CO - Angela Craig, 43, mother of 6, allegedly poisoned by cyanide in protein shake by dentist husband, Aurora, Mar 2023

Tuesday, April 16th:
*Motions Hearing (@ 9am MT) - CO - *Angela Dawn Pray Craig (43) poisoned (potassium cyanide) by husband & left her brain dead & taken off life support (arrived at hospital on Mar. 16, 2023) & died Mar. 18, 2023, Aurora. *James Toliver Craig (45/now 46) arrested (3/19/23), charged (3/23/23), formally charged (7/12/23) & arraigned (10/9/23) with 1st degree premeditated murder after deliberations & tampering with physical evidence. Amended charges (4/12/24): 1st degree murder (F1) & 2 counts of solicitation to commit wit physical evidence. Held without bond. Bond set at $10M on 6/28/23. Plead not guilty (10/9/23).
Jury selection was set to begin on 4/18/24 & 4/19/24 continued on 8/8/24 & 8/9/24.
Trial was set to begin on 4/23/24 continued on 8/13/24 (thru 8/30/24) 8/14, 8/15, 8/16, 8/20, 8/21, 8/22, 8/23, 8/27, 8/28, 8/29, 8/30/24. No court on Mondays. All start @ 8:30am.

Case & Court info from 3/16/23 thru 1/6/24 reference post #433 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...entist-husband-aurora-mar-2023.670769/page-22

1/10/24 Update: Next motions hearing on 1/30/24 @ 9am. 1/30/24 Update: An Arapahoe County district judge is deciding whether or not to admit some key evidence in the case. On Tuesday, Craig's attorneys argued to suppress Google searches found on the dentist's work computer for several poisons & whether or not they were detectable. Those queries were discovered by detectives through searching the hard drive of an office computer but made from an account called jimandwaffles@gmail.com. The account was a new one, created on 2/27/23, three weeks before Angela Craig died. Some of these searches, the defense said, were discovered illegally by investigators whom they contend went “beyond the scope” of what they asked for in the search warrant. Eighteenth Judicial District Judge Shay Whitaker did not rule on the motion to suppress the searches, but said she would make an order soon. Next status conference hearing on 4/5/24 @ 3:30pm.
3/7/24 Update: Attorneys for Craig accused of poisoning his wife a year ago want his upcoming trial delayed because the toxicologist they hired to testify had a stroke. Craig's murder trial is currently scheduled to begin 4/18/24. Defense expert Henry Spiller, a former director of poison control centers in Ohio 7 Kentucky, has testified about the dangers of tetrahydrozoline in other trials — perhaps most recently in the November trial of a Pewaukee, Wisconsin woman accused of poisoning her friend with eye drops in 2018. In their continuance motion, Craig's attorneys said that they became alarmed when they were "suddenly & unexpectedly unable to reach Mr. Spiller" and then realized that he had become ill around Feb. 22. Next status conference hearing on 3/8/24 @ 9am.
3//8/24 Update: Craig will not go to trial until late summer after the judge granted a motion to continue it Friday morning. Craig's trial was set to begin next month but will now begin on 8/8/24. Attorneys for Craig said a key witness to their case suffered a stroke earlier this year & is currently unable to testify as he recovers. Next motions hearing on 4/16/24 @ 9am, pretrial readiness conference hearing on 8/2/24 @ 9am & jury selection begins on 8/8/24 & 8/9/24 with trial beginning on 8/13/24. No court on Mondays.
4/12/24 Update: Prosecutors have added 2 charges to the murder case for Craig, already facing a first degree murder count, is now accused of trying to convince his daughter [& another person] to help cover up her own mother's death. Amended charges: 1t degree murder (F1) & 2 counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence (F6). The charges will become official once a judge approves the amended complaint. Craig is now also accused of attempting to persuade one of his daughters to tamper with physical evidence in order to facilitate a crime between 3/18/23 & 3/31/23, the amended complaint states. He is also accused of attempting to persuade a second person to cover up evidence between 3/18/23 & 6/15/23. The document does not include any additional detail on the nature of the requests & the second person’s connection to Craig was not immediately clear.
 
Date Len Appearance Name Hearing Type Case # Location Division
5/1/24
1:30 PM 1Hr IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Preliminary Hearing D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 308

8/2/24
9:00 AM 1Hr IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Pre-Trial Readiness Conference D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 308

8/8/24
8:30 AM 1D IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Jury Trial D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 308
thru
8/30/24
8:30 AM 1D IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Jury Trial D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 201

link: Colorado Judicial Branch - Court Docket Search
 
Wednesday, May 1st:
*Preliminary Hearing (@ 1:30pm MT) - CO - *Angela Dawn Pray Craig (43) poisoned (potassium cyanide) by husband & left her brain dead & taken off life support (arrived at hospital on Mar. 16, 2023) & died Mar. 18, 2023, Aurora. *James Toliver Craig (45/now 46) arrested (3/19/23), charged (3/23/23), formally charged (7/12/23) & arraigned (10/9/23) with 1st degree premeditated murder after deliberations & tampering with physical evidence. Amended charges (4/12/24): 1st degree murder (F1) & 2 counts of solicitation to commit wit physical evidence. Held without bond. Bond set at $10M on 6/28/23. Plead not guilty (10/9/23).
Jury selection was set to begin on 8/8/24 & 8/9/24.
Trial was set to begin on 8/13/24 (thru 8/30/24) No court on Mondays. All start @ 8:30am.

Case & Court info from 3/16/23 thru 3/8/24 reference post #461 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...entist-husband-aurora-mar-2023.670769/page-24

4/12/24 Update: Prosecutors have added 2 charges to the murder case for Craig, already facing a first degree murder count, is now accused of trying to convince his daughter [& another person] to help cover up her own mother's death. Amended charges: 1t degree murder (F1) & 2 counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence (F6). The charges will become official once a judge approves the amended complaint. Craig is now also accused of attempting to persuade one of his daughters to tamper with physical evidence in order to facilitate a crime between 3/18/23 & 3/31/23, the amended complaint states. He is also accused of attempting to persuade a second person to cover up evidence between 3/18/23 & 6/15/23. The document does not include any additional detail on the nature of the requests & the second person’s connection to Craig was not immediately clear. Next motions hearing on 4/16/24 @ 9am.
4/16/24 Update: No info on motions hearing. Next preliminary hearing on amended charges on 5/1/24 @ 1:30pm.
 

[…]

The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office filed a motion on April 10 to add a third count against Craig — an additional solicitation to tamper with physical evidence charge. Craig appeared in court Wednesday to discuss that third charge.

The sole witness called was Aurora Police Detective Bobbi Olson, the lead detective on the case. Olson testified that she spoke with an inmate who was incarcerated alongside Craig.

According to the detective, Craig told the other inmate about the charges he faces and asked the inmate to place letters in his garage and truck at his home. Olson testified that the letters were written from inside the jail and were meant to appear as if Angela had written them.

According to Olson, the letters were supposed to convey that Angela was not happy with life, was suicidal and had learned about her husband's affair. The intent was for law enforcement or defense attorneys to find the letters, Olson testified.

[…]

Craig's defense argued the inmate is unreliable evidence and violates Craig's due process rights. However, the judge ruled the prosecution established probable cause and met their burden of proof.

According to a spokesperson with the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, the three charges don't need to be tried together, but it will likely happen. The next court appearance for Craig is set for June 5.

 
Date Len Appearance Name Hearing Type Case # Location Division
6/5/24
2:30 PM 1Hr IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Motions Hearing D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 308

7/26/24
9:00 AM 1Hr IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Status Conference D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 308

8/2/24
8:30 AM 1Hr IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Pre-Trial Readiness Conference D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 308

8/8/24
8:30 AM 1D IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Jury Trial D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 308
thru
8/30/24
8:30 AM 1D IN PERSON CRAIG, JAMES Jury Trial D32023CR664 Arapahoe County Div. 201

link: Colorado Judicial Branch - Court Docket Search
 

5/1/24

Prosecutors said James Craig, who's accused of poisoning his wife's protein shakes and killing her, tried to fabricate evidence while in county jail with the help of another inmate. A detective with the Aurora Police Department testified Wednesday during a preliminary hearing about her conversation with witness Kacy Bohannan.

After the hearing, the judge felt there was enough evidence to proceed with the new charge of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence. Craig is facing a similar charge after the prosecution said he tried to persuade a family member to tamper with evidence.

Bohannan called the detective last summer and told the detective he was in custody at the Arapahoe County Jail at the same time as Craig, the detective testified. According to her testimony, Bohannan said Craig asked him to place letters at his house that would appear to be written by his wife, Angela Craig, saying she wasn't happy with life and that she was suicidal. The detective said Bohannan told her Craig wanted someone, like police, to find the letters.

[..]

The judge felt there was enough evidence to proceed with the new charge. Craig is scheduled to go to trial in August.
 
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (Scripps News Denver) — An Aurora dentist accused of killing his wife by poisoning her protein shakes allegedly asked a fellow inmate to plant evidence in exchange for free dental work.

If interested, more at link...


Posted at 3:15 PM, May 2, 2024
 

Updated on: May 3, 2024 / 1:11 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A dentist accused of killing his wife by putting poison in her protein shakes asked a fellow jail inmate to plant letters to make it look like his wife was suicidal, police say.

James Craig asked the inmate to put the letters in Craig's garage and truck at his home, Aurora police detective Bobbi Olson testified Wednesday at a court hearing on the new allegation against Craig, KMGH-TV reported. The inmate believed the letters were written by Craig but meant to appear as if his wife, Angela Craig, had written them, said Olson, the lead detective in the case.

Angela Craig, a 43-year-old mother of six who was married to her husband for 23 years, died in March 2023 of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to the coroner.

Craig is alleged to have bought poisons online just before his wife began to experience symptoms that doctors could not find a cause for. But his lawyers have argued there is no direct evidence that he put poison in his wife's shakes and have accused Olson of being biased against him.

According to Olson, Craig offered money to pay for the bond for the inmate to be released from jail or perform free dental work in exchange for planting the letters but the inmate decided not to take him up on the offer, the detective testified.

Full article at link...
 
Aurora Police Detective Bobbi Olson, the lead detective on the case, said that she spoke with an inmate who was imprisoned in a cell near Craig.

She told the judge and court that Craig reportedly told the inmate about his charges and asked them to place letters in his garage and truck at his home.

Olson testified that the letters were allegedly written from inside the prison and meant to appear as his deceased wife had written them.

According to the detective, the letters were meant to show that Angela was not happy with her life, felt suicidal and was aware about her husband's affair.

She testified that the entire point of those letters being written and spread across the house was so that law enforcement or defense attorneys could find them letters.
 
If this allegation about the letters is true, I wonder how he thought he'd manage to remove his own touch DNA, handwriting tendencies, etc. from these faked letters?
I think it was just a desperation tactic. He knows he's guilty, there's a mountain of evidence against him and he will be going to prison for the remainder of his life.

If there's even a 1/1000th of a chance that the fake letters could work then he may as well try it. At worst he'll get a few extra years tacked on to his life sentence. At this point there's literally no downside for him.

Edit - Funnily enough both Kouri Richins and Jessy Kurczewski (the Visine killer) also tried similar tactics from behind bars. Must be something about poisoners and their scheming ways.
 

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