By JESSE BEDYAN, Associated Press/Report for America
An Aurora dentist accused of killing his wife by mixing his protein shakes with poison is set to plead in court on Tuesday to first-degree murder charges.
Police say James Craig, who began an affair before his wife’s death on March 18, searched online for answers to questions such as “Is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?” and “how to make a murder look like a heart attack”. In the following days, Craig’s wife, Angela Craig, then Googled the symptoms she was suffering from, including dizziness, tremors and cold lips, District Attorney John Kellner told a preliminary hearing. in July.
Angela Craig, a mother of six and married to her husband of 23 years, died of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline poisoning, the latter substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner, Kelly Lear.
At the preliminary hearing, James Craig’s lawyers argued that there was no direct evidence that Craig had put poison in his wife’s shakes and accused the lead detective of bias against Craig. Neither the affidavit nor the testimony at the hearing explained how investigators believed Angela Craig had been poisoned with tetrahydrozoline.
Craig was also later charged with tampering with evidence, but details of that allegation have not been released.
Defense attorneys suggested that Craig, who had previously attempted suicide, was looking online for ways to kill himself. The case’s lead investigator, Bobbie Olson, admitted at the preliminary hearing that tests found no signs of cyanide or arsenic in two bottles used for the shakes.
Investigators say Craig, who regularly makes protein shakes for his wife, tried to poison her with arsenic on March 6. After she survived, Craig ordered an urgent shipment of potassium cyanide which he told the supplier was needed for surgery, according to court documents.
The arrest affidavit said the investigation into Craig began after his dental office partner mentioned to a nurse that Craig ordered potassium cyanide even though they didn’t need it for their job.
Police say Craig was seeing another woman while his wife was being treated in hospital. But the woman told ABC’s GMA show that she was not willingly in a relationship with a married person.
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