Dentist’s twisted sex confession before he ‘poisoned wife to death’ revealed to murder trial jury

On March 15, 2023, Angela Craig, 43, complained of a severe headache and dizziness, and was later declared medically brain dead at a hospital in Aurora, it was her third visit to the hospital that month

Angela Craig died on April 18, 2023, the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office found that Angela Craig ingested lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, listing arsenic poisoning as a “significant condition” related to her death.

Her husband James Toliver Craig, 47, is charged with first-degree murder and additional offenses stemming from his alleged plots while behind bars

Prosecutors argue Craig poisoned his wife with cyanide, arsenic and a chemical found in eye drops, after starting a fresh affair amidst his financial troubles

In a later development Craig from his jail cell ordered a hit on a detective involved with the investigation

He also tried to convince his teen daughter to exonerate him by making a deep-fake video of her mom asking for poison

Colorado dentist James Craig, [right], is charged with fatally poisoning of his wife, Angela, [left], in 2023. Family friend Nikki Harmon testified on Monday that the couple had told her years earlier that he was struggling with sex addiction and had previously drugged his wife

The Colorado dentist James Toliver Craig, on trial for fatally poisoning his wife two years ago admitted to drugging her four years before her murder, the victim’s best friend testified on Monday.
Nikki Harmon, whose husband had known defendant 47-year-old Craig since his teens and at one point worked for him, choked back tears and struggled to speak as she took the stand at the at the Arapahoe District Court in Centennial, Colorado.
James Craig is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the 2023 death of his 43-year-old wife, Angela.
Angela Craig, 43, and James shared six children. On March 15, 2023, she complained of a severe headache and dizziness, and was later declared medically brain dead at a hospital in Aurora. She died on March 18. It was her third visit to the hospital that month, according to the arrest warrant.
The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office found that Angela Craig ingested lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, listing arsenic poisoning as a “significant condition” related to her death.

Dentist James Craig [photo], is charged with first-degree murder and additional offenses stemming from his alleged plots from behind bars including ordering a hit on a detective and trying to convince his teen daughter to exonerate him by making a deep-fake video of her mom asking for poison

Prosecutors allege he tainted her shakes and poisoned her with arsenic, cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a chemical found in eyedrops, amidst financial struggles and a new affair.
Nikki Harmon testifying on Monday told the court Craig and his wife, who she referred to as ‘Jim and Angie’, came to the Harmons’ home in 2019 to share shocking information.
‘He told us that he had been dealing with sexual addiction for along time and that it had gotten to appoint where he was going to, or had thought about, killing himself,’ Harmon said.
‘And he told us that, one night, he was planning to inject himself with something to kill himself and drugged Angie to make sure that she didn’t wake up and stop him.’
The couple married for more than 20 years, were parents to five girls and a boy. The eldest at the time was 20, the youngest 8 years. Angela ‘told us that she was going to stay in the marriage and … she was going to help him work through it, Harmon said.

On March 15, 2023, the defendant’s wife Angela Craig [photo], complained of a severe headache and dizziness, and was later declared medically brain dead at a hospital in Aurora. It was Angela Craig’s third visit to the hospital that month

Family friend Nikki Harmon testified that Craig [photo] and his wife came to their home in 2019 where ‘He told [my husband and I], his sexual addiction had gotten to appoint where he was going to, or had thought about, killing himself’ by injecting poison. Meanwhile Angela was determined to stay and help him through the trauma

‘And so he was attending group counseling and therapy.’
Harmon testified that her relationship with her best friend cooled after the conversation, about which Angela seemed mad, texting that Harmon hadn’t been there for her when she needed her.
Harmon said she felt that Angela was upset and ‘taking it out on me – and I was okay with that.’
Despite the fact that they were no longer as close, Angela on March 9, 2023 texted Harmon, asking her to come check her blood sugar; a procedure the witness was familiar with as daughter is diabetic.
Harmon met Angela watching cartoons on the couch with her two youngest children. She ‘looked like she hadn’t slept well … she just really looked like she was very sick.’ 
Shea told Harmon ‘she hadn’t been able to get off the couch for several days, wasn’t able to keep any food down, and was super tired.’

Craig’s trial began at the Arapahoe District Court in Centennial, Colo., on July 15. Among witnesses who’ve testified is an office manager who noticed a ‘personal package’ Craig seemed anxious to receive that contained potassium cyanide. She raised the initial alarm on the day of Angela’s final fatal crash

Later in the day, Angela’s teenage daughter took her mom to the hospital. She was admitted and remained for days.
The friends communicated by text throughout the hospitalization. Angela seemed to have no idea what was causing her mystery illness.
Harmon was was also texting James Craig Harmon, who at first proffered coronavirus and diabetes as possibilities before communicating that he had ‘no idea’ what was wrong with his wife in a text.
Six days after Angela texted Harmon, she was back on hospital admission, initially with relatively stable vitals.
Angela Craig suffered a severe crash later in the day, Dr Peter Sottile testified on Monday.
‘What was reported to me was that the husband had been in the room with Angela and came out and reported she was having arm pain and looked uncomfortable and in distress.’
She was unresponsive, hypotensive, with low blood pressure and low oxygenation.
Doctors soon determined she had severe swelling in the brain that was ‘not compatible with survival,’ Dr Sottile told the court. 
‘It’s unusual for a 40-something woman … to walk into the ER with some type of vague complaints and, all of a sudden, essentially die in front of you,’ the doctor testified.  

Craig’s dental practice filed for bankruptcy protection in 2021 and while Angela was a supportive spouse, his serial philandering have since been exposed. Prosecutor Ryan Brackley, [photo], argues the defendant poisoned his wife with cyanide, arsenic and a chemical found in eye drops, after starting a fresh affair amidst his financial troubles

Dr Sottile and other providers went to share the distressing news with the husband and the others supporting him, waiting near the ICU.
Craig sent the others out of the room and was informed that ‘his wife was likely brain dead,’ his response was ‘unusual,’ Sottile testified.
‘His words were to the effect of, “That’s unfortunate” – it was a very lackluster, for lack of a better word … response to hearing that your wife, who had been healthy, was now likely dead.
‘He went on to say that this was “bitter,” Dr Sottile told the court.
Asked if he wanted doctors to continue interventions on his dying wife the husband’s ‘response was that we should stop – that she would want us to stop,’ Dr Sottile said.
About the same time doctors were consulting on options with James Craig, the dentist’s long-time friend, Dr Ryan Redfearn, now a prosecution witness, was informing hospital staff that he’d discovered cyanide had been delivered to Dr Craig at their practice. An office manager had opened the parcel and reported its contents to Redfearn.
The Craigs and Redfearns are friends. The men who attended dental school together and known each other for more than two decades, were business partners since August 2022 when Redfearn acquired part of Craig’s practice, which was “struggling financially.”
Craig had been texting Michelle Redfearn regularly since Angela’s hospital visit on March 9. Michelle a professor with a d Redfearn told
When Angela went in for her last Emergency Room visit Michelle and Ryan Redfearn went to the hospital where he told a nurse his partner recently ordered potassium cyanide at their office when “there was no medical reason or purpose” for the lethal substance at the practice, according to the affidavit.
That information was passed to Dr Sottile and the medical team, who then called in the toxicology team and the patient was given the cyanide antidote, however, the brain swelling remained ‘not likely reversible,’ Dr Sottile said Monday.