Dentist accused of killing wife by poisoning her protein shakes set to enter a plea to charges

Colorado dentist James Craig is accused of killing his wife by lacing her protein shakes with poison. Photo / AP

WARNING: This story deals with attempted suicide and homicide, which may be distressing.

A Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by lacing her protein shakes with poison is set to enter a plea in court to a first-degree murder charge.

Police said James Craig, who began an affair before his wife’s March 18 death, had searched online for answers to questions such as “Is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?” and “How to make murder look like a heart attack”.

In the following days, Craig’s wife Angela then Googled symptoms she was having including vertigo, shaking and cold lips, said district attorney John Kellner at a preliminary hearing last month.

Angela Craig, a mother of six who was married to her husband for 23 years, died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to Arapahoe County coroner Kelly Lear.

At the preliminary hearing, James Craig’s lawyers argued there was no direct evidence that he had slipped poison into his wife’s shakes and accused the lead detective of bias against Craig. Neither the affidavit nor testimony during the hearing addressed how investigators believe Angela Craig was poisoned with tetrahydrozoline.

Craig also was later charged with tampering with evidence but details about that allegation have not been disclosed.

The defence lawyers suggested that Craig, who had previously attempted suicide, had been searching online for ways to kill himself. Lead investigator Bobbie Olson acknowledged at the preliminary hearing that testing didn’t find any sign of cyanide or arsenic in two bottles used for shakes.

Investigators allege that Craig, who routinely made protein shakes for his wife, tried poisoning on March 6 with arsenic. After she survived, he ordered a rush shipment of potassium cyanide that he told the supplier was needed for a dental operation, according to court documents.

The arrest affidavit said the investigation into Craig started after his dental practice partner mentioned to a nurse that Craig had ordered potassium cyanide even though they didn’t need it.

Police claim Craig was seeing another woman. But the woman told ABC she did not willingly have a relationship with someone who was married.