A Colorado dentist has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the calculated and slow murder of his wife, Angela Craig. James Craig, a 47-year-old Aurora resident, was convicted of first-degree murder after he poisoned his wife over several days in March 2023, ultimately administering a fatal dose of cyanide while she was hospitalized.
According to prosecutors, Craig initially laced Angela’s protein shakes with toxins, including tetrahydrozoline — a chemical found in eye drops — before escalating to cyanide once she was admitted to the hospital. Surveillance footage showed Craig carrying a syringe into his wife’s room shortly before she was declared brain dead. Toxicology reports confirmed both cyanide and tetrahydrozoline in her system.
Investigators revealed Craig was having an affair with another dentist and wanted to escape his marriage without damaging his financial standing or public image. He sent his wife affectionate messages throughout her hospitalization, all while allegedly coordinating travel plans for his mistress to visit Colorado. Authorities also discovered Craig had ordered potassium cyanide online, despite having no professional use for it.
The court heard disturbing allegations that Craig attempted to stage the death as a suicide, even asking others — including one of his daughters — to help fake videos or testimony. He also allegedly tried to hire a fellow inmate to kill the lead detective investigating the case.
Angela, who shared six children with Craig, was remembered during sentencing by her eldest daughter as a loving mother whose life was cruelly stolen. “I was supposed to be able to trust my dad,” she said tearfully. “He was supposed to be my hero. Instead, he’ll forever be the villain in my book.”
Judge Shay Whitaker handed down a sentence of life without parole on July 30, 2025, describing the case as one of the most “heinous” murders in recent memory.
