A Colorado jury has delivered a stunning verdict, finding dentist James Craig guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 fatal poisoning of his wife, Angela Craig. The decision, rendered in Arapahoe County, culminates a high-profile trial that captivated national attention, exposing a chilling narrative of marital discord and calculated malice that ultimately led to a tragic end.
The guilty verdict for first-degree murder carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Furthermore, Craig was convicted on five additional counts, including two for solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence and three for solicitation to commit perjury. These charges added an astounding 33 consecutive years to his sentence, ensuring he will spend the remainder of his life incarcerated.
Prosecutors argued that Craig’s motive stemmed from a desire to escape his 23-year marriage without the financial and personal repercussions of divorce. Assistant District Attorney Michael Mauro articulated that Craig succumbed to “greed and cowardice,” treating Angela not as a partner but as an “object, an obstacle to the life he wanted,” a chilling summation of the premeditated nature of the crime.
Throughout the intense legal proceedings, jurors heard compelling testimony from a diverse array of witnesses, including investigators, family members, jail inmates, and even Craig’s extramarital partners. Critical evidence presented by the prosecution detailed Craig’s extensive research into poisons and the suspicious shipments of these deadly substances to his home and office, laying bare a meticulously planned act.
The prosecution further alleged a particularly heinous act: that Craig injected Angela with cyanide while she was actively dying in the hospital, merely hours before she was declared brain dead. This assertion painted a horrifying picture of a desperate man taking extreme measures to ensure his wife’s demise, even in her most vulnerable state.
Conversely, the defense attempted to cast doubt on the prosecution’s narrative, suggesting Angela was emotionally fragile, possibly suicidal due to Craig’s history of infidelity. Defense Attorney Lisa Moses questioned the origin of the tetrahydrozoline found in Angela’s system, urging jurors not to “guess” about voluntary or involuntary ingestion. However, the jury definitively rejected this defense, with Prosecutor Mauro emphatically stating, “The jury said it loudly: Angela was not suicidal. She had no knowledge of or participation in what happened to her, which is that James Craig murdered her.”
Following his arrest, Craig’s attempts to manipulate the investigation came to light through shocking witness testimonies. Former cellmate Nathaniel Harris recounted how Craig allegedly solicited his separated wife, Kasiani “Kasi” Konstantinidis, to falsely testify that Angela had requested the poisons for suicidal purposes, revealing a desperate attempt to fabricate an alibi and mislead authorities.
District Attorney Amy Padden underscored the deliberate nature of the crime, asserting, “This was Angela’s husband poisoning her, causing her to die a slow death. It wasn’t something done in the heat of passion. It was deliberate, it was over the course of days.” This powerful statement solidified the prosecution’s case, emphasizing the cold, calculated intent behind Angela Craig’s murder, bringing a definitive close to a deeply disturbing chapter.
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