Jury deliberations begin for dentist accused of killing wife by poisoning her protein shakes

The trial of a man accused of murdering his wife, Angela Craig, has moved to jury deliberations, with the accused’s fate now resting in their hands.

James Craig, a dentist based in Colorado, USA, is accused of murdering his wife by poisoning her protein shakes, doctoring her pills, and administering a lethal injection.

The jury’s deliberations began on 29 July 2025, with the prosecution having argued that Craig had been poisoning his wife in an attempt to end their marriage whilst portraying her as suicidal. He has even been accused of trying to engage his daughter in the alleged plot.

“Angela Craig was innocent. She had no part in her death, and the only person who says otherwise is this man. The person guilty of the ultimate betrayal – her murder,” said prosecutor Michael Mauro.

James Craig's murder trial began in July at Arapahoe District Court in Centennial, Colorado (ABC)

“There are so many false statements by this defendant that it’s tough to keep track.”

Craig’s defence attorney, Lisa Moses, acknowledged that he had been repeatedly unfaithful to his wife whilst being ‘completely dishonest’ about his affairs, but argued this was not proof of murder.

Moses also cited Angela Craig’s personal diary entries to argue that she may have been suicidal whilst challenging the depth of the investigation. “All I want to do when that happens is crawl into bed and cry myself to sleep,” she wrote in a 2018 entry. “I haven’t figured out yet if I should give in or push through.”

“This case is really about broken people, broken marriage, broken perceptions, broken investigation,” she said.

Prosecutor Ryan Brackley said: “Angela Craig was not broken. Her spirit was not broken.”

Stock image (Anna Blazhuk/Getty Images)

Angela Craig died on 18 March 2023 following three hospitalisations across 10 days. She presented at hospital with severe headaches, dizziness, and vomiting.

An autopsy showed that the 43-year-old mother of six had ‘lethal concentrations of cyanide’ in her system, along with tetrahydrozoline which is common to eyedrops. Arsenic poisoning was also detailed as a ‘significant condition’ in the examination.

Craig has pleaded not guilty to all charges, with those being first-degree murder, solicitation to commit first-degree murder, solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence, and solicitation to commit perjury.

Craig pleaded not guilty to first degree murder of his wife (ABC)

If he is acquitted of first-degree murder, he may still be considered for lesser charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

Three of Craig’s children were in attendant at court on 29 July, sitting on the prosecution’s side.

Craig was seen wiping away tears as the closing arguments were read.