedly slipping potassium cyanide and arsenic into his wife Angela Craig’s pre-workout shake beginning the morning of March 6, according to an arrest affidavit by the Aurora Police Department obtained by PEOPLE.

Angela allegedly complained of feeling faint and dizzy, and Craig took her to the hospital. She was then released that same day but was subsequently admitted in and out of the hospital until March 15, the day she died, the affidavit said. She was 43 years old.

An investigation into Angela’s death revealed Craig had allegedly researched “undetectable poisons” and purchased potassium cyanide and arsenic, which caused symptoms including loss of consciousness and seizures. Those symptoms were the same ones Angela was experiencing up until the day she died, per the affidavit.

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Police also said Craig had been in communication with a fellow dental professional in Austin, Texas, via email in “what appears to be a sexually intimate relationship.” The affidavit said that it appeared as though “James was flying this woman into Denver while his wife and the mother of his children was dying in the hospital.”

Police said additional email evidence suggested Craig told his alleged lover that Angela died, to which the woman allegedly responded, in part: “I do want to give you any comfort I can, but I do not feel it is right to mix in with all of those gathering to mourn Angela either and I do not want to meet your family as a friend and try to conceal what I feel for you.”

A person close to Angela told police the couple had been experiencing marital problems for years and that Craig allegedly had a history of cheating and an addiction to pornography. He also allegedly poisoned Angela in the past, according to the affidavit.

The next hearing for Craig’s case is scheduled for Dec. 16, per the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.