'He Was Supposed To Be My Hero': US Man Poisons Wife To Hide Affairs, Uses Daughter For Coverup

Last Updated:July 31, 2025, 07:59 IST

A Colorado dentist was sentenced to life without parole for murdering his wife by poisoning her with cyanide-laced protein shakes in 2023.

With a photograph of his wife, Angela, cast on a screen above, dentist James Craig listens during closing arguments/James Craig wipes his face during his trial (Photos: AP)

A dentist in Colorado, the United States, was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday after being convicted of killing his wife. The charges against James Craig included lacing her wife’s protein shakes with poison and delivering a fatal dose of cyanide when she was in the hospital.

In court, James claimed he had helped his wife kill herself after he said he wanted a divorce following his repeated extramarital affairs. His claims, however, were rejected by the jury, which convicted him of murder and other charges, without the possibility of parole.

According to the Associated Press, prosecutors said that James poisoned his wife, Angela Craig, over 10 days in March 2023.

When those attempts failed, prosecutors said, the dentist gave his wife a final dose of cyanide as she was hospitalised in suburban Denver with symptoms that puzzled doctors.

She was declared brain dead soon after.

Besides murder, James was also found guilty of trying to cover up the killing by asking others to fake evidence and testimony that would make it appear that Angela had killed herself or wanted to frame him for her death.

He was found guilty of asking another daughter to make a fake video of her mother asking to be poisoned and of trying to get one fellow jail inmate to kill the lead detective investigating his wife’s death, among other things.

James himself didn’t testify during the two-week trial, and his attorneys didn’t present other witnesses. The defense had suggested earlier that Angela may have taken her own life and faulted police for focusing solely on James Craig as a suspect.

However, prosecutors said the dentist had offered other conflicting explanations for her death to other people, according to AP.

Toxicology tests determined that 43-year-old Angela died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops.

Prosecutors argued James wanted to kill his wife to get out of a marriage he felt trapped in, adding he didn’t want a divorce so he could protect his money and image.

They said photos from a hospital security camera shown in court depict James holding a syringe before he entered Angela’s room. After administering the fatal dose through her IV, James walked out and texted a fellow dentist with whom he was having an affair, Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Mauro told jurors.

His wife’s condition quickly worsened.

James’s sentencing followed a tearful testimony by Angela’s relatives about the impact of losing her, including one of the couple’s six children who cast her father as a villain.

Angela’s elder sister, Toni Kofoed, lamented the loss of phone calls, texts and trips with her sister where they could laugh and talk through the night.

“You have taken away our opportunity to grow old together," Kofoed said.

“Her life was not yours to take," Kofoed said in turning to the defendant.

“Angela had a love and a passion for life. She loved her children and, unfortunately, she loved you," she told James.

James appeared to shake with tears as his eldest daughter spoke about how much she missed being able to talk to her mother about her life and how she felt betrayed by her father.

“I was supposed to be able to trust my dad, he was supposed to be my hero, and instead, he’ll forever be the villain in my book," the daughter said, inhaling through tears.

However, as James declined to make any statement before being sentenced, he was handcuffed and led out of court.

Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

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