Dentist Killed His Wife by Lacing Her Protein Shakes With Poison, Police Say

James Craig in an undated photo provided by Aurora Police Department. (Aurora Police Department via AP)

A dentist in Aurora, Colorado, charged with killing his wife, allegedly laced her pre-workout protein shakes with arsenic and cyanide so he could be with a woman he was having an affair with, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

On Sunday, police arrested James Toliver Craig, 45, on suspicion of first-degree murder, shortly after his wife, Angela Craig, 43, died after being hospitalized for severe headaches and dizziness, the Aurora Police Department announced.

According to the affidavit, Angela Craig died Wednesday after reporting to the hospital for the third time this month. After she arrived, she had a severe seizure, was placed on a ventilator, and was declared medically brain dead soon after.

An investigation by Aurora police detectives revealed that Angela Craig was poisoned, and police obtained a warrant Sunday after she was taken off life support.

James Craig “has shown the planning and intent to end his wife’s life by searching for ways to kill someone undetected, providing her poisons that align with her hospitalized symptoms, and working on starting a new life” with another woman, the affidavit says.

According to court records, James Craig is being represented by the public defender’s office, which does not comment on cases. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Police Investigation

Police began investigating James Craig after his dental practice partner and friend, Ryan Redfearn, told a nurse that James Craig had ordered potassium cyanide even though they did not need it for their work, according to the warrant.

Investigators believe James Craig poisoned his wife’s protein shakes with arsenic on March 6. But after she survived the poisoning, he ordered a rush shipment of potassium cyanide that he told the supplier was needed for a surgery. James Craig had asked an office manager not to open that package, but another employee accidentally opened it, leading to its discovery and eventual disclosure to authorities, the document said.

“Potassium cyanide works by stopping the body’s ability to use oxygen that you breathed in,” Andrew Bonham, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at MSU of Denver, told 9News.

Bonham said potassium cyanide is used in mining, polishing jewelry, and as a fumigant to kill insects and other pests.

“Potassium cyanide and other cyanides are very acutely toxic, so they make good pesticides, good fumigants to get rid of pests but they are not used in a medical context beyond that,” said Bonham.

Also, on March 6, James Craig ordered oleandrin, but the shipment was intercepted by authorities, according to the affidavit. Oleandrin is a poisonous substance found in leaves of the oleander plant.

James Craig told Redfearn that he ordered the potassium cyanide for his wife and told a social worker that she had been suicidal and depressed since he asked for a divorce in December. However, investigators said Angela Craig showed no signs of suicidal thoughts.

James Craig and his wife were having marital problems, and he “was on the verge of bankruptcy” for a second time, according to the document.

He had also previously drugged his wife about five years ago with an unknown drug, Angela Craig’s sister, Toni Kofoed, told police.

Kofoed believes that incident is what James Craig referenced in a series of texts between him and his wife about her symptoms after she first fell ill on March 6. According to the arrest affidavit, James Craig wrote: “Given our history, I know that must be triggering. Just for the record, I didn’t drug you. I am super worried though.”

Alleged Affair

During the investigation, police learned James Craig was in contact with another woman who flew in for visits with him.

While Angela Craig was sick in the hospital and doctors were unable to figure out what was wrong with her, police in the Denver suburb of Aurora allege her husband was meeting with a fellow dentist from Austin, Texas, who flew into town to visit him.

Last week, two days before Angela Craig was declared brain dead, the woman police say he was having an affair with wrote him an email expressing sympathy about what he was going through, according to the document. However, she said she did not think it was right for her to mix in with those who had gathered to mourn Angela Craig because she did not want to “conceal what I feel for you.”

James Craig remains in custody with no bond, and a judge said he wasn’t allowed to have any contact with his six children.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.