The dentist accused of killing his wife also wanted the investigating officer killed, authorities say

A Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by poisoning her protein shake also allegedly plotted to kill an Aurora police detective who investigated the case, a department spokesperson told CNN .

James Craig, 45, faces two additional charges, including solicitation to commit first-degree murder, according to a lawsuit filed by prosecutors with the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

According to the complaint, Craig tried to convince a fellow inmate to commit the murder. The document does not reveal the intended target, but Aurora police confirmed to CNN that it was one of the detectives who investigated the case.

James Craig previously entered not guilty pleas to first-degree murder and other charges in the death of his wife Angela Craig.

The new charges were first reported by CNN affiliate KUSA. Neither the complaint nor police identified the detective.

The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office declined to provide more information about the charges. say on X“We cannot comment further due to the ongoing case.”

The new charges were filed by prosecutors a day after Craig’s attorney withdrew from the case. Court records show Craig has not yet hired a new attorney.

Craig allegedly ordered poison

Craig’s wife Angela, 43, complained of “severe headaches and dizziness” on the evening of March 15, 2023, and was declared medically brain dead shortly after arriving at hospital. said.

The arrest warrant affidavit for her husband said that was Angela Craig’s third visit to the hospital that month.

Her husband allegedly did this multiple searches on his work computer in the weeks leading up to his wife’s fatal illness, looking for “undetectable poisons” and “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human,” according to the affidavit.

Angela Craig went to the hospital with dizziness two days after a package of arsenic was delivered to the couple’s home, investigators said.

Investigators say Angela Craig texted her husband, “I feel drugged,” after drinking a protein shake. James Craig texted back: “For the record, I did not drug you,” according to a court document.

Police began investigating James Craig in his wife’s death after a business associate informed them that Craig had ordered it potassium cyanide to be sent to his dental office, according to their affidavit, raising the partner’s concern because the chemical is highly fatal if ingested.

After his wife’s death, James Craig told the victim’s sister he did not want an autopsy performed, the affidavit said. Despite his concerns, an autopsy was performed and the Arapahoe County coroner’s office found that Angela Craig had ingested lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, with arsenic poisoning listed as a “significant condition” linked to her death. CNN affiliate KUSA reported this.

Lawyer withdraws on the eve of the trial

The judge in the case last week approved the request of Craig’s former attorney, Harvey Steinberg, to leave after a closed-door hearing.

Steinberg mentioned two rules of professional conduct in his request for withdrawal: prosecutors said.

The first rule reads: “the client persists in an action involving the lawyer’s services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent,” and the second rule reads: “the client insists on taking action that is abhorrent to the lawyer.” considers whether with which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement.”

Jury selection for the trial was scheduled to begin last Thursday, the day his attorney withdrew. It has been postponed indefinitely until he has new counsel.

Craig’s next court hearing is scheduled for December 16.

CNN’s Raja Razek and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.

This story was reported by Andi Babineau in Denver and written by Andy Rose in Atlanta.

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